Declaration
In 2024, more than 300 senior ethicists, scientists, philosophers, writers, and scholars from over 30 countries united for a historical declaration on animal dignity.
The Declaration, endorsed by well-known figures like Dame Jane Goodall and respected philosophers and scientists from around the world, including Indigenous scholars, responds to the urgent challenges human societies face in their exploitation of nature by tackling the cruelty and disregard that perpetuates harm. The principle of respect for all animals targets the exploitation of nature at the heart of climate change, biodiversity loss, and animal welfare issues.
The Declaration signatories include leading scientists and philosophers Amia Srinivasan, Dale Jamieson, Sue Donaldson, Will Kymlicka, Alfonso Donoso, Christine M. Korsgaard, Ralph Acampora, Robert Garner, Gieri Bolliger, Jeff Sebo, Marc Bekoff, Gary Steiner, Alexandra Horowitz, Danielle Celermajer, César Rodríguez-Garavito, Alasdair Cochrane, David George Haskell, Alice Crary, Jeff McMahan, Eva Meijer, Matthew Calarco, and Julius Kapembwa.
Media Contacts:
Melanie Challenger (melaniechallenger@gmail.com)
Becca Franks (beccafranks@nyu.edu)
Eva Bernet Kempers (eva.bernetkempers@uantwerpen.
Eva Bernet Kempers
Eva Bernet Kempers specializes in continental animal law, having completed her PhD on the concept of ‘animal dignity’ at the Animal & Law Chair of the University of Antwerp. Together with four animal law specialists, she founded The Harrison Collective, an organization that aims to improve the legal protection of production animals in Belgium.
Becca Franks
Becca Franks is Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at New York University. She has expertise in animal behavior, human-animal relationships, aquatic animals, and quantitative methods. She is the Co-Director of the Wild Animal Welfare Program at NYU and an associate editor for the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
Melanie Challenger
Melanie Challenger is a writer, across history of ideas, and history and philosophy of science. She is Deputy Co-Chair of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, Vice President of the RSPCA, and a co-founder and co-director of Animals in the Room, which develops arts, science, and tech-based models for including the perspectives of non-human life in decision-making.
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