UN's Request to All Kenyan Companies Using Animals in Adverts

Companies that use animals to market their brands have been urged to raise funds for wildlife conservation. 

As part of UNDP's Lion's Share Fund, firms will be requested to make a voluntary contribution every time an animal appears in their adverts. 

It does not matter whether the animal used in the advert is real, a cartoon, or computer-generated.

The brands can also alternatively contribute 0.5 per cent of their media budget to the fund. 

Media companies can as well choose to donate a percentage of revenue collected from ads that feature animals on their platforms and/or donate media space to The Lion’s Share.

Statistics compiled by the UN indicate that advertisers worldwide spend about Ksh30 trillion annually. 

The Lion’s Share Fund’s target is to raise Ksh10 billion per year through contributions from firms in all UN member states.

The money raised will be channeled towards conservation of wildlife habitats and animal welfare.

"Everyone is commercially abusing the wildlife to advertise their products from airlines, hotels, banks, manufacturing firms, but despite this profit-making significance, animals do not always get the support they deserve," Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, a Director at UNDP told Nation

"We're not compelling firms to contribute to Lion's Share Fund but rather creating moral compassion and awareness on the need to support wildlife conservation," he clarified.