Video
Message to Expert Conference on the EU Approach against Wildlife Trafficking
John E. Scanlon, CITES
Secretary-General
10 April 2014, Brussels
Commissioner
Potočnik, Commissioner Malmström, Distinguished guests, friends and colleagues,
The European Union, its Member
States and its Commission have been longstanding and steadfast supporters of
CITES - substantively, politically and financially.
The European Parliament, and its
committees, have also expressed deep interest in CITES-related issues - as was
most recently conveyed by the Parliament through its resolution on wildlife
crime.
The world has confronted wildlife
trafficking for decades. Yet in recent
years we have witnessed a serious spike in the scale, and a change in the
nature, of this illicit activity.
It is clear that the dynamics of
this highly destructive crime have changed - and so must our response - to
ensure it matches the scale, nature, and immediacy of the risk that wildlife
trafficking now poses to wild plants and animals, to people, to security and to
economies.
The positive news is that over
the past few years there has been a global awakening at all political levels
and across multiple agencies to the serious threats posed by wildlife
trafficking - and the European Union has been a critical part of this
collective effort.
At the 16th meeting of the
Conference of the Parties to CITES held in Bangkok in March of last year we
witnessed unprecedented levels of international cooperation in combatting
wildlife trafficking with a powerful suite of resolutions and decisions being
adopted by consensus - the implementation and review of which is already well
underway.
The CITES Standing Committee,
which also serves as the Convention’s main compliance body, will closely
monitor the progress made in the implementation of these concrete, time-bound
measures.
At the CITES CoP we saw a shift
away from seeking to apportion blame to finding new pragmatic ways to work
together to solve the problem - working across source, transit and destination
states - with each State playing its part to strengthen the overall enforcement
effort required and bring this illicit activity to an end.
I think it is fair to say that we
know what needs to be done - we must now get on and do it and in quick time.
In the time available to me today
- drawing upon the CITES CoP outcomes - I would like to encourage the European
Union to focus on three key broadly stated issues:
--first and foremost wildlife
crime must be treated as a serious crime - as defined under the UN Convention
Against Transnational Organized Crime.
The European Union is still a major market for trafficked wildlife and
it attracts highly specialized organized crime groups servicing a niche
market. A chain is only as strong as its
weakest link and criminal elements will exploit the weakest entry point into
the Union - and as such a strengthened response must be harmonized across all
EU Member States.
--secondly, in combatting
wildlife trafficking States must deploy the same techniques used to combat
other serious crimes - such as covert operations, controlled deliveries, the
use of modern forensics and asset seizure and recovery. The kingpins behind these serious crimes must
feel the full force of the law and this will require States to deploy these
sorts of techniques combined with the ability to impose severe sanctions.
--thirdly, a coordinated effort
across the entire enforcement chain and the illegal supply chain must be
deployed. Again, the enforcement effort
will only be as strong as the weakest link.
Within and amongst EU Member States there needs to be a coordinated
effort between investigators, Customs, police, prosecutors and the judiciary
–noting the existing good work of Europol and Eurojust. Further, close working relations must be
forged between enforcement authorities across the entire illegal supply chain -
source, transit and destination countries - with intelligence and forensics
being shared through secure channels.
There are perhaps three
underlying factors that will underpin these efforts:
--Firstly, there must be support
at the highest political level within and outside of the European Union. Germany - with Gabon, France, and most
recently the United Kingdom have each hosted major political events that have
generated significant political momentum and support. This has included the EU reaching out through
its diplomatic channels to put this critical issue on the political agenda –and
we hope that this diplomatic effort is maintained and possibly further
enhanced.
--Secondly, further financial
support from multiple sources is required - noting that the social, environmental,
economic and security implications of this illicit and its possible links to
the Sustainable Development Goals activity should open up new funding sources
–while also recognizing the EU for the strong financial support it already
provides, including to the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime
and to both MIKE and MIKES, which is evolving from monitoring to minimizing the
illegal killing of endangered species.
--Finally, we need to make a
quantum leap forward in the use of modern technologies in implementing CITES
and combating wildlife trafficking, noting that the CITES Secretariat is
offering support to the private sector on the creation of an impact investment
fund to invest in new and innovative technologies and bring them to market.
There has been talk of a possible
UN General Assembly resolution. Any such
resolution should build upon the excellent body of resolutions that have
originated from the UN Crime Commission, and subsequently been adopted by
ECOSOC, as well as the outcomes from Rio+20, the CITES CoPs, and the recent
General Assembly resolution declaring 3 March as World Wildlife Day.
Let me conclude by apologizing
for not being with you in person but prior commitments have taken me to the
Southern Hemisphere. I am however
delighted that our Chief of Enforcement Support, Ben Janse van Rensburg, is
there with you.
We offer our full support to the
European Union in this endeavor and express our deep appreciation for your
ongoing strong support of CITES.
Thank you. |
