The International Councils on Animal Protection in OECD and Pharmaceutical Programmes (ICAPO and ICAPPP) are umbrella associations through which animal protection organisations, including HSI, interact with global chemical and pharmaceutical regulators who meet under the auspices of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH), and the Veterinary International Co-operation on Harmonosation (VICH).

The OECD is an economic alliance of 36 countries that works to promote international consistency in many areas, including the testing, labelling, and regulation of chemicals. The ICH and VICH are trilateral dialogue groups that bring together government regulators and national industry associations from the three main international pharmaceutical markets—Europe, Japan and the United States—to work towards international harmonisation of requirements and approaches to testing human and veterinary medicines to ensure their safety, effectiveness and quality.

All three entities publish influential test guidelines, which continue to rely predominantly on inhumane and outdated animal-based methods. Through ICAPO and ICAPPP, HSI works to promote more humane and sophisticated testing tools and strategies that to better assess human and environmental hazards of chemicals and products while replacing, reducing or refining animal use.

Learn more at icapo.org.