Southern Africa Dialogue aims to improve detection and disruption of financial flows linked to nature crime

Financial crime analysts, industry experts and law enforcement officers from across Southern Africa assembled in Cape Town last week for the first in a new series of regional meetings aimed at tackling illicit financial flows associated with nature crime.

The Southern Africa Regional Private Sector Dialogue on Disruption of Financial Crimes related to Environmental Crimes convened on 24 and 25 January, and brought together around 50 representatives from national authorities, including financial intelligence units and law enforcement, and the private sector – as well as subject matter experts – to strengthen collaboration and improve their capacity to detect and respond to financial crimes linked to nature crimes. The Southern Africa Dialogue included participants from a range of countries including Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 

The Regional Southern Africa Private Sector Dialogue was chaired by John Edward Conway, Global Head of Financial Crime Compliance Framework and Policies at Santander Bank, and was co-chaired by Lynn Schlingemann, Senior Associate, Financial Crime and Corruption, Nature Crime Alliance. 

The Regional event falls under the auspices of the Global Private Sector Dialogue organised by UNODC and the Nature Crime Alliance in collaboration with INTERPOL.

Schlingemann also spoke at a Nature Crime Alliance side event on corruption and forest loss at the UNCAC COSP10 in December 2023.

For more information about the Dialogue, contact: lynn.schlingemann@wri.org