NAIROBI, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Animal rights groups on Thursday lauded the adoption of a resolution that links animal welfare to sustainable development at the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
They said the resolution dubbed "Animal Welfare-Environment-Sustainable Development Nexus" and adopted by the world environment ministers is expected to kick-start global conversations on linkages between animal welfare, the environment and sustainable development.
Tennyson Williams, the regional director of the World Animal Protection Africa, said animal welfare had been neglected in most international sustainable development strategies thus adoption of the resolution had come at a better time.
"The UNEA has sent a strong message demonstrating that the world is waking up, especially after the ravages of COVID-19. While we might not be sure where coronavirus originated from, we do know that habitat destruction, factory farming, and wildlife trade contribute to the emergence of infectious diseases," he said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
Williams noted that the adoption should provoke other policy bodies to recognize the importance of animals in the conservation of the environment and promotion of people's livelihoods.
"The task is now on the implementation of this resolution which will require transformative changes to guarantee success," he added.
The drafting of the resolution began in 2019 and was tabled at the meeting that ended on Wednesday by seven sponsoring countries namely Ghana, Burkina Faso, Pakistan, Senegal, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. ■