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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 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. At the threshold of the 21st century , it provides humanity with a code of biological ethics.
Universal egalitarism is not a new concept. It is found in civilisations previous to Western civilisation and in religions quite different from the Judeo-Christian tradition. It was necessary, however, that these ethics be clearly and firmly stated in today's world, which has already suffered considerable disruption and is constantly threatened with destruction, violence and cruelty.
Humanity has gradually managed to draw up a code of rights for its own species, but this doesn't mean that it holds special rights over the universe. It is, in fact, only one of the animal species on the planet and one of the most recent. Life does not belong only to the human species.: man is neither the creator nor the exclusive holder of Life. Life belongs equally to fish, insects, mammals, birds and plants. 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, to the adoption, that is, of different attitudes for 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 has led man to believe that animals do not experience suffering as humans do. Today it is quite clear, on the contrary, that animals do experience physical suffering just like humans and that animal thought, related to the presence of a central nervous system, is far more complex than what neuroscience had previously suggested: this means that animals also experience mental suffering.
The Universal Declaration of Animal Rights is designed to help humanity restore a harmonious relationship with the universe. It does not intend to make it regress to a primitive lifestyle, but to make humans respect life in all its forms, for the benefit of the entire biological community to which mankind belongs and on which it depends.
The Universal Declaration of Animal Rights is not intended to divert or distract from the battle against human poverty and misery, against selfishness, political detention and torture. On the contrary, if animal rights will be respected, also human rights will be respected, the two being inseparable.
The Universal Declaration of Animal Rights provides humanity with a philosophy, a code of biological ethics and a code of moral behaviour, which, when given careful consideration, when true awareness is developed, will see the human race resume its proper position amongst the different living species as part of the balance of nature, this being the basic prerequisite for the very survival of the human species. This means that humanity will have to change current attitudes and abandon anthropocentrism, as well as all forms of zoolatry, and adopt a mode of behaviour and a moral code based on the defence of Life, with precedence being given to biocentrism.
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