The Future of Asia Farm Animal Day (AFAD)
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The Asia for Animals Coalition (AfA) launched the first Asia Farm Animal Day (AFAD) in 2020, and since then, has gone from strength to strength as a much needed, and much celebrated gathering of organizations, working on behalf of Asia’s farmed animals.
Through AfA’s Farm Animal Coalition (FAC) member organizations, AFAD began as an online event for NGOs to come together and present their work. It also served as an awareness-raising platform to celebrate farmed animals and to highlight their plight.
Through our incredible collaboration with our partners and friends, Animal and Vegan Advocacy International (AVA International), AFAD became, for the first time, an in-person conference in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia in 2023, and is now into its second year in Hanoi in Viet Nam.
Through the events that have been held over the past five years, we are delighted and grateful to see so much support from organizations and individuals working in the farmed animal protection movement on the Asian continent and beyond.
Both teams remain incredibly supportive of each other and are committed to ensuring the success of their respective events. AfA and AVA will continue to collaborate closely, with AfA providing guidance and support for the AVA Summits in Asia and by being part of the Asia Steering Committee. The next AVA Summit in Asia will take place in India in September 2025.
We aim to offer a real-world platform for networking, forming friendships, collaboration and unity across the movement, and we feel this has been achieved. After deep consideration and discussion with both teams, we have decided that AFAD should now be organized solely by AVA International from 2025.
Despite this change, AfA plans to continue to collaborate with and support AVA International’s efforts, and will be part of the new AVA Summit Asia's steering committee. We will of course be present in 2025 for the AVA Summit Asia in India.​​​​​​
What will change about the in–person event?
The AVA Summit Asia will feel exactly like the last in-person AFAD – with a strong focus on professional farm animal advocates and organizations working across Asia.
Will AfA continue to work on farm animal protection in Asia?
FAC’s aim to unite and support the animal protection movement continues, and based on the resources, experience and expertise available to us, we will continue to focus on organizing regional FAC events, working group activities, and presentations at the biennial AfA Conference. FAC’s regional events bolster the larger events, allowing focus for more local NGOs to come together, to discuss in their own languages issues pertinent to farmed animal advocacy in their own regions. We will continue to hold at least two regional events each year.
What will happen to AFAD?
Asia Farm Animal Day will continue to be held on October 10th of each year, but will revert to its original online format: a day during which both NGOs and the public can take part in and promote awareness-raising and educational activities that focus on the sentience, wonder, and inherent value of farmed animals and how to improve their welfare across Asia.
Exciting events in 2025!
​Looking ahead to 2025, we're thrilled to announce a lineup of incredible events organized by FAC and AVA International. Stay tuned for more updates, but here's a sneak peek at what's in store:
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January - Farm Animal Coalition Regional Event in India
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April - Farm Animal Coalition Regional Event in Pakistan
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June - Farm Animal Coalition Regional Event in Indonesia
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August 25th to 29th - AfA Conference Taipei “Reflection and Breaking Boundaries”
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September - AVA Summit Asia in India
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October 10th (annually) - Asia Farm Animal Day (AFAD), celebrating the farmed animals of Asia.
*Please note: All events are subject to location changes.
Take a trip down memory lane
As we gear up for these amazing events, we invite you to take a journey back through time and explore the evolution of Asia Farm Animal Day since 2020. It has been a remarkable journey, filled with passionate advocacy, meaningful connections, and powerful movements that have shaped the future of animal welfare in Asia. Join us in reflecting on our past achievements as we continue to push boundaries and drive change for a better tomorrow!
Please feel free to contact FAC or AVA members directly with any questions or comments about this transition, via email at: thanh@asiaforanimals.com or julia@avasummit.com ​​