Welfare Science

Animal Welfare and Sustainable Development Goals

Animal welfare is not explicitly mentioned in the UN Sustainable Development Goals but intersects with multiple goals including food security, health, poverty reduction, and environmental sustainability.

Key Facts

SDG 2 (zero hunger) includes livestock as a critical food system component
SDG 3 (good health) connects to One Health and zoonotic disease prevention
SDG 15 (life on land) covers wildlife conservation but welfare is implicit rather than explicit
SDG 12 (responsible consumption) connects to sustainable and humane food production
Animals are explicitly mentioned in SDG 15 targets around poaching and trafficking

Welfare Considerations

Integrating animal welfare explicitly into the SDG framework would strengthen both welfare advocacy and sustainable development. Animal welfare organisations can align their advocacy with SDG language to access international development funding and policy processes.

What You Can Do

Support Animal Welfare International advocacy for animal welfare in SDG frameworks
Engage with international development processes to mainstream animal welfare
Advocate for animal welfare to be explicitly recognised in post-2030 sustainable development frameworks