WAN’s co-founder Janice Cox was recently invited to share her expertise in the international policy arena at the 2016 Summit for the Animals, an annual event hosted by the U.S.’ National Council for Animal Protection (NCAP).

Hosted on June 16 in Washington, D.C., the Summit brought together leaders in the U.S. animal protection movement for a series of workshops and for the presentation of their annual Belton Mouras Grassroots Leadership Award. Speakers included Laura Bonar of Animal Protection of New Mexico who was instrumental in recent policy changes which freed chimpanzees from use in medical experiments; David Coman-Hidy of the Humane League, whose recent success includes the phase out of chick culling in the U.S. egg industry; and PJ Smith of the Humane Society of the U.S., whose work led to Armani going fur-free earlier this year. This year’s award winner was Carolyn Merino Mullin, of the Museum of Animals and Society. You can read more about Carolyn and her work and advocacy on NCAP’s website.

Janice’s workshop focused on international policymaking bodies, particularly the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), and a disturbing trend she’s noticed: the U.S. as a key voice obstructing animal welfare progress on an international level. Janice gave tips on how advocates could work to address this problem, and provided the contact details for the U.S.’ OIE Delegate and Animal Welfare Focal Points.

If you would like to learn more about this issue, you can download her presentation slides and handout, or contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..