17 November 2015: The 2nd INTERPOL–UN Environment Programme (UNEP) International Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Conference (IECEC-2) concluded with the adoption of a global action plan meant to strengthen environmental law enforcement and support collaborative action to combat environmental crime. The action plan focuses on four main areas: multi-agency cooperation; police and judicial training; awareness raising; and strengthening legislative and regulatory mechanisms.

ECEC2, which convened from 16-17 November 2015 in Singapore, was organized by INTERPOL and UNEP. It brought together some 140 high-level experts from 50 countries and 20 international organizations to discuss different forms of environmental crime, including activities impacting waste, wildlife, forestry and fisheries, as well as intelligence gathering mechanisms and the role of networks. The meeting also saw the presentation of nominees to the Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Committee, who were then elected on 18 November.

David Higgins, Assistant Director, Environmental Security Sub-Directorate, INTERPOL, described the process leading up to the engagement of INTERPOL in the field of environmental law enforcement. He highlighted the large-scale projects launched, including Project Predator on Asian big cats, Project Wisdom on elephants, Project Lead on illegal logging, Project Scale on fisheries crime, and Project Eden on waste. At the Conference, INTERPOL and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) signed an agreement extending their cooperation on combating crime, especially with regard to the illegal killing and trafficking of elephants, rhinoceroses and tigers.

In a panel on wildlife and forest crime, John Scanlon, Secretary General, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), put into perspective several actions that successfully limited poaching, highlighting in particular the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) and its Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit. He stressed that environmental crimes must be addressed under the umbrella of corruption and as part of transnational organized agendas within the UN.

During the conference, INTERPOL released a directory of existing environmental law enforcement networks and agreed, with UNEP, to commence a study assessing the threats of environmental crime and to begin regularly mapping crime to relay its global scope. [IISD RS Coverage of ECEC2] [INTERPOL Opening Press Release, 16 November] [INTERPOL Press Release on IFAW Collaboration, 16 November] [INTERPOL Press Release, 17 November]