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Preamble:

- Considering that Life is one, all living beings having a common origin and having diversified in the course of the evolution of the species,

- Considering that all living beings possess natural rights, and that any animal with a nervous system has specific rights,

- Considering that the contempt for, and even the simple ignorance of, these natural rights, cause serious damage to Nature and lead men to commit crimes against animals,

- Considering that the coexistence of species implies a recognition by the human species of the right of other animal species to live,

- Considering that the respect of animals by humans is inseparable from the respect of men for each other,

It is hereby proclaimed that :

Article 1
All animals have equal rights to exist within the context of biological equilibrium. This equality of rights does not overshadow the diversity of species and of individuals.

Article 2
All animal life has the right to be respected.

Article 3
1°- Animals must not be subjected to bad treatments or to cruel acts. 2°- If it is necessary to kill an animal, it must be instantaneous, painless and cause no apprehension. 3°- A dead animal must be treated with decency.

Article 4
1°- Wild animals have the right to live and to reproduce in freedom in their own natural environment. 2°- The prolonged deprivation of the freedom of wild animals, hunting and fishing practised as a pastime, as well as any use of wild animals for reasons that are not vital, are contrary to this fundamental right.

Article 5
1°- Any animal which is dependent on man has the right to proper sustenance and care. 2°- It must under no circumstances be abandoned or killed unjustifiably. 3°- All forms of breeding and uses of the animal must respect the physiology and behaviour specific to the species. 4°- Exhibitions, shows and films involving animals must also respect their dignity and must not include any violence whatsoever.

Article 6
1°- Experiments on animals entailing physical or psychological suffering violate the rights of animals. 2°-Replacement methods must be developed and systematically implemented.

Article 7
Any act unnecessary involving the death of an animal, and any decision leading to such an act, constitute a crime against life.

Article 8
1°- Any act compromising the survival of a wild species and any decision leading to such an act are tantamount to genocide, that is to say, a crime against the species. 2°- The massacre of wild animals, and the pollution and destruction of biotopes are acts of genocide.

Article 9
1°- The specific legal status of animals and their rights must be recognised by law. 2°- The protection and safety of animals must be represented at the level of Governmental organizations.

Article 10
Educational and schooling authorities must ensure that citizens learn from childhood to observe, understand and respect animals.

The Universal Declaration of Animal Rights was solemnly proclaimed in Paris on 15 October 1978 at the UNESCO headquarters. The text, revised by the International League of Animal Rights in 1989, was submitted to the UNESCO Director General in 1990 and made public that same year.

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The Spirit of the Universal Declaration of Animal Rights

The Universal Declaration of Animal Rights was solemnly proclaimed on October 15, 1978, at UNESCO House in Paris. The declaration constitutes a philosophical stance on the relationship that must now be established between the human species and other species.

The philosophy is founded on modern scientific knowledge and expresses the principle of the equality of species with regard to Life. It provides humanity with a code of biological ethics. Universal egalitarianism is not a new concept; it is seen in civilisations predating Western civilisation and in religions quite different from the Judaeo-Christian tradition.

But these ethics needed to be stated clearly and firmly in today's world which has already suffered considerable disruption and is constantly threatened with destruction, violence and cruelty.

While humanity has gradually managed to draw up a code of rights for its own species, it does not hold any special right over the universe, being, in fact, only one of the animal species on the planet and one of the most recent. Life does not belong to the human species; man is neither the creator nor the exclusive owner of Life. Life belongs equally to fish, insects, mammals, birds and even plants.

In the living world, man has created an arbitrary hierarchy not found in nature and which only takes into account specifically human uses. This anthropocentric hierarchy has given rise to specism, i.e. the adoption of different attitudes towards different species, destroying some, while protecting others, declaring some to be "useful" and others "pests" or "fierce", reserving the term "intelligence" for the human species, whereas animals are merely granted "instincts". Specism is what led man to believe that animals do not experience suffering as humans do. Today it is quite clear that, on the contrary, animals do experience physical suffering in the same way as humans, and that animal thought, related to the presence of a central nervous system, is far more complex than neuroscience had suggested, which therefore means that animals also experience mental suffering. These faculties confer special rights on animals in comparison to vegetables.

The Universal Declaration of Animal Rights is designed to help humanity restore its harmonious relationship with the universe. It is not designed to revive the lifestyle of primitive tribes. It is a stage during which humans will come to respect life in all its forms, for the benefit of the entire biological community to which humankind belongs and on which it depends. The Declaration must not divert attention from the fight against human poverty and suffering, both mental and physical, against rampant selfishness, political detention and torture. Quite the opposite. By observing respect for animal rights, human rights will also be respected, the two being inseparable.

The Universal Declaration of Animal Rights presents humanity with a philosophy, a code of biological ethics and a code of moral behaviour which, when given careful consideration, and when true awareness is developed, will help the human race resume its proper position amongst the different living species as part of the balance of nature, this being a basic prerequisite for the very survival of the human species.

This means that the human species must change present attitudes and abandon anthropocentrism, as well as all forms of zoolatry, so as to adopt a mode of behaviour and moral code based on the defence of Life and grant precedence being given to biocentrism.

With such ambitions, the Universal Declaration of Animal Rights constitutes a key stage in the history of human intelligence and moral considerations.

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