Victory! In A Historic Move, The Italian Parliament Votes To Include Animal Protection In The Country’s Constitution

Photo of Brambilla Michela and Genlin from World Dog Alliance

On February 9th, the Italian Parliament amended the Constitution of Italy to include the protection of animals. This marks another milestone for Lega Italiana Difesa Animali e Ambiente (Leidaa) and World Dog Alliance (WDA).

The Constitution now states that the protection of the environment and animals is a “founding value” of the nation “in the interest of future generations.”

A cradle of European culture, Italy is widely recognized as a country of animal lovers. Since 2015, the World Dog Alliance has been working with Lega Italiana Difesa Animali e Ambiente (Leidaa), a leading animal protection group in Europe, to make Italy a leader in animal welfare.

The founder of World Dog Alliance, Genlin, and the founder of Leidaa, Michela Brambilla, former Italian Minister of Culture and Tourism and current Member of Parliament, are like-minded and close allies. The two have joined forces in the Italian Parliament, introducing a number of bills to ban the consumption of dogs and cats, to increase the punishment for dog theft, and to include animal protection in the Constitution.

In 2017, Andrea Bocelli, a world-renowned tenor, was invited by Councillor Brambilla to film a public service announcement for Leidaa and the World Dog Alliance, calling on a worldwide ban of dog and cat meat.

In 2019, Councillor Brambilla invited Genlin to Milan, and presented him with the “International Dog Lover Award” on behalf of the Italian Parliamentary Group for Animal Rights (Intergruppo Parlamentare per i Diritti degli Animali) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the development of animal protection worldwide.

Genlin has long advocated for animal protection to be included in Italy’s Constitution. He describes the amendment as historic, and that he is deeply inspired by the success of the five-year lobbying effort in the Italian Parliament. Genlin has expressed his plans to continue working closely with Councillor Michaela Brambilla to promote the inclusion of environmental protection and animal protection in the education curriculum in Italy, as well as the enactment of a comprehensive Animal Protection Act.

You can help all animals and our planet by choosing compassion on your plate and in your glass. #GoVeg