We work with governments
There are hundreds of millions of working animals across the world. We cannot hope to reach them all through our direct programmes so an equally important part of what we do is working with governments and international bodies to put in place policies that lead to improved animal welfare.
Brooke East Africa with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock in Kenya to discuss the donkey skin trade.
Scaling up what we know works at the local level is how we amplify our impact. We do this by influencing national governments directly and through regional, national and international partners and organisations. We work with them to develop animal welfare policies which include working donkeys, horses and mules, and integrate working livestock into wider development agenda from which they are so often excluded.
REGIONAL AND NATIONAL
Brooke East Africa have worked with local partners and donkey owning communities in Kenya and Tanzania to raise awareness of the donkey skin trade which is devastating local livelihoods. We supported communities who were petitioning the Kenyan government to introduce a ban on the slaughter of donkeys for export. This ban was achieved at the start of 2020. The Tanzanian government have also recently announced a ban on the trade in country after a concerted effort from Brooke East Africa and key local partners. We are now working with partners to defend the ban in Kenya against court cases bought by the slaughterhouses alongside key allies, Advocates For Animals and The Donkey Sanctuary.
Our team in East Africa have also developed an animal welfare bill which is now being used by 13 county-level governments. They are partnering with national governments to guide counties in developing these laws.
Brooke West Africa meeting with the former Minister of Livestock in Burkina Faso.
Brooke West Africa are working with the government of Burkina Faso to update a key bylaw on animal welfare which will protect donkeys against the trade in donkey skins. They are also working with the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation’s Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (FAO-ECTAD) to ensure working equids are included in their disaster risk protocols.
Brooke India has successfully lobbied for the inclusion of equine first aid in para-vet training courses in four states of India. Before this, equine medicine was generally excluded from vet training.
Brooke Pakistan succeeded in obtaining an amendment on the Animal Health Act so that it now includes reference to animal welfare. The team also succeeded in strengthening penalties in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. In the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province of Pakistan, Brooke has succeeded in including animal welfare indicators into livestock policy. Furthermore, the team has obtained the inclusion of equids and animal welfare in the curriculum of 6 veterinary institutions and influenced the Ministry of Education to distribute school books on compassion to animals designed by Brooke in Pakistan.
Brooke meeting with former Ambassador for Pakistan to the UN and her Counsellors.
INTERNATIONAL
Brooke is supporting the World Organisation for Animal Health with technical expertise to develop global standards for the welfare of working equids.
We also work through high visibility platforms such as the UN High Level Political Forum and the regional forums to raise awareness of the importance of working equids and advocate for their inclusion in the sustainable development agenda. In 2019, we addressed a plenary session attended by a diverse group of high-level representatives from Government, the private sector, civil society and academia.
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Brooke is very proud to be influencing global welfare standards and policies, as well as shaping national legislation to raise awareness of the various contributions of working equids to the lives of their owners and subsequently elevating the importance of their positive health and welfare.
Find out more about our global external affairs work.