Animal Politics World Conference 2023, Den Haag
At the tail end of 2023, participants from 28 different countries gathered in The Hague, the Netherlands, for the annual Animal Politics World Conference. This year's theme was 'Building a Compassionate Political Movement'. In a world of rising populism and increasing conflict, the conference was a beacon of hope and connection. As one of the participants remarked at the end of the conference, ‘These meetings are always warm and important moments that allow us to build a better world together.’
The conference brought together people from the Middle East, North and East Africa, Europe, and Oceania. Every year, new participants from other countries join, which is a sign that our international movement is growing and strengthening. The conference started on Friday with a tour of the Dutch Parliament, where new MP Ines Kostić and former MP Eva van Esch explained the Dutch political system and the Dutch Party for the Animals' way of conducting politics. The participants were also allowed to look at the plenary hall of the House of Representatives, where important debates occur every week and are normally not open to the public.
During the weekend, training sessions took place on campaigning, fundraising and participating in political elections. In addition, there were lectures by the German political scientist Ali S.M. Abad on the representation of animals in political processes and by the Belgian author of the book How to Create a Vegan World, Tobias Leenaert, on how to keep hope as an activist.
In addition to training sessions and speeches, there was a lot of room for networking and strengthening the community. During the opening drinks, several participants had a table at which they could tell other participants about their organization’s work. There was a lot of attention to organizations working in Palestine. Among others, Vegans for Palestine was represented, an organization dedicated to bringing vegans worldwide together for the Palestinian cause by sharing information on social media. Another Palestinian organization present was the Baladi Palestine Animal Rescue Team. This animal shelter provides medical care to stray animals in Palestine, facilitates the adoption of strays, and is committed to raising awareness about animal rights. Other organizations that received extra attention were Luv4All Uganda, UAnimals Ukraine, and Global Animal Law Association.
More than eighty participants returned home after the weekend satisfied and inspired by new ideas, knowledge, and friends. ‘I can't put into words how much energy, inspiration, and new ideas I've gained. It has given me a lot of strength to meet all of these compassionate and powerful people,’ said one of the participants of the conference.
