The report, Integrating Animal Health and Welfare into the 2030 Agenda and Beyond, released on December 9, argues that the current SDG architecture cannot deliver its objectives without integrating animal welfare as a core pillar of sustainable development. The findings arrive as ministers gather in Nairobi for the 7th UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-7), where One Health discussions are gaining momentum in the wake of COVID-19, zoonotic outbreaks, and escalating antimicrobial resistance.
SEI Senior Scientist and co-lead author Cleo Verkuijl stressed the stakes:
“If we want a coherent and effective sustainable development agenda, we can no longer treat animal welfare as an afterthought. Improving the wellbeing of animals can help tackle the root causes of many global crises – from pandemics to climate change – while improving livelihoods and public health.”
The omission, the authors argue, has global implications. Nearly 75% of emerging infectious diseases originate from animals, and a majority of medically important antibiotics continue to be used in livestock production.
Despite growing recognition of One Health by agencies including WHO, FAO, UNEP, and the World Organization for Animal Health, the SDGs still lack explicit targets connecting human, environmental, and animal health. This gap has increasingly become a structural challenge in global governance.
Jeff Sebo, Director of CEAP and co-lead author, emphasized the urgency:
“As UNEA-7 brings leaders together in Nairobi, we have an opportunity to take practical steps to embed animal health and welfare into global policy, strengthen action for the next five years, and shape a post-2030 agenda that benefits humans, animals, and the environment.”
The report cites several consequences of the current omission:
This aligns with broader scientific literature, including Nature reports showing that restoring wildlife populations could significantly increase natural carbon sequestration and ecosystem resilience.
The authors propose a tiered approach to embedding animal welfare into future global frameworks:
The report also highlights critical sectors for reform: industrial livestock production, global fishing systems, wildlife trade, conservation management, and infrastructure planning — areas where corporate ESG strategies and environmental compliance systems are increasingly under scrutiny.
UNEA-7’s acknowledgment of animal welfare as relevant to sustainable development, alongside emerging frameworks like the Pandemic Agreement and the One Health High-Level Expert Panel, signals that global governance may be shifting toward a more integrated model. For companies, this direction suggests rising expectations around antibiotic stewardship, supply-chain transparency, wildlife protection, and nature-positive strategies.
With the world off track to meet the 2030 Agenda, the report frames the next five years as decisive. Aligning human, environmental, and animal health — rather than managing them separately — could become a defining feature of post-2030 sustainability policy.
