13 November 2014: Participants at a meeting hosted by the Tanzanian Minister of Natural Resources, Lazaro Nyalandu, and supported by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Conservation Caucus Foundation (ICCF), have signed the Arusha Declaration. The Declaration calls for urgent action and announces the creation of bilateral agreements between Tanzania and neighboring Kenya, Mozambique and Zambia to address wildlife crime.

The meeting, which drew representatives from African countries, including the East African Community (EAC), UN agencies, members of the US Congress, non-governmental organizations and donors, addressed issues such as law enforcement, the transnational dimensions of wildlife crime and conservation. Participants reaffirmed their commitment to manage and conserve wildlife in the region and emphasized the challenges that wildlife crime poses for the environment, livelihoods based on tourism and sustainable development. They called for greater cooperation as well as national recovery targets for elephants, rhinoceros and lions. [UNDP News]