Advocacy Group Calls for Adding ‘Zero Animal Exploitation’ as 18th UN SDG

The Beyond Cruelty Foundation (BCF) is advocating for the addition of an 18th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) – Zero Animal Exploitation – to the United Nations' current list of 17 goals. The organisation argues that achieving the existing goals, which address poverty, hunger, gender equality, and environmental protection, is not possible without addressing animal exploitation. BCF believes that activities such as animal agriculture significantly undermine the current SDGs by contributing to issues like overfishing, deforestation, and greenhouse gas emissions.

BCF is calling for countries and stakeholders to adopt policies that reduce reliance on animals, raise awareness about how animal exploitation impacts the existing SDGs, and create a coalition of animal advocacy groups to support the initiative. The group believes that addressing animal exploitation is crucial for achieving sustainable development and hopes to leverage existing research and collaborations to push for the inclusion of Zero Animal Exploitation as the 18th SDG.