The declaration constitutes a philosophical stance on the relationship that must now be established between the human species and other species. The philosophy is founded on modern scientific knowledge and expresses the principle of the equality of species with regard to Life. It provides humanity with a code of biological ethics. But these ethics needed to be stated clearly and firmly in today's world which has already suffered considerable disruption and is constantly threatened with destruction, violence and cruelty. While humanity has gradually managed to draw up a code of rights for its own species, it does not hold any special right over the universe, being, in fact, only one of the animal species on the planet and one of the most recent.
Life belongs equally to fish, insects, mammals, birds and even plants.
In the living world, man has created an arbitrary hierarchy not found in nature and which only takes into account specifically human uses. Specism is what led man to believe that animals do not experience suffering as humans do. Today it is quite clear that, on the contrary, animals do experience physical suffering in the same way as humans, and that animal thought, related to the presence of a central nervous system, is far more complex than neuroscience had suggested, which therefore means that animals also experience mental suffering. These faculties confer special rights on animals in comparison to vegetables. The Universal Declaration of Animal Rights is designed to help humanity restore its harmonious relationship with the universe.