Tackling Illicit Trafficking in Wildlife

A/RES/69/314No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 13aIntegrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields, published in 2015.

What other versions does this mandate have?

7 versions · 2015–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/79/313

2025A/RES/79/313Tackling illicit trafficking in wildlifeLatestCompare with previous version
2023A/RES/77/325Tackling illicit trafficking in wildlifeCompare with previous version
2021A/RES/75/311Tackling illicit trafficking in wildlifeCompare with previous version
2019A/RES/73/343Tackling illicit trafficking in wildlifeCompare with previous version
2017A/RES/71/326Tackling illicit trafficking in wildlifeCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

5 topics

Crime Prevention Criminal Justice Illicit Traffic Technical Cooperation Wildlife

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2016.

2016A/70/951Tackling illicit trafficking in wildlife report of the Secretary-General

Identified automatically from the metadata in each report’s UN Digital Library catalogue record.

What does this mandate say?

17 operative paragraphs

Reaffirms the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, entitled “The future we want”, in which the economic, social and environmental impacts of illicit trafficking in wildlife, where firm and strengthened action needs to be taken on both the supply and demand sides, were recognized and the importance, in this regard, of effective international cooperation among relevant multilateral environmental agreements and international organizations was emphasized;

Encourages Member States to adopt effective measures to prevent and counter the serious problem of crimes that have an impact on the environment, such as illicit trafficking in wildlife and wildlife products, including fauna and flora as protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora,Error: Reference source not found and poaching;

Urges Member States to take decisive steps at the national level to prevent, combat and eradicate the illegal trade in wildlife, on both the supply and demand sides, including by strengthening the legislation necessary for the prevention, investigation and prosecution of such illegal trade as well as strengthening enforcement and criminal justice responses, in accordance with national legislation and international law, acknowledging that the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime can provide valuable technical assistance in this regard;

Calls upon Member States to make illicit trafficking in protected species of wild fauna and flora involving organized criminal groups a serious crime, in accordance with their national legislation and article 2 (b) of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime;Error: Reference source not found

Also calls upon Member States to review and amend national legislation as necessary and appropriate so that offences connected to the illegal wildlife trade are treated as predicate offences, as defined in the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, for the purposes of domestic money-laundering offences, and are actionable under domestic proceeds of crime legislation;

Encourages Member States to harmonize their judicial, legal and administrative regulations to support the exchange of evidence regarding and criminal prosecution of illicit trafficking in wildlife, as well as to establish national-level inter-agency wildlife crime task forces, consistent with national legislation;

Urges Member States to engage actively in efforts to raise awareness about and address the problems and risks associated with the supply and transit of and demand for illegal wildlife products and to reduce the demand using targeted strategies in order to influence consumer behaviour;

Strongly encourages Member States to support, including through bilateral cooperation, the development of sustainable and alternative livelihoods for communities affected by illicit trafficking in wildlife and its adverse impacts, with the full engagement of the communities in and adjacent to wildlife habitats as active partners in conservation and sustainable use, enhancing the rights and capacity of the members of such communities to manage and benefit from wildlife and wilderness;

Urges Member States that have not yet done so to consider taking measures to ratify or accede to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the United Nations Convention against Corruption,Error: Reference source not found and calls upon States parties to take appropriate measures to ensure the full and effective implementation of their obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and other relevant multilateral agreements, as well as to consider ways to share information with one another on best practices to tackle illicit trafficking in wildlife in line with those instruments;

Calls upon Member States to prohibit, prevent and counter any form of corruption that facilitates illicit trafficking in wildlife and wildlife products;

Strongly encourages Member States, in line with Economic and Social Council resolution 2013/40, to cooperate at the bilateral, regional and international levels to prevent, combat and eradicate international illicit trafficking in wildlife and wildlife products through, inter alia, the use of international legal instruments such as the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the United Nations Convention against Corruption;

Encourages Member States, where relevant and appropriate, to enhance cooperation for the timely and cost-efficient repatriation of live illegally traded wildlife, including eggs, consistent with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora;

Calls upon United Nations organizations, within their respective mandates and in line with Economic and Social Council resolution 2013/40, to continue to support efforts by Member States to fight illicit trafficking in wildlife, such as through capacity-building and by supporting alternative livelihoods, and to improve cooperation with all relevant stakeholders in order to facilitate a holistic and comprehensive approach by the international community;

Calls upon, in this regard, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, within its mandate and resources, in line with Economic and Social Council resolution 2013/40 and in close cooperation and collaboration with Member States, to continue to collect information on patterns and flows of illicit trafficking in wildlife and to report thereon;

Requests the Secretary-General to further improve the coordination of activities undertaken by United Nations specialized agencies, funds and programmes relating to the scope of the present resolution, within their respective mandates and in line with Economic and Social Council resolution 2013/40;

Also requests the Secretary-General, taking into account Economic and Social Council resolution 2013/40, to report to the General Assembly at its seventieth session on the global status of illicit trafficking in wildlife, including poaching and illegal trade, and on the implementation of the present resolution, and to make proposals for possible future action, including consideration of the appointment of a special envoy to promote awareness and galvanize international action;

Decides to revisit the issue and the implementation of the present resolution on an annual basis, beginning at its seventieth session.

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What does this mandate say?

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