NAIROBI, Kenya, July 3 – African ministers have pledged to guard thousands and thousands of donkeys from rampant pores and skin commerce, marking a turning level for each the animals and the agricultural communities that rely on them.
At the Pan-African Donkey Conference (PADCo) held in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, leaders signed the Abidjan Declaration, a landmark settlement that upholds the African Union’s 2024 directive to halt the slaughter of donkeys for his or her skins.
This delegates contend that the transfer indicators the daybreak of a brand new period for the continent’s donkeys, lengthy exploited for ejiao a standard Chinese drugs constructed from donkey conceal gelatine.
The declaration additionally backs the first-ever Pan-African Strategy for the Preservation of Donkey Species, crafted by AU-IBAR with help from The Donkey Sanctuary and different companions within the International Coalition for Working Equids.
This technique emphasizes sustainable donkey use whereas preserving the livelihoods of susceptible communities significantly girls and kids who rely on these mild animals for water assortment, transport, and farming.
“This is just not merely about donkeys; it’s about dignity, fairness, and sustainability,” mentioned Niall Duffy, Executive Director of Policy and Profile at The Donkey Sanctuary.
“The Abidjan Declaration displays a shared willpower throughout African states to guard a significant species and the communities they help.”
The Donkey Sanctuary’s newest report, Stolen Donkeys, Stolen Futures, lays naked the human value of the pores and skin commerce. Over 5.9 million donkeys are slaughtered yearly, devastating native economies and putting a disproportionate burden on African girls.
Otieno Mtula, The Donkey Sanctuary’s Regional Campaigns Manager, praised the collective resolve.
“Our work with AU-IBAR and others has resulted in actual, actionable suggestions. We now look to African Heads of State to endorse this technique in February subsequent 12 months.”
The declaration urges all member states to ban new licenses for donkey slaughterhouses, revoke current ones, and tighten border controls to cease illicit trafficking.
It additionally recommends the institution of a continent-wide monitoring framework to trace progress.
