Asia for Animals: United in Diversity, Driven by Collaboration

2 days ago
2 min read

In the global animal protection landscape the Asia for Animals (AfA) Coalition is truly one of the ‘big beasts’. With more than 450 member organizations spanning the largest and most diverse of the world’s regions, the Coalition has become a real force for change for animals.

‘Asia for Animals’ was the title of a ground-breaking conference that took place in Manila in 2001, and since then the event has been hosted roughly every two years by more than ten cities in the region. In time the AfA Coalition was set up initially with the aim of maintaining the connections and momentum established through our conferences, and as a mechanism for galvanising Asia’s animal protection and welfare groups around emerging campaigns. The need for a more permanent and strategic entity became increasingly apparent, and over the past decade AfA has matured into a well-established charity with an impactful team of advocates drawn from many countries.

The Coalition’s working groups bring together a wealth of knowledge and expertise from Asian and international animal protection organisations, focused on those issues that matter the most across the region and indeed beyond. As an AfA board member I have been personally most impressed by our Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition (SMACC), and since 2023 the RSPCA has been an active supporter of its work. Online animal abuse is a huge challenge which knows no borders, and one which absolutely demands a concerted and multi-pronged approach if we are going to tackle it effectively. SMAC has – in my view, uniquely – combined providing practical, public-facing advice, particularly on what any of us can do if we encounter animal cruelty online, with a strategy of engaging constructively with the world’s major social media platforms to improve policy around control, moderation and removal of such material.

As animal welfare advocates none of us can make much progress acting alone. On a comparatively modest budget AfA really packs a punch, and could achieve even more given more support. The co-CEOs lead a highly capable multinational team, who together embody the spirit of partnership and energetic cooperation we need to confront our challenges and build progress. I’m very proud to have been able to play a part in the Coalition’s board and look forward to continuing my support!