13 May 2014: On the margins of the twenty-third session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), Yuri Fedotov, UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Executive Director, hosted a special event on the theme ‘Global Community United to Address Wildlife and Forest Crime.’ The event featured a demonstration of a canine search for wildlife by Austrian Customs and an exhibit of seized wildlife products.

Fedotov also used the opportunity to announce the forthcoming launch of the ‘Global Programme for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime,’ which will deliver regional and national assistance to support law-enforcement responses, enable legislation to address crime, and strengthen investigative, prosecutorial and judicial capacities. Fedotov stressed that the approximate annual US$10 billion in profits from illegal wildlife trade ranked it alongside the trafficking of human beings, arms and drugs in terms of illicit profits.

Also speaking at the event, John Scanlon, Secretary-General, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), emphasized the devastating scale of wildlife crime, noting that its consequences are hardest felt by developing countries trying to eradicate poverty and develop sustainable economic opportunities for their people.

The event was organized by the UNODC Sustainable Livelihoods Unit, Global Programme for Wildlife and Forest Crime, UNODC Advocacy Section in partnership with the EU. The twenty-third session of the CCPCJ was held from 12-16 May 2014, in Vienna, Austria. [UN News] [UNODC Press Release] [CITES Statement] [Special Event Flyer] [CCPCJ 23rd Session website]