“Freedom is never voluntarily granted by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Summer 2019

Unfortunately, not all the oppressed are in the position to demand their freedom or rights.  Sometimes it must be done on their behalf as in President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation which ultimately ended slavery.  Vegan International has initiated a United Nations Convention Against Speciesism on behalf of all the abused, victimized, and exploited individuals who currently have absolutely no rights. 

The global issues we face, specifically the unsustainability of the meat and dairy based diet, its impact on human health, (cancer, heart disease, diabetes) the health of this planet (climate change, pollution),and the welfare of our fellow travelers on spaceship earth (the animals) needs to be addressed by the United Nations in a Convention.  A global patchwork quilt approach is not sufficient.

Left unchecked, the global demand for meat, eggs, and milk is due to double from 2000to2050, and will have a major impact on land and energy use globally.  The seriousness of this situation calls for a major step in addressing the issue.  A UN Convention Against Speciesism should be created to insure that all aspects of sustainability are taken into consideration, and that all individuals on earth are taken into consideration and treated justly.

Several United Nations Ambassadors have already met with Vegan International Founder, Sharon Wallenberg, to discuss the United Nations Convention Against Speciesism.  They were Ambassador Francisco Lopes of Portugal, and Ambassador Amrit Rao of Nepal.  Both were very receptive to an idea whose time has come for a comprehensive approach to a multitude of issues.  While the Ambassadors are not in a position to make a decision, they have forwarded the information to their respective Governments for consideration.  Additionally, meetings are being scheduled for this Fall with the Ambassadors from Ireland, Cypress, Rwanda, and possibly Finland. 

Vegan International has appointed two UN NGO Representatives, Debbie Rao and Carol Moon who will start this Autumn to begin to attend UN briefings and participate in UN activities on behalf of Vegan International.  While in New York, Ms. Wallenberg met with Representatives Angela Kung and Ben Williamson of World Animal Protection which has an office in New York and has UN ECOSOC consultative status.

In addition, Krishna Gautam, Chairman of Aging Nepal, a UN ECOSOC NGO will be talking about the UN Convention Against Speciesism at a Conference in Bangkok, Thailand.  The Conference will be attended by more than 20 Representatives from the Asia-Pacific area.  It is anticipated that a UN Convention Against Speciesism will be especially appealing to the Small Island Developing Nations.  They face the double dilemma of rising sea levels and rising health care costs. 

Methane from animals raised for food, deforestation to clear land for animals raised for food causes climate change melting polar ice caps and raising sea levels making SIDN uninhabitable, as is happening in the Marshal islands.  Transitioning from the traditional plant-based diets to the Western meat and dairy based diets causes skyrocketing incidents of diabetes and other preventable diseases, as in Mexico and will soon happen in Caribbean islands.

A United Nations Convention Against Speciesism will eliminate these problems and more importantly, bring some justice to those individuals whose welfare has virtually no comprehensive protection.