Namibian Government undergoing national assessment of wildlife and forest crime, in partnership with UNODC and with financial support of the European Union and the Government of the United States of America

Namibia, Swakopmund. From 25 to 29 March 2019, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the Anti-Corruption Commission, in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) convened two workshops to build the baseline of Namibia's preventive and criminal justice responses to wildlife and forest crime (WLFC), and to support the development of capacity building tools for prosecutors and investigators on the topics. Both workshops are part of the ongoing national assessment of Namibia's responses to wildlife and forest crime launched in November 2018 which entails the implementation of the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime (ICCWC) Toolkit and the ICCWC Indicator Framework.

The workshops brought together 27 officers from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, the Anti-Corruption Commission, the Office of the Prosecutor-General, the Namibian Police Force, the Financial Intelligence Centre, and Customs and Excise.

From 25-27 March 2019, participants worked on the development of a Reference Guide for Investigators and Prosecutors for wildlife and forest crime. The Guide is a simple and synthesized handbook tailored to the Namibian context, with relevant legislation to assist public prosecutors and law enforcement officers in creating a strong case file from the outset. The need for the development of this tool was identified as one of the priorities during the launch of the process in November 2018.

On 28-29 March 2019, the working session aimed at completing the full ICCWC Indicator Framework assessment and provided participants with the opportunity to discuss the findings of the first workshop held in November 2018. The results of both workshop will provide a standardized baseline to measure and monitor the effectiveness of the Governments' law enforcement responses to wildlife crime and the support provided by development partners.

On the occasion of the opening of the workshops Mr. Theunis Peterson, Chief Control Warden and Head of Intelligence and Investigation Unit at the Ministry of Environment stressed the importance of these efforts to safeguard the natural treasures of Namibia, with the support of ICCWC partners. Mr. Bartholomeus de Klerk, Deputy Commissioner at the Office of the Inspector General and National Head of the Protected Resources Division, indicated that the strong cooperation with UNODC, other development partners, as well as civil society organizations is key to strengthen Namibia's capacity to address wildlife and forest crimes.

Mr. Jorge Eduardo Rios, Chief of the Global Programme for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime commended Namibia for its efforts and underscored the importance of being proactive to address the many challenges that trafficking in wild fauna and flora pose to Namibia's natural resources and its social and economic development.  Mr. Rios emphasised the need to focus on further building national capacity in investigation, prosecution and conviction and the need to strengthen regional and international cooperation.

The ICCWC process is led by the UNODC with financial assistance from the United States Government and the European Union.

 

For further information:

UNODC's Global Programme for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime

UNODC Regional Office for Southern Africa

International Consortium to Combat Wildlife and Forest Crime

ICCWC Toolkit and ICCWC Indicator Framework

 

About the EU:  The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe. The EU and its members account for over half of all development aid, making them the largest donor in the world. Over the years, the EU has supported many countries in their efforts to eradicate poverty and create a better future for their people.

About UNODC: UNODC is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime. Established in 1997 through a merger between the United Nations Drug Control Programme and the Centre for International Crime Prevention, UNODC operates in all regions of the world through its network of field offices.

About US INL: The US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) combats crime by helping foreign governments build effective law enforcement institutions that counter transnational crime (from money laundering, cybercrime, and intellectual property theft to trafficking in goods, people, weapons, drugs, or endangered wildlife). INL combats corruption by helping governments and civil society build transparent and accountable public institutions.

About ICCWC: ICCWC is the collaborative effort of five international organizations (the CITES Secretariat, INTERPOL, UNODC, the World Bank and the World Customs Organization) working together to bring coordinated support to national wildlife law enforcement agencies and to sub-regional networks that act in defense of natural resources. (for further information: https://cites.org/eng/prog/iccwc.php)

 

For further information, please contact:

European Union: https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/namibia_en

UNODC: Mr. Javier Montano ( javier.montano@un.org)

ICCWC: Mr. Edward van Asch ( edward.vanasch@un.org)

ICCWC Toolkit and ICCWC Indicator Framework: https://cites.org/eng/prog/iccwc.php/Tools