United Animal Nations is an

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...

organization founded in 1979, in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, by the Franz Weber Foundation, based in Switzerland.

History

United Animal Nations was founded by Franz Weber on 8 November 1979 in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

.united-animal-nations page at ffw.ch/en
Accessed 13 January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of the UAN is to obtain legal status for animal populations as well as to enhance the impact and political weight of the UAN member organizations. The forum was initiated by the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

environmentalist and animal activist Franz Weber. The charter and declaration was deliberately designed to mirror that of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

. The members are established organizations and institutions, whose aims are the protection of animal life and the preservation of nature. Weber complemented the structure of the UN by adding a protection committee and the International Court of Animal Rights to the UAN. The Statutes, Charter and Declaration were put together with Swiss philosopher and author

Denis de Rougemont Denys Louis de Rougemont (September 8, 1906 – December 6, 1985), known as Denis de Rougemont (), was a Swiss writer and cultural theorist who wrote in French. One of the non-conformists of the 1930s, he addressed the perils of totalitarianis ...

from Ferney-Voltaire, and a lawyer from

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

, Anton Flachsmann. On 8 November 1979, Franz Weber presented them to the international press.

Court

The UAN's most important organ, The International Court of Justice for Animal Rights has its seat in

. Its duties are to bring to the notice of the public, by means of morally symbolic prosecutions, cruel human actions against the animal kingdom that cannot be legally dealt with under normal human rights legislature. The court publicly announces its verdict, if need be by naming ministers and government leaders. The court has a president, two presidential assistants, and six to twelve further members representing the partaking animal protection associations. Only established bodies can act as plaintiffs. Since its foundation in 1979 the court has proceeded in more than 25 international cases.

Trials

As of 2011, the Journal Franz Weber listed twenty international trials in 34 years, including: * February 2010: Whale and dolphin slaughter throughout Japan, Norway, Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands - Geneva * June 2008: Bullfighting in Spain, Portugal and France (earlier trial had also taken place in Brussels, in 2003, and specifically re Spain in 1982) - Geneva * December 2005: Seal massacre in Canada (III) (previous trials in 1982 & 1979) - GenevaStop the killing (seal-kill) at ecop.info
Accessed 16 January 2017 * March 2002: Inhumane treatment of animals for slaughter in Europe (II) - Geneva * May 2001: Persecution and killing of certain dog breeds in Germany - Geneva * February 1999: Massacre of migratory birds in Europe (trial regarding Bird massacre in Italy, 1985) - Geneva * March 1995: Transport of animals for slaughter in Europe (II) (first trial in 1993) - Geneva * December 1991: Massacre of dolphins and drift net fishing - Geneva * October 1989: Ivory trade and elephant massacre (II) (also Elephant massacre in Africa trial 1984) - Geneva * February 1988: Wild horse massacre in Australia (II) (first trial in 1987) - Geneva * March 1981: Transport of horses in Germany - Geneva * February 1980: Animal testing and vivisection - Strasbourg

Founding board members

* Catherine Aga Khan * Katharina Büttiker * Belton P. Mouras (founder and president of the

Animal Protection Institute The Animal Protection Institute (API) was a national, nonprofit animal advocacy organization based in Sacramento, California that in 2007, as part of its affiliation with the Born Free Foundation, was renamed Born Free USA. Founded in 1968, API's ...

of America, California) *René Langel *Robert Hantzberg *Anton Flachsmann *Gilles Stickel *Judith Weber * Franz Weber (Secretary-General)

References

External links

UAN InternationalFranz Weber Foundation website, ffw.ch
{{Animal rights, state=collapsed Animal rights organizations Animal welfare organisations based in Switzerland Charities based in Switzerland