10 December 2015: The United for Wildlife International Taskforce on the Transportation of Illegal Wildlife Products has agreed to a draft declaration, to be signed in 2016, calling on zero-tolerance towards illegal wildlife trade.

The Taskforce, which includes the International Maritime Organization (IMO), agreed to to enforce a zero-tolerance policy, which includes a call to avoid facilitating or tolerating the carriage of illegal wildlife or illegal wildlife products. Terms of this policy will be reflected in the conditions of carriage, employment and client contracts as well as in marketing materials. The Taskforce also committed to establishing a harmonized mechanism for sharing information about illegal wildlife trade and to develop the use of due diligence and risk assessment systems to identify potential illegal wildlife trade shipments. Further, the Taskforce agreed to establish a team to work with local customs and law enforcement authorities to develop a system of best practices for combating illegal wildlife trade in key ports.

The Task Force met on 9 December 2015. The declaration will be presented at IMO’s Facilitation Committee in April 2016. [IMO Briefing] [United For Wildlife Website]