About ICAPO

Purpose & Mission Statement

The International Council on Animal Protection in OECD Programmes (ICAPO) seeks to ensure the widest possible integration of nonanimal methods in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) guidelines and programmes.

By engaging in expert groups, leading and co-leading projects, commenting on draft documents, and attending OECD meetings, ICAPO aims to facilitate incorporation of non-animal methods through the OECD process, and ensure these methods are prioritised over animal-based methods and benchmarked appropriately, using human-relevant data.

Background

The OECD is an influential economic alliance of 38 (as of 2024) of the world's industrialised countries. Based in Paris, the OECD co-ordinates the development of standardised chemical-testing guidelines which are then adopted by the member countries. The OECD also co-ordinates various working parties, including the Working Party on Manufactured Nanoparticles, and the Working Party on Hazard Assessment tasked with managing specific chemical testing issues.

Before the OECD’s Test Guideline Programme, decisions concerning new testing guidelines were made by individual national governments, with little or no international harmonisation. However, through the OECD, regulatory testing guidance is increasingly being made at the international level through consensus among nations. Thus, it is extremely important to the animal-protection community to be represented at the OECD.

Since 2002, animal protection has had a formal voice at the OECD, which has historically relied heavily on animal-based methods in testing-related activities. ICAPO works to fully incorporate non-animal methods that can replace, reduce, and refine animal use (the "Three Rs") in OECD activities, in the interest of animal protection, public health and sound science.

ICAPO gained official status as 'invited experts' on certain OECD programmes in early 2002, joining other invited expert non-governmental organisations representing business, labour, and the environment. ICAPO represents the views of more than 30 million members and supporters throughout Asia and the Pacific Rim, Europe, Australia, and the Americas.

Membership

As of September 2024, ICAPO members include Animal Alliance of Canada, Animal Alliance of Canada Fund, Animal Free Research UK, Animal-Free Science Advocacy, Cruelty Free International, Deutscher Tierschutzbund e.V. Akademie für Tierschutz (German Animal Welfare Federation), Eurogroup for Animals, European Coalition to End Animal Experiments, Humane Society of the United States, Japan Anti-Vivisection Association, PETA Science Consortium International e.V., and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

Becoming an ICAPO Member

Organisations interested in membership must be mission-aligned with ICAPO and approved by all current members. Interested groups are asked to submit a letter of intention along with their organisation’s mission statement to ICAPO@pcrm.org. ICAPO members then review this information and unanimous, written approval is required from the current organisations for membership to be extended to the applying organisation. ICAPO members may approve or disapprove membership applications or submit questions or concerns to the Secretariat for additional follow-up with the applying group.

Approved organisations will begin membership upon payment of pro-rated dues for the time remaining in the year.