26 April 2013: The UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) has adopted a revised draft resolution on ‘Crime prevention and criminal justice responses to illicit trafficking in protected species of wild fauna and flora’ and has recommended its adoption to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

The draft resolution (E/CN.15/2013/L.20/Rev) recognizes the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) as the principal international agreement for the legal trade in protected species, and commends the efforts of the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) and its members. Member States are encouraged to: make illicit trafficking in wild fauna and flora a serious crime when organized criminal groups are involved; promote efforts to prevent illicit trafficking in wild fauna and flora through, inter alia, public information and public awareness campaigns; and take appropriate measures to combat illicit trafficking, including through the adoption of the necessary legislation for the prevention, investigation and prosecution of such trafficking. Member States are further requested to fully utilize the UN Conventions against transnational organized crime and against corruption to prevent and combat such illicit trafficking.

CITES Secretary-General John Scanlon welcomed the adoption of the draft resolution, and in a press release, the CITES Secretariat notes that the resolution is an important step in ensuring that the full force of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime can be applied to tackle organized wildlife and forest crime. Adoption of the draft resolution follows a number of decisions and resolutions on wildlife crime adopted during the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES, held in March 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand. [Draft Resolutions from the 22nd meeting of the CCPCJ][CITES Press Release][John Scanlon’s Presentation to the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice][Biodiversity Policy and Practice Guest Article by John Scanlon]