5 December 2017: The European Union has signed a €17.2m Euro agreement with three UN institutions – the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) – to support implementation of targets under the Sustainable Development Goal on life on land (SDG 15) in African and Indian Ocean countries.

The three UN entities will use the EU’s contribution for a project that fights poaching and wildlife trafficking throughout Eastern and Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean. On the occasion of the signing, the Director-General of the UN Office at Nairobi, Sahle-Work Zewde, highlighted that, “Providing technical assistance to Member States as they strive to achieve the bold targets of the sustainable development goals is a challenge of scale,” noting that SDG 15 (life on land) is no exception and that the EU funding would “ensure that the children of Africa will be able to witness the magnificent diversity its land has to offer.”

SDG target 15.7 calls for “urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and address both demand and supply of illegal wildlife products,” while target 15.c seeks enhanced “global support for efforts to combat poaching and trafficking of protected species.”

The initiative aims to build on the various strengths and experiences of each agency in protecting wildlife across borders.

The project will support CITES, through its MIKE (Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants) Programme, to undertake efforts to reduce illegal wildlife killings in protected areas located in transboundary ecosystems. At the national and regional levels, UNODC will strengthen its Container Control Programme and enhance the capacity of criminal justice systems under the Global Programme for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime. For its part, CMS will support and strengthen governance and collaborative management across transboundary conservation areas.

Speaking on the partnership, Stefano Dejak, the European Union Ambassador to Kenya, said the initiative aims to build on the various strengths and experiences of each agency in protecting wildlife across borders. [CITES Press Release] [CMS Press Release] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on UNEA-3] [SDG 15 Targets]