By the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

Today marks a major milestone in the global fight against wildlife crime, as the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) celebrates its 15-year anniversary. To understand the significance of this moment, it is worth reflecting on how far the global community has come since 2010.

The beginning of the partnership

In 2010, the heads of five intergovernmental organizations with specialized yet complementary mandates came together to sign the Letter of Understanding Establishing the International Consortium. This historic step brought together the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the World Bank, and the World Customs Organization (WCO), establishing a unified front against wildlife and forest crime.

Since its establishment, the ICCWC partner organizations worked with and supported authorities in over 130 countries to strengthen criminal justice systems by providing coordinated, technical, and operational support to combat wildlife and forest crime.

15 years of achievements

Wildlife crime is serious and often fueled by the involvement of transnational organized crime groups. According to the UNODC, it ranks as the fourth largest illegal activity worldwide after drug trafficking, human trafficking, and arms trafficking. It is a complex and cross-cutting issue, interconnected to many of the challenges the world faces. It drives endangered wild animal and plant species towards extinction, exacerbates hunger and poverty, fuels conflict and instability, poses a risk to the health of vulnerable communities, and undermines the rule of law and good governance, overall hindering progress towards achieving the SDGs.

ICCWC helps construct fit-for-purpose law enforcement and criminal justice systems to effectively address wildlife crime. Through this interlinkage between wildlife crime and environmental and socioeconomic goals, ICCWC contributes to ten of the 17 SDGs, with SDG 14 (life below water) and SDG 15 (life on land) being the main ones.

ICCWC’s latest publication, ‘15 years, 15 achievements,’ brings readers through 15 examples of ICCWC’s work. From the impact of ICCWC flagship tools, to recognition in UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions, to work across forensics, financial crime, law enforcement operations, and intelligence exchange, this publication tells the story of how countries have strengthened their criminal justice systems to fight wildlife crime in a more effective way with the support of an internationally recognized Consortium.

Numerous milestones have helped shape the global response to wildlife crime. Among them, key achievements include:

  • Launching flagship tools: Since 2012, the ICCWC Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit and the ICCWC Indicator Framework for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime, have guided over 20 countries in assessing and strengthening their national responses. The ICCWC Guidelines for Wildlife Enforcement Networks (WENs) have become a valuable resource for WENs to evaluate their operational performance and identify areas that could be further strengthened.
  • Recognition of ICCWC’s pivotal role by the UNGA: Over the past decades, wildlife crime has risen steadily on the global agenda, leading to increasing recognition of ICCWC. Most recently, a 2025 UNGA resolution reaffirmed this, highlighting ICCWC’s vital role in providing technical assistance to countries worldwide. These milestones have been transforming how the world responds to wildlife crime. Governments are increasingly treating it as serious transnational organized crime, mobilizing greater political will, funding, and inter-agency cooperation.
  • Supporting a series of CITES species-specific task forces: ICCWC has supported six CITES task force meetings, including on rhinoceroses, tortoises and freshwater turtles, tree species, and big cats. These meetings have brought together over 250 global participants, including CITES parties, and have been key to facilitate intelligence exchange, coordination, and enforcement action on these priority species.
  • The launch of the “Thunder” series of global enforcement operations: Thunder Operations have brought together agencies across continents to disrupt criminal networks, recover trafficked wildlife, and dismantle supply chains. These operations have led to thousands of seizures and arrests, demonstrating the power of coordinated international action. In 2024, the Operation led to the seizure of nearly 20,000 wild animals and 365 suspect arrests.
  • Establishment of the Wildlife Inter-Regional Enforcement (WIRE) Forum: ICCWC has supported nine WIRE Forums to date involving over 30 countries. These meetings have fostered regional cooperation and information sharing between enforcement networks and international collaboration through informal networks, working groups, and 200 restricted access meetings between government officials. The Forum has also led to over 30 transnational investigations of wildlife crime cases.
  • Development of tailored guidance and tools: ICCWC partners have developed a range of tailored tools, resources, and guidance to support frontline law enforcement officers in legal and investigative techniques, cybercrime, and financial investigations linked to wildlife crime.More information can be found in the ICCWC Menu of Services.

20th World Wildlife Conference – CITES CoP20

In the upcoming 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP20), ICCWC will host three side events focusing on cooperation, the use of data to inform enforcement action, and forensics. More details will be announced closer to the event on this page.

Looking ahead

ICCWC’s work is fundamental to achieving a world free of wildlife crime. Each of its five partner organizations has a mandate from its member countries to address aspects of this challenge – from enforcement and customs cooperation to financial integrity and legal frameworks. Through ICCWC, these partners bring their unique strengths together to help countries meet their international commitments, strengthen the rule of law, and safeguard our planet’s natural heritage. Looking to the future, ICCWC will continue to evolve and adapt to emerging threats, ensuring that countries have the support they need to work towards a world free of wildlife crime.

On behalf of the over 130 countries that ICCWC has supported over these 15 years, ICCWC acknowledges with deep gratitude the donors that have made the Consortium’s work possible:

  • European Union
  • France
  • Germany
  • Monaco
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Sweden
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • The Global Environment Facility (GEF)