Representatives from key international and Vietnamese organisations are attending a workshop on strengthening international collaboration to tackle the illegal trans-border wildlife trade in Hanoi from December 2-3.
The workshop is an opportunity for key Vietnamese enforcement agencies and international organisations to learn from each other and coordinate efforts against international wildlife crimes within the frameworks of the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) and the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), said Ha Cong Tuan, Deputy Director of the Directorate of Forestry.
At the workshop, several international experts suggested assisting Vietnam in information, and in its efforts to increase the country’s ability to enforce the agreements.
According to the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network (TRAFFIC), despite an increase in enforcement by international organisations and governments to control the illegal wildlife trade, this trade continues in many countries, threatening rare species such as tigers, rhinoceroses and elephants with extinction.
The participants include representatives from International Police Agency (INTERPOL), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), CITES, the World Customs Organisation, ASEAN-WEN and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) plus officials from Vietnam’s enforcement agencies./.
