8 April 2013: The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) agreed on a campaign to be launched later this year calling on tourists to help reduce demand for illicit goods and services linked to transnational organized crime.

The campaign will also engage the tourism industry including hotel chains, travel agencies and airlines to help tourists make informed decisions that can limit trade in illicit goods, including the wild fauna and flora listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The launch was announced by Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General, and Yury Fedotov, UNODC Executive Director, in the presence of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. John Scanlon, CITES Secretary-General, stressed that the UN agencies are critical in supporting the implementation of wildlife conservation efforts, including those of CITES, and highlighted the existing partnership with UNODC and other partners.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised the joint initiative and noted that illegal trade in goods and services often funds those involved in the illicit ivory trade and that well-informed tourists can make a real difference in preventing such criminal acts. [CITES Press Release] [UNWTO Press Release]