Sustainable Development Goals carried by donkeys? - Reflections on the 2025 UN High Level Political Forum
Without donkeys, there is no prospect of a safe, sustainable future for many parts of the world and consequently, this threatens all of humankind and indeed, the future of our planet.
Reading that back that sounds dramatic or even just ridiculous. It’s not, it’s true. If we consider some of the biggest issues the world faces, whether that is poverty, food insecurity, gender inequality, access to clean water or climate and disaster resilience, in so many parts of the world donkeys are key to delivering better outcomes. Our work at The Donkey Sanctuary is to ensure that policymakers understand this connection and then ensure that donkeys’ unique contribution gets the recognition and protection that it needs and deserves.
Donkeys and gender equality: a surprising truth
This month, I led a small delegation from our Public Affairs and Advocacy team at the United Nations High Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York; an annual gathering of 193 member states, NGOs and other stakeholders discussing the progress of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. A chance to reinforce the importance of donkeys on this 2030 Agenda (as it is commonly referred to) and to ensure the fundamental link between working animals and a sustainable future for the 500 million people who rely on them is acknowledged.
For us there was an added priority as the HLPF had a focus on Gender Equality (SDG 5) and just weeks earlier we had launched our latest report – ‘Stolen Donkeys, Stolen Futures’ based on new research from the Maasai Mara University showing the very stark effects on women and children when donkeys are stolen from their communities. This, sadly, is not uncommon and with a high demand for donkey skins to make ejiao (a Traditional Chinese Medicine) many communities are losing their donkeys, leading to the burden falling on women and children.
But our work does not fall on deaf ears. Only last year, the African Union’s Heads of State Summit agreed that there needed to be both a moratorium on donkey slaughter and also a donkey strategy for the continent to ensure donkeys remain in their communities, experiencing better health and welfare outcomes. We have been central to this work and it offers the hope that there will be a better future for donkeys in Africa, as well as providing an example for the world to follow.
Creating a louder voice for animals at the UN
That said, we are very much a partnership organisation. We make more progress for more donkeys by working with others. This is often as part of the International Coalition for Working Equids (ICWE) and, at an event such as the HLPF, with the World Federation for Animals (WFA).
Every day at the HLPF we met together, discussed the agenda, the events, opportunities and contacts we could collectively reach. No one organisation can do this alone: working together creates a louder voice for donkeys and other animals.
One big theme for us at the UN is getting an acceptance of the interaction between humans, animals and the environment and that true sustainability means good health in all three areas. This concept is known as One Health and as part of WFA we were involved in an event with the Colombian government to reinforce this point. Of course for us it’s not just health but welfare as well and there are similar interactions needed to improve welfare for all living things. Eventually a One Health, One Welfare solution would be the world we aspire to.
One Health: a win-win policy solution
Events like these also offer the chance to see what others are working towards, identify links and explore opportunities for greater collaboration. Last year we were able to get the UN to add working animals to their resolution on Disaster Risk Resilience, opening the door to engage member states and work towards their inclusion in national plans. We know that when this happens, those animals are more likely to survive, can be part of coping with the disaster and that communities with these protections recover more quickly. An ideal win-win from a policy perspective, our job is making sure this is understood and then implemented.
We also attended an event on sustainable energy and gender empowerment. I was struck by the similarities between their arguments and ours. It is a simple truth that everyone is committed and passionate to their cause, but it’s easy to fall into a silo. I see our job as being curious as to what others are doing and to build new alliances with more diverse partners that can truly deliver for our aims. It’s not just that it helps our cause, it’s because it helps build the sustainability we desperately need.
What’s Next? Building momentum and influence
As such, the inclusion of One Health and animals in the Ministerial Declaration was welcome. But the climate crisis is accelerating. Disasters are becoming more frequent. The global cost of living is rising. And, in parts of the world, the illegal donkey skin trade is decimating populations of the very animals that communities depend upon.
We are now turning our focus to future moments of influence, entering into discussions with Member States where we can highlight the role and value of working animals and support them as they develop and review relevant plans and policies.
We will continue to work with our allies in coalition, because as the penny drops with more policymakers that solutions need to be for animals, humans and the environment then we all move closer towards a healthier planet that will sustain us all for generations to come.
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