Movement seeds: Supporting early-stage local animal advocacy in Central Asia and the Caucasus

I focused on the countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) and the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia). These regions share several characteristics: a post-Soviet heritage, growing populations, increasing prosperity, and – critically for our work – a rapidly industrializing animal agriculture and rising meat consumption.

In this article, I will share our experiences building animal advocacy communities in Central Asia and the Caucasus. I'll cover:

• Why we chose these countries, their socio-political context, and animal agriculture landscape
• Our decision to use organizing events as a movement-building tool in those regions
• Case studies and learnings from our work in Georgia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan

I hope that by sharing the problems we faced, the things that helped us succeed, and some useful tips, I can help others who want to start – or support – animal advocacy initiatives in places where it is still new.

Why Central Asia and the Caucasus?

Political background

The former Soviet republics have experienced various degrees of political transition since gaining independence after the dissolution of the USSR. All of them have maintained some level of economic and political dependency on Russia. According to the 

2023 Democracy Index, these countries are classified as either hybrid (in case of Armenia and Georgia) or authoritarian regimes.

Population and wealth

Most countries in the region (with the exception of Armenia and Georgia) are increasing in population, with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan experiencing the most rapid growth.

Similarly, GDP per capita has been steadily climbing throughout the region. However, even in Kazakhstan, the wealthiest country in the area, it remains less than half that of the United States.

Why did these metrics matter to us? First, historically, the consumption of animal products typically rises with increasing GDP. This rising demand for meat, eggs, and dairy can now be observed in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Secondly, the salaries and living costs are much lower than in Europe or the USA, giving most donors and charity organizations greater purchasing power¹.  

Meat consumption and animal agriculture

Predictably, meat consumption has been rising in the region since the late 1990s (with the exception of Kyrgyzstan²). Additionally, poultry meat now constitutes a gradually growing proportion of the total meat consumed in most of these countries, which – along with the increase in the number of farmed animals – introduces significant welfare issues.

A similar pattern can be seen in egg consumption (with increases ranging from 50% for Kazakhstan to 400% in Armenia since 1996), and milk production.

While many animals are still raised on small farms, governments are actively supporting transitions to more intensive production methods. For example, in Kazakhstan, the government is planning to build dozens of new poultry farms by 2027 and pushing to advance beef production. Such expansion and intensification of farming will likely come at the expense of animals. 
 

Animal advocacy

If it's indeed probable that the animal farming industrialization will expand, it’s crucial for organizations representing voices of animals to be engaged in this process.

When gathering information about animal advocates scattered throughout the region, I soon realized that the farmed animal welfare problem is largely unaddressed. Despite the efforts of several independent bloggers and activists, there was no structured advocacy movement and virtually no farmed animal protection organizations, with the notable exception of the group Vegan Georgia. Active organizations and even animal welfare laws in these countries (if they existed!) focused mainly on companion animals and stray animal management. We concluded there was a need to find local talent – people who could commit to farmed animal advocacy for the long term. 

Acting on opportunity

Based on my initial findings, we believed that laying the groundwork for new organizations and supporting existing local activists could be an intervention with promising impact. The decision to start this work was heavily influenced by the opportunity that presented itself to us. The wave of advocates leaving Russia gave me a starting point for building networks in most countries in the region by connecting me to local activists. As an organization, we saw ourselves well placed to do this work – I had previous experience coordinating activists, was familiar with the local contexts, and comfortable communicating, as most people in this part of the world speak Russian. Even though it's hard to predict how effective these local groups will be, the investment for us was relatively small and worth exploring.

Why festivals?

Starting in 2014, I co-coordinated plant-based festivals in St. Petersburg, Russia. These events took place several times a year, bringing together food vendors, plant-based producers, and eco-friendly businesses who showcased and sold their products. The festivals also featured thematic lectures, workshops, and musical performances. Animal protection and environmental NGOs were among the exhibitors.

Thanks to an interesting program and good media coverage, these events attracted thousands of attendees. But their most valuable outcome was less visible: they were entry points for new volunteers and activists who wanted to ‘do something’ and contribute to the animal cause but hadn't found suitable projects. These volunteers would join the organizing team, where they would gain experience, form relationships, and develop fundamental organizational skills. They learned to write press releases, create advertisements, use digital tools, and manage projects. This led to participating in other animal advocacy initiatives. 

Therefore, the festivals were not just a way to promote the plant-based diet and various animal and environmental causes among the general public. They functioned as gathering spaces for the movement and volunteer recruitment opportunities, offering a way to discover future leaders.

The Polish branch of Anima International had witnessed similar outcomes with their Veganmania festival, organized since 2013. We believe that organizing these events had a positive influence on the growth of the Polish organization.

I knew that festivals like this haven't yet been established in the countries on my radar (with the exception of Armenia). This was an opportunity to generate significant media interest and elevate discussions about animal protection and plant-based alternatives in spaces where these topics had received little attention. But because each event would be first-of-its-kind, it presented some challenges and there was no previous experience to draw from. However, the potential advantages were compelling, so we decided to use festivals as a vehicle for movement building and finding talent in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

My original plan was to organize the first event in Kazakhstan. I started from collecting information – contacts to local cat and dog protection and environmental organizations; vegan cafes, restaurants and plant-based food producers who could become exhibitors or sponsors; bloggers, experts, environmentalists, volunteers and activists engaged in various local projects. In short – anyone who could help make it happen. I posted on various activist and vegan online communities in Kazakhstan and other countries, looking for people to join the initiative. That’s when I was contacted by people from the group Vegan Georgia, who independently had been thinking of organizing a festival in their country. And so the work began…

Georgia

Despite its size and population (3.8 million – comparable to West Virginia or the Republic of Ireland), Georgia is a promising country for animal advocacy work. It had not yet experienced such an intensive growth in animal products consumption, and was striving to join the European Union (at least until the 2024 parliamentary election), already meeting some of the EU animal welfare standards. Our festival, organized in collaboration with Vegan Georgia, was to be the first large-scale event of this kind in the country.

Vegan Georgia, founded in 2015, was the first animal rights organization in Georgia, advocating for all species from companion animals to farmed animals and wildlife. At the time they contacted me, they were a grassroots group existing on a volunteer basis.

I was the only person from Anima International directly involved in the work – we aimed to involve local activists as much as possible. My Russian citizenship created some tension in the project due to the political atmosphere and the history of the region. However, despite these challenges and some technical difficulties (like realizing we have no power supply three days before the event, thanks to a miscommunication between the city authorities and the electricity company), the Buneba Festival was a success.

It took place in a city park in Tbilisi over 2 days in June 2023. Exhibitors included cafes, shops, and producers of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives – for many of them this was the first time participating in an event of this scale. The festival was attended by 2,200 people, and sparked considerable interest in the media. 

The long-term result was an improved organizational capacity for Vegan Georgia. They were able to attract new volunteers and launch a project introducing plant-based options in university canteens. The group continued to gain visibility and make connections within the movement, for example by attending the 2023 CARE conference. Sadly, their work has now been stalled due to the political situation in the country involving the change of government and introduction of ‘foreign agents’ laws.

Kazakhstan

Ömir Fest 2023

The next festival I worked on took place in November 2023 in Kazakhstan. After connecting with interested activists, I collaborated with Kazakhstan Animal Rights and Education (KARE) – a local companion animal protection organization, also involved in legislative work. We assembled a core team of 10 people who helped recruit approximately 70 volunteers for the event.

We held Ömir Fest in Almaty – Kazakhstan’s largest city. The event proved exceptionally successful, attracting 2,300 attendees. In addition to vendors³, activities, and live music, we secured prominent speakers. The advisor to the President of Kazakhstan Zulfiya Suleimenova presented online opening remarks, and Peter Singer – one of the most influential philosophers in the animal rights movement – gave an online speech and a Q&A session on ethics regarding animals. A local celebrity blogger also delivered a lecture on effective altruism – possibly the first in the country. 

Following the festival, the newly formed team initiated meetings and group hikes aimed at maintaining and developing the movement. Within just a few months, they started organizing another event – Kazakhstan’s first conference on animal welfare.

Ömir Conf – Kazakhstan’s first animal protection conference

Organized in February 2024, with support from the Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics, and Forecasting (KIMEP), the Ömir conference drew over 100 participants. The program covered companion animal protection, wildlife conservation, veganism, and farm animal welfare. One particularly important speaker was Aliya Amanzholova from Open Wing Alliance. She delivered an online presentation about this global initiative uniting over 90 organizations aiming to eliminate cages for hens, and ultimately end the suffering of all hens and chickens farmed for food. Several local media representatives covered the event – it was likely the first time that the rights and welfare of farmed animals were being discussed in local media. 

Ömir Fest 2024

Building on momentum from previous events, we planned our second large-scale festival for August 2024. This time we collaborated with a local environmental organization, which helped us navigate the strict public event restrictions and negotiate with the city and district authorities.

We were given space on a popular pedestrian street downtown to hold the event for free. However, the authorities didn’t quite estimate the scale and needs of such an event, which led to logistical issues. Thankfully, our team managed to work through them and deliver our biggest event yet.

More than 5,000 people attended the festival over two days, including the media and popular bloggers. The district authorities invited us to organize more events, which will hopefully remove some barriers in the future. We’ve also seen our team grow – five new members and 30 new volunteers joined the organizing team.

The ‘Kind food ’ project

After the festival, the team had the capacity to plan other initiatives. We launched a project called Izgi Tamaq (‘Kind Food’ in Kazakh), aimed at promoting plant-based alternatives to animal products and growing the plant-based food sector. In addition to the support from me, the project coordinator Alfiya Khasanova gained useful skills and knowledge from Anima International’s online course Introduction to plant-based campaigns. In February 2025, she published her first article on the economy of the plant-based sector in a major Kazakh publication Vlast. 

Ömir Conf 2025 – Central Asian Animal Advocacy Forum

At the end of April 2025, we held the second edition of the Ömir conference in Almaty. Unlike the first event, which was focused on Kazakhstan, this time we invited speakers and activists from other Central Asian countries, as well as China, Russia, Vietnam, Lebanon, and Poland – making it the first international animal advocacy conference in Central Asia. It gathered 130 attendants. The main goal was to establish cooperation among Central Asian activists, share existing experience and skills, and introduce the local animal protection community to the international, global movement.

Armenia

Going back to 2023 – after the first success in Kazakhstan, Armenia was next on my list. It’s the smallest country in the region, similar in size to Belgium or the state of Maryland, but with a much lower population (approx. 3 million people). Despite the relatively small number of farmed animals, we saw potential for meaningful change here for several reasons:

• The country's high Democracy Index rating creating more favourable conditions for advocacy work
• Armenia's aspirations to join the European Union, meaning the need to address animal welfare standards through legislation
• A proportionally large number of plant-based businesses, community organizers, and animal advocates

I managed to assemble a core team of 10 people, plus 30 volunteers supporting online and on-site. In September 2024 we hosted the Yerkratsiner festival in Armenia’s capital city Yerevan. It was attended by 800 people.

Again, it was the first event of this kind and scale in the country. And again, it led to the formation of a team which subsequently went on to work together on other projects. They now organize smaller events and film screenings aimed at engaging local animal advocates. They took part in several city festivals to promote the topic of farm animal protection. Thanks to political ties of one of the members – a city councillor – the group participated in February 2025 discussions on Armenia's proposed animal cruelty law. And currently they are planning the second edition of the Yerkratsiner festival, building on the momentum they’ve created.

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan is one of the region's poorest countries. Unlike in most Central Asian nations, small ruminants, not poultry, are the animals farmed in the largest numbers – goats and sheep account for 43% of farmed animals. The commercialized poultry industry is only just beginning to expand and intensify.

Despite my initial plans to organize a festival here, I couldn't find enough motivated organizers. However, in October 2024, I helped to facilitate a small event as part of a ‘Green Month’ at the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek (the Kyrgz capital and largest city). The University offers US-accredited degrees and aims to develop ‘future leaders for the democratic transformation of Central Asia’, so it’s a strategic venue for reaching influential young people who may shape policy and social attitudes in the region in the coming years.

I helped establish connections between the university, plant-based food producers, and animal welfare speakers. During the event, I gave a lecture about the modern animal welfare movement and effective altruism, while Alfiya Khasanova – one of the advocates from the group I established in Kazakhstan – discussed the environmental impact of livestock farming.

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is the most populous country in our operating area, similar in area and population size to the state of California. It has the highest (and steadily increasing) number of farmed animals in the region⁴. Because of this, and the rapid population growth rates, we thought starting work in Uzbekistan should be a high priority.

The person I knew in the country warned me that organizing this kind of event in Tashkent (the Uzbek capital) is unlikely to succeed – and there was some truth to it. The team of eight I assembled initially had to wade through some bureaucracy. However, we were lucky to be helped by a local animal rights advocate and public figure Timur Aripov. Thanks to his experience and connections, we were able to resolve all issues and secure the largest indoor stadium in Central Asia as our venue. 

The festival – the first of its kind in Uzbekistan – attracted 700 visitors. We had 28 market participants and received over a dozen media mentions, including from national media outlets, which not only covered the event, but also introduced the topic of effective altruism to a wide audience. 

It’s worth mentioning that this time the project was entirely run by local people (eight members of the core team and 30 volunteers) with no expats involved. For the first time we also managed to cover some costs through local sponsors, which was significant, given the initial pessimistic forecasts. 

The Tashkent team is now working on follow-up events and have attended the Central Asian Animal Advocacy Forum in Kazakhstan to form international connections.

Challenges and lessons learned

As an organization, we learned a lot working in these new regions. The challenges varied from country to country, but the most common problems we encountered were:

• Funding: Finding local sponsors was universally difficult. There are very few large plant-based food producers who actively support such events. Other businesses were skeptical about their potential for success. Festival market and food court participants usually joined for only a symbolic fee – we were not seen as a huge promotional opportunity. Considering it’s often difficult to rely on international funding (due to restrictive laws or sheer bureaucracy), this is an important factor to consider when planning similar work.
   
• Cultural sensitivity: Among progressive young people (our main target audience) there is an awareness about their countries’ colonial history, and a desire to redefine their sovereign identity. Outsiders – particularly from Russia or Europe – can often be seen as imposing foreign values or criticising the local way of life. Given my Russian background and the history between Russia and the countries in this region, I had to be diplomatic and careful about this dynamic causing tensions within the groups. Having local voices lead conversations helped us build trust among each-other and authenticity of our messaging.
   
• ‘Foreign agents’ laws or public registries: In Russia and Georgia, NGOs receiving funding from foreign sources are required to register as ‘agents of foreign influence’. This status subjects them to government monitoring and can hinder their activities and credibility. Kazakhstan seems to be heading in a similar direction. Politicians critical of animal advocacy are citing foreign funding as interference in national affairs. However, we've seen environmental organizations continue to secure foreign grants and work effectively despite appearing on these same lists. They may serve as a model for how advocacy work can continue even within potentially constraining regulations. 
   
• Bureaucracy: On top of the issues with finding local organizations able to receive grants, there may be other regulatory obstacles to navigate. Some local authorities have strict public event restrictions, such as prohibiting political messaging or LGBTQ-related content. Some require obtaining special permits or providing a list of confirmed speakers before the event is approved (creating a deadlock because speakers don’t want to commit to events that might not happen).
   
• Talent retention: We faced challenges with young and promising activists leaving their countries to pursue opportunities abroad.

Each country had its own political, social, and cultural background, and a unique work culture. I couldn’t just copy a success algorithm from past experiences. I had to adapt and approach each new working group differently. Here are some factors that, I believe, contributed to our success:

• Diplomacy: Given the cultural tensions mentioned above, it was crucial to, first and foremost, listen to the opinions of local people, who had the best knowledge of how our actions related to the social and political context.
   
• Perseverance: Even though there is no shortage of people dedicated to helping animals in the region, finding and coordinating volunteers required perseverance. I often faced initial resistance or pessimism. Using examples of successful events from other countries helped me break through it and inspire new organizers to join our initiatives.
   
• Communication strategy: Because animal rights and veganism are potentially unfamiliar concepts for a lot of people, we deliberately avoided naming our events anything like ‘Vegan Fest’ and making veganism a big part of their identity. We also did not use identical branding across different countries. Instead, we developed names and visual identity that incorporated local languages, reflected the festival content, appealed to a broader audience, and had less potential to trigger negative reactions. Climate change is a much more widely discussed topic here, with a lot of public recognition, so we positioned the festivals as environmental events with animal welfare components.
   
• Support and training: Many people who care about animals are involved in helping animal shelters, or cat and dog protection initiatives, balancing this with their personal obligations. Our work required a more systematic engagement, teamwork, and taking accountability for work areas. This was a new experience for many, so my support as a project coordinator was crucial.
   
• People: Most importantly, the extraordinary motivation of the people in each group, and the trust they put in me and the whole Anima International were one of the biggest drivers of our success. It’s worth noting that the trust worked both ways, and Anima International gave me and the local groups complete autonomy in running these projects, confident in our abilities.

How can we accelerate progress in these regions?

Our experience shows that these countries have exceptionally committed and responsible advocates with strong leadership potential. They adapt and learn quickly and are ready to act independently. Events like festivals and conferences seem to be effective in finding the most dedicated individuals. However, strategic support is needed to develop autonomous regional movements:

• Funding: We noticed that many potential advocates hesitate to commit because of financial concerns. With the amount of responsibilities and time commitment required, some of our organizers expressed that they won’t be able to continue the work without getting paid. Financial support is needed to make it possible for these potential movement leaders to commit full-time and develop structured organizations, without having to balance paid work with animal advocacy.
• Education and training: There is a need for comprehensive training, especially in organizational development and fundraising. Local people who want to help animals lack organizational management experience and skills.
• Research: Further research into local cultural perspectives on animals and animal welfare would be helpful for developing contextually appropriate messaging and interventions.
• International connections: Facilitating relationships between local advocates and international organizations – particularly Asian ones – can expand their understanding of both domestic and international advocacy opportunities.

The countries in this region are striving to intensify livestock production while simultaneously grappling with the negative effects of climate change. These environmental concerns have reached high-level policy discussions, as regional governments collaborate on mitigation strategies. There is potential for tapping into this environmentally conscious sentiment when developing interventions that will reduce animal suffering:

• Policy advocacy: The implementation of legislative initiatives to limit the industrialization of animal farming and outlaw its cruelest practices may be somewhat difficult, but not impossible. There are already advocates working in this area. These governments are quite conservative, but motivated by regional competitive dynamics and a desire to reduce dependency on major trading partners like China and Russia. Collaborating with representatives of established institutions (such as, in our case, Animal Law Centers at KIMEP and Maqsut Narikbayev University in Kazakhstan) and organizations with existing relationships with government agencies, can facilitate this approach.
• Plant-based alternatives development: Campaigns to promote plant-based alternatives could help in countries where legislative work is difficult. Supporting producers could complement the growth of industrial animal agriculture by offering low-cost, low-carbon protein alternatives that compete with expanding poultry operations. Currently, plant-based producers exist in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, but their product quality and accessibility is not sufficient.

It’s important to note that pressure campaign tactics and street actions are almost impossible here (with the exception of Armenia and Georgia) due to authoritarian governments. This may decrease the feasibility of some common interventions that proved effective in Europe or in the US. 

What’s next?

Although the effectiveness of our approach and its long-term effects are uncertain, we are hopeful that the work we started will continue gaining momentum. We managed to identify and train talented and motivated people who are passionate and ready to work for animals. Each team gained experience that will support their future work. And most importantly, they remain inspired to continue what they started.

Right now, we’re supporting the teams in organizing the next iterations of the festivals in Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Uzbekistan. The team in Kazakhstan also started working on creating an organization focused on farm animal protection. We hope the festivals are just the beginning. Seeing these groups mirror some of our own organizations' beginnings makes us optimistic for the growth of the movement. Based on the outcomes so far, we are happy with the judgement call we made. We believe that empowering local leaders can shape the future of animal advocacy in ways we cannot yet imagine. 

Acknowledgements:

Thanks to Vegan Georgia, KARE in Kazakhstan, Dingo team in Armenia, and Timur Aripov in Uzbekistan for making this work possible and for their dedication to helping animals. We’re also incredibly grateful to all grassroots activists not affiliated with formal organizations, who helped with the events and who contribute invaluably to the movement.

Feedback and proofreading: Anna Kozłowska, Laura Gough, Jan Sorgenfrei, Jakub Stencel, Anna Bearne