8 October 2015
UNEP: TPP Provisions to Help Prevent Illegal Trade in Wildlife
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The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal includes provisions on combatting illegal trade in wildlife under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The provisions also require the 12 countries involved to take action to protect any wildlife that has been illegally taken from any country, a step that is expected to help address illegal trade in wildlife and overfishing.

UNEP6 October 2015: The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal includes provisions on combating illegal trade in wildlife under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The provisions also require the 12 countries involved to take action to protect any wildlife that has been illegally taken from any country, a step that is expected to help address illegal trade in wildlife and overfishing.

The twelve countries participating in the TPP are: Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; Japan; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Peru; Singapore; the US; and Viet Nam.

CITES lists animals and plants for which international trade is restricted or banned. Under the TPP provisions, countries are required to enforce laws and regulations to protect wildlife listed on CITES and to take action to protect any wildlife, even wildlife not covered under CITES, if that wildlife has been taken illegally from another country. In addition, the agreement includes language on agreeing to prohibit subsidies to fishing fleets, with the goal of tackling overfishing and conserving marine species.

UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner welcomed the inclusion of wildlife protections in the TPP as an important step for biodiversity conservation. In a statement, Steiner commended the TPP member States for taking action to combat illegal wildlife trade by agreeing to fulfill their obligations under CITES. He emphasized that “these agreements on wildlife and on environmental dimensions will need to be followed up with concrete domestic legislation and regulation to ensure this accord results in effective implementation.” He expressed UNEP’s commitment to support countries in this endeavor. [UNEP Press Release] [CITES Website] [US Website on TPP]

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