Africa Platform for Animal Welfare

Acronym: APAW

The Africa Platform for Animal Welfare (APAW) is an AU-IBAR-proposed multi-stakeholder platform for the continent that would bring together veterinary authorities, authorities in animal production and development, donors, development and technical partners, relevant Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), training institutions, research institutions, and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). AWSA and the action plan play a significant role in decision-making and actualization. The 2017 Animal Welfare Strategy for Africa (AWSA) provides the framework for the management of the African Platform for Animal Welfare (APAW), which is described in the operating guidelines.

Composition:

The African Platform for Animal Welfare (APAW) is composed of the following three bodies:

  1. The African General Assembly for Animal Welfare (AGAAW);
  2. The Coordination Committee for Animal Welfare in Africa (CCAWA) and
  3. The Secretariat

AU-IBAR acts as the secretariat of APAW. Thus, a secretariat will be established with the required equipment and staff.

Purpose

The overall purpose of the African Platform for Animal Welfare (APAW) is to support the implementation of the Animal Welfare Strategy for Africa (AWSA).

Specific objectives

The specific objectives of the African Platform for Animal Welfare are as follows:

  1. To support the implementation of the Animal Welfare Strategy in Africa (AWSA);
  2. To follow up on the progress of the AWSA action plan;
  3. promote coordination, collaboration, and information sharing and to foster partnerships on animal welfare among actors (users, beneficiaries, and stakeholders);
  4. To coordinate support for animal welfare from continental to regional and national levels;
  5. To promote the animal welfare agenda across the continent through participatory approaches, community engagement, and ownership;
  6. To foster a holistic and multi-stakeholder approach ensuring good animal welfare practices in different contexts and situations in Africa;
  7. To guide countries and Regional Economic Communities (RECs); and stakeholders on priority intervention areas in animal welfare, based on the African context.

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