(Continued) Preventing and Combating Illicit Trafficking in Wildlife and other Crimes that Affect the Environment - High-level debate, General Assembly, 80th session
- Continuation of the plenary segment followed by interventions from relevant stakeholders
Members States and Observers of the General Assembly, UN entities and stakeholders participating in the high-level debate are invited to share existing promising practices from across regions, reflecting on effective national and regional policies, including the importance of community involvement in responding to crimes that affect the environment.
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Crimes that affect the environment, including trafficking in wildlife, are increasingly recognized as a significant threat to global security and sustainable development by degrading biodiversity and ecosystems, linking with organized crime, hindering climate action, undermining the rule of law, eroding economies, exacerbating social inequalities, and threatening human health.
Since over a decade various intergovernmental bodies have adopted resolutions recognizing illicit trafficking in wildlife and environmental crime as part of other transnational organized crimes. The adoption of such resolutions signified a major step forward in raising awareness of the growing threat that environmental crime poses to peace and security and sustainable development.