Wildlife and forest crime is increasingly organised and is demanding a more determined and coordinated enforcement response. The International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) will host two major events at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES to be held from 3 to 14 March in Bangkok, Thailand.
ICCWC will convene a roundtable on combating transnational organized wildlife and forest crime for Ministers and high-level representatives, to be held on 4 March 2013 (see the concept note and background document. The purpose of the roundtable is for States and regions to share experiences on their efforts to combat transnational wildlife crime; identify what further actions are required; and commit to combating wildlife and forest crime at the highest political levels.
ICCWC will then convene the first global meeting of wildlife enforcement networks on 5 March 2013 (see concept note), in support of a more coordinated enforcement response. The purpose of the meeting is for existing and proposed networks to discuss the need for a global system to improve coordination and effectiveness and to consider the role that ICCWC, together with other partners, could play in such a system.
The high-level events will focus on the importance of high-level political commitment to combating wildlife crime and the need for enhanced coordination among enforcement authorities at the regional, subregional and national level.
The Secretary-General of CITES, John E. Scanlon, stressed that “Illegal trade in wildlife is escalating, is transnational, and is increasingly well-organized. Our collective response needs to be commensurate with the nature of the risk at both the political and operational levels”.
The events have been made possible thanks to the generous contributions of the Governments of Sweden and the United States of America (through the Department of State).
