Alexandria Beck
Organisations from 44 countries joined together in Poland to change the world for animals.
This past May, the Open Wing Alliance (OWA) hosted the third annual Summit to End Cages in Warsaw, Poland. 46 organisations from 44 different countries gathered together for four days of hands-on training, networking, and strategic planning around the coalition’s goal of eliminating battery cages from the face of the earth.
Some of the organisations who attended are experts in corporate campaigning and shared inspiring speeches and insights about their experiences in countries such as Lithuania, South Africa, and Japan. Meanwhile, groups in Taiwan, Ecuador, Slovakia, Latvia, Chile, South Africa, and more, were able to learn from each other’s experiences and consider the best way to bring institutional campaign work to their countries. Attendees were also able to participate in region-specific discussion groups, brainstorming sessions, and a role-playing activity that was designed to replicate a corporate meeting with executives
Excitingly, Jane Goodall sent in an exclusive video to the Summit. She addressed the attendees and noted just how important the work OWA is doing is. She also shared a few personal stories, relevant to the mission of ending cages worldwide, that made everyone at the Summit feel united in a common goal.
To make the Summit even more impactful, OWA launched two campaigns against Best Western and Hilton during the course of those four days, urging these hospitality giants to release a cage-free policy for their entire global supply chain. The launch included hands-on training in starting a campaign, utilizing social media and organizing campaign data. As part of the campaigns, OWA held two huge demonstrations outside a central Hilton and Best Western where over 100 activists lined the buildings for a silent protest that featured multilingual boycott signs and a banner with each organisations’ logo. Thanks to the Albert Schweitzer Foundation, our Hilton protest featured a large scale stunt which made a strong visual impact.
Within 24 hours, Hilton released a global cage-free commitment. A little over a month later, Best Western committed to the policy as well, resulting in two more OWA victories!
Activists left the Summit feeling energized and eager to get back to their work of changing the world. It was a meaningful time, as the Summit becomes a place for everyone in attendance to find a group of supportive friends who have the exact same priorities that they do. While the goal of ending cages in every part of the world may seem lofty or ambitious, it never seems more doable than when the Open Wing Alliance comes together to plan how to solve the problem. With such dedicated, talented minds working collaboratively towards the same outcome, it’s only a matter of time until no hen is kept in a cage, ever again.
