Since its founding in Manila in 2001, the Asia for Animals (AfA) Symposium has become the largest and longest-running conference for animal protection professionals in Asia and other regions of the world. The 11th Asia for Animals Symposium was held in Dalian, China from 18th to 20th October 2019. The 11th event was hosted by the Asia for Animals Coalition and Dalian Vshine Animal Protection Association.
The main theme of the AfA in 2019 is "Using laws creatively to protect animals". Dr. Zhou Jinfeng, the Secretary-General of China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) was invited to attend the event and shared work and efforts of CBCGDF on the theme of environmental public interest litigation (EPIL), judicial training and revision proposals that has been carried out so far.
This year’s guest speakers also included:
Wolf Gordon Clifton, the executive director of Animal People; Deng Tianyi, Deputy Director of Urban Animal Management Office of Dalian Public Security Office; Pamela Frasch, Dean of the Animal Law Program, the Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark Law School; Grace Ge Gabriel, Asia Regional Director of International Fund for Animal Welfare; Femke den Haas, Co-Founder of Indonesian Wildlife rescue Network, Jakarta Animal Aid Network, Founder of Stichting JAAN; Liang Zhiping, Senior Reseacher of Arts and Humanities of China Arts Research Institute; Mang Ping, professor of College of Chinese Culture; Kelly O’Meara, Vice President of Companion Animal and Engagement department of Humane Society International; Louis Ng, Founder and Chief Executive of ACRES; Qin Xiaona, Founder and Honorary Director of Beijing Capital Animal Welfare Association; Jill Robinson, Asia Representative of the International Fund for Animal Welfare; Sun Jiang, Director and professor of Northwest China University of Law and Politics Animal Protection Research Center (APRC); Sun Deming, Director of Research Center on Laboratory Animal Resources and Comparative Medicine; Bernard Unti, Senior Policy Adviser at the Humane Society of the United States; Amanda Whitfort, Associate Professor of University of Hong Kong’s Law Faculty; Yu Hongmei, founder of Vshine Animal Protection Association.
Topics under the main theme of "Using laws creatively to protect animals" include but not limit to the following:
? Online transmission of animal cruelty and laws/regulations on broadcasting of violence in cyberspace
? Animal cruelty in public and laws/regulations on the protection of youth
? Companion animal protection and laws/regulations on food safety/animal disease control
? Captive wildlife animal cruelty and laws/regulations on advertisement, trademarks, conservation, wildlife farming, and others
? Zoo animal cruelty and laws/regulations on property protection, business contract, child protection, and assault
? Animals in labs and laws/regulations on welfare, research management, and conservation.
(Photo credit: CBCGDF)
Original Chinese article:
http://www.cbcgdf.org/NewsShow/4936/10177.html
By / Li Xue Modified / Niu Jingmei