1st Middle East Seminar on Alternatives
The 1st North Africa and Middle East Seminar on Alternatives to Animal Experiments in Education and Training, held in Cairo on 27th February 2010, was a success and led to a resolution calling for full replacement.
Organised by InterNICHE and the Egyptian Society of Animal Friends (ESAF), the initiative brought together teachers, students, researchers, veterinary professionals, campaigning organisations and others to promote and help implement replacement alternatives across North Africa and the Middle East.
Participants from 24 countries gathered in Egypt for the Seminar and the subsequent 2nd Middle East Network for Animal Welfare (MENAW) Conference.
The Resolution passed unanimously at the Seminar recognises the pedagogical, ethical, environmental and economic advantages of humane alternatives over harmful animal use in education and training, and calls for full replacement of harmful animal use.
It calls on North African and Middle Eastern governments and educational institutes to work towards removing harmful animal use from the life science syllabus, to develop and implement appropriate and effective laws, regulations and guidelines to bring about replacement, and to provide support for the implementation of alternatives.
Furthermore, it recognises that animals are sentient beings and that life in all its forms should be fully respected. And in an acknowledgement of the commonality between religions in the region, the Resolution also recognises the imperatives within Islam, Christianity, Judaism and secular ethical thought that support respect for life and the replacement of harmful animal use with alternatives.
The 2nd MENAW Conference endorsed the Seminar Resolution, with minor changes. Both Resolutions are copied in full below. Arabic versions of each are available from InterNICHE.
The Seminar is being followed by a series of alternative presentations and meetings between InterNICHE Co-ordinator Nick Jukes and Heads of Department and Deans from several Egyptian universities, and with government advisors and accreditation officials.
An InterNICHE workshop with Egyptian, Moroccan, Palestinian, Sudanese and US veterinarians will address humane training tools in clinical skills and surgery, and the potential of supervised clinical work with animal patients as an alternative to experimentation for students and trainees. It will also address the concept of caring as a clinical skill and why it should be placed at the core of veterinary training.
Distribution of resources to the Seminar and Conference participants, including freeware and other low-cost or no-cost alternatives, will accompany the building of partnerships and alliances with new contacts made across the region.
Notes:
(1) The organisation of the Seminar was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Anti-Vivisection Union (South Australia) and the International Association Against Painful Experiments on Animals (IAAPEA) (UK), with further financial input from InterNICHE and the Middle East Network for Animal Welfare (MENAW).
(2) Countries represented at the Seminar and Conference included Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Syria, as well as Australia, Austria, England, France, India, Italy, Kenya, the Philippines, Serbia, Singapore, Tanzania, and the USA. Israel was not represented at the Seminar, but both InterNICHE and other organisations are active concerning alternatives in education and training in the country. Networking will share the Seminar experience and resources to all countries in North Africa and the Middle East.
Resolutions:
1st North Africa and Middle East Seminar on Alternatives to Animal Experiments in Education and Training
Cairo, 27th February 2010
Resolution
We the participants:
1. Recognise that animals are sentient beings and that life in all its forms should be fully respected
2. Recognise the pedagogical, ethical, environmental and economic advantages of humane and innovative alternatives over harmful animal use (animal experimentation and the dissection of purpose-killed animals) in life science education and training
3. Recognise the imperatives within Islam, Christianity, Judaism and secular ethical thought that support respect for life and the replacement of harmful animal use with alternatives
4. Join the global movement for humane education and call for full replacement of harmful animal use with alternatives
5. Call on North African and Middle Eastern governments, academic councils and educational institutes to work towards removing harmful animal use from the life science syllabus, to develop and implement appropriate and effective laws, regulations and guidelines to bring about replacement, and to provide support for the implementation of alternatives
2nd Middle East Network on Animal Welfare (MENAW) Conference
Cairo, 1-3rd March 2010
Resolution on alternatives to animal experiments in education and training
(Endorsing the Resolution passed unanimously by the 1st North Africa and Middle East Seminar on Alternatives to Animal Experiments in Education and Training, Cairo, 27th February 2010)
We the participants:
1. Recognise that animals are sentient beings and that life in all its forms should be fully respected
2. Recognise the pedagogical, ethical, environmental and economic advantages of humane and innovative alternatives over harmful animal use (animal experimentation and the dissection of purpose-killed animals) in life science education and training
3. Recognise the imperatives within all religions and belief systems, and within secular ethical thought, that support respect for life and the replacement of harmful animal use with alternatives
4. Join the global movement for humane education and call for full replacement of harmful animal use with alternatives
5. Call on North African and Middle Eastern governments and educational institutes to work towards removing harmful animal use from the life science syllabus, to develop and implement appropriate and effective laws, regulations and guidelines to bring about replacement, and to provide support for the implementation of alternatives
