Strengthening legal frameworks to combat wildlife crime
The Africa Asia-Pacific Symposium on Strengthening Legal Frameworks to Combat Wildlife Crime (Symposium) was convened by the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Illicit Trade in Wildlife and Forest Products (Task Force), in partnership with the World Bank-led, Global Environment Facility (GEF)-financed Global Wildlife Program (GWP) and USAID. The event was made possible through the generous support of the Government of Norway, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Symposium participants included senior officials from the national authorities responsible for wildlife and criminal justice in 22 countries: Botswana, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malawi, Malaysia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nigeria, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe, together with parliamentarians from the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Philippines, Thailand and the United Republic of Tanzania. Participants considered natural resource management and trade regulation, and criminal justice and interregional mechanisms, and identified a series of suggested elements for strengthening legal frameworks to combat wildlife and forest crime and for improving coordination and cooperation.