UN Agricultural meeting statement
Press release
The G20 Agriculture Ministers meeting took place this month, and World Animal Protection came together to urge Ministers of Agriculture for each G20 country to take steps towards a global phase-out leading to a ban on the trade in wild animals. Unfortunately, G20 Agriculture and Water Ministers failed to agree a Communique, but we understand agreement was reached on pandemics & wildlife. World Animal Protection has responded to this matter with our statement below.
We are disappointed that the meeting of the G20 Agriculture and Water Ministers this weekend failed to reach agreement on a joint Communique, due to different positions on climate change. However, we understand that progress was made and that the Ministers reached consensus in relation to pandemic preparedness and the link with wildlife. We therefore call for the chair of the G20 Agriculture Ministers to issue a chair’s summary detailing the commitments made and text agreed in relation to this critical issue, so that progress on this issue is captured and not lost from the meeting.
By failing to release a joint Communique, Ministers have stopped short of making public their deliberations on the urgent and vital commitments relating to pandemic preparedness, and of making crucial commitments relating to the wildlife trade. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the economic, social and health chaos that is caused when governments do not act to reduce risk, and COVID-19 is the latest in a long line of zoonotic emerging infectious diseases, the transmission of which has been associated with wildlife, including Ebola, HIV, SARS and MERS.
That’s why World Animal Protection has been campaigning for a global wildlife trade ban. G20 Leaders must now ensure that they use November’s summit to agree concrete actions to help prevent future pandemics, including by taking action on the wildlife trade.
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