UNEA6 side event – Joint Action Against Nature Crime: A Pathway to Achieving Biodiversity, Climate and Sustainable Development Goals

Note that the venue for his event has changed. The session will now convene in Tent B (Longonot).

Ministers and representatives from governments, international organisations, and civil society will explore how multi-sector collaboration in the fight against nature crime can inform wider efforts to tackle the triple planetary crisis during an official side event at the upcoming UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) in Nairobi.

Joint Action Against Nature Crime: A Pathway to Achieving Biodiversity, Climate and Sustainable Development Goals, convenes on Thursday 29 February (18:30 EAT, Tent B (Longonot), and will feature ministers and officials from Norway, the United States, Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, and France (see all speakers below).

Nature crime – which includes illegal forms of logging, mining, wildlife trade, land conversion, and crimes associated with fishing – is driving environmental degradation and biodiversity loss; devastating local communities; fueling financial crime and corruption; and challenging the rule of law.

As governments and actors around the world strive to tackle the triple planetary crisis, nefarious criminal networks involved in nature crime are actively undermining their efforts. It will not be possible to achieve our global environmental goals without addressing the scourge of nature crime.

Driving global collaboration: The Nature Crime Alliance

The side event will highlight the work of the new Nature Crime Alliance – a global, multi-sector network that is building the international collaboration needed to tackle nature crime. The Alliance’s overall aims are to raise political will, mobilise financial commitment, and bolster operational capacity to fight nature crime on a global scale.

The session, held in partnership between the Alliance’s Co-Chairs, Norway and the United States, and the Secretariat, WRI and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), will showcase how greater global collaboration is bolstering efforts to protect people and planet. The side event will also include the announcement of new Alliance members.

Connecting actors to drive positive change

Bringing together a range of actors from different sectors, the session will unpack the complexities of nature crime and explore how joint action is providing solutions to this key global challenge.

How do nature crimes converge with other serious orgnaised crimes? What is the impact on local communities and Indigenous Peoples, and what role can these groups play in countering nature crime? And how are law enforcement actors in different countries working together to identify, target and successfully prosecute the criminal networks involved? These are some of the questions that will be addressed during remarks, high-level statements, and panel sessions featuring representatives from the US, Norway, Ghana, Malawi, France, Kenya, UNODC, Interpol, UNEP, TRAFFIC, the Basel Institute on Governance, and Indigenous Peoples Rights International (IPRI).

Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO, Global Environment Facility, will provide closing remarks.

See the full the agenda and speakers on the UNEA website here

The side event takes place during UNEA-6. Only delegates attending the Assembly will be able to access the venue.

For more information, please contact Luke Foddy, Communications Manager, Nature Crime Alliance: luke.foddy@wri.org

Confirmed speakers

Andreas Bjelland Eriksen
Minister of Climate and Environment, Minister of Climate and Environment – Norway

Jennifer R. Littlejohn
Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, Department of State, United States

Hans Brattskar
Special Envoy, Ministry of Climate and Environment, Norway

Michael Usi
Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change, Malawi

Hervé Berville
Minister of State for Marine Affairs and Biodiversity, France

Silvia Museiya
Principal Secretary, State Department for Wildlife, Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife & Heritage, Kenya

John M. Allotey
Chief Executive of Forestry Commission, Ghana

Elizabeth Mrema, Deputy Executive Director, UN Environment Programme

Neil Walsh, Regional Director for East Africa, UN Office on Drugs and Crime

Amanda Cabrejo le Roux
Senior Specialist, Green Corruption, Basel Institute on Governance

Joan Carling
Executive Director, Indigenous Peoples Rights International

Taye Teferi
Policy and partnership coordinator, Senior Reginal Director, TRAFFIC

Aphrodite Smagadi
Legal Officer, UN Environment Programme

David Migwi
Operations Coordinator Wildlife Crime, INTERPOL