The UN has laws to protect children, refugees, and the environment.

UNICEF protects children. WFP fights hunger. UNEP defends the environment. But 680 million stray dogs and cats,  and 46 million working horses have no international body advocating for them, no binding legal framework protecting them, and no mechanism to hold governments accountable.

That’s not an oversight. It’s a gap we can close.

The proposed United Nations Convention on Animal Health and Protection (UNCAHP) would be the first legal international framework that:

• Protects stray animals — by creating global standards that finally include the 680 million dogs and cats living without shelter, food, or veterinary care. 
• Safeguards working animals — by establishing global welfare standards for the 46 million horses, donkeys, and mules whose labor sustains communities worldwide.
• Creates accountability for all animals — by giving governments, courts, and advocates a legal foundation to strengthen animal protection.

This isn’t wishful thinking. It’s the strategic next step in international law — modeled on laws that already protect children, refugees, and the environment.

Right now, cruelty to animals carries no international legal consequences. A government can ignore the suffering of millions of animals with zero accountability to the global community. UNCAHP would change that by creating the first international legal standard for animal protection—requiring nations to act, report, and be held accountable.

Global Strays has spent years doing the hard work on the ground — spay/neuter programs, veterinary care, and welfare education in Colombia, Nicaragua, and Liberia, Africa. We know that lasting change requires both hands-on intervention and the legal architecture to back it up.

→Signing this petition tells the UN that the world’s animals deserve a seat at the table.

Every signature strengthens the case we bring to United Nations member states. The petition is delivered directly to UN leadership and participating governments.

One Health. One Welfare. One World.

Thank you for your support and for being a voice for animals everywhere.

About UNCAHP
The UN Convention on Animal Health and Protection (UNCAHP) is an initiative developed by the Global Animal Law Association and its collaborators. Global Strays supports this effort as part of a broader push to advance animal welfare at the international level.
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