Brussels, 3 March 2015
Press Release
The World Customs Organization (WCO) is delighted to be joining the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to celebrate World Wildlife Day 2015 together with other interested organizations across the globe, under the theme ‘Wildlife crime is serious, let’s get serious about wildlife crime’.
In recognition of the intrinsic value of wildlife, its huge and varied contribution to sustainable development and human well-being, and the threats that it faces to its survival on a daily basis, World Wildlife Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly on 20 December 2013 and is celebrated on 3 March each year, the day the CITES Convention was adopted.
To take World Wildlife Day forward each year, the CITES Secretariat set up a Working Group in July 2014 which currently comprises 23 countries and organizations. The theme for 2015 will also be complemented by ‘Wildlife and sustainable tourism’ and ‘The role of local communities in conservation’ as innovative solutions to the challenges posed by wildlife crime in certain regions of the world.
Celebrating World Wildlife Day this year is of particular significance to the Customs community as 2015 has been designated by the WCO as the Year of Coordinated Border Management with the slogan ‘Coordinated Border Management - An inclusive approach for connecting stakeholders’, which encourages enhanced cooperation at the border.
"I am firmly convinced that through enhanced cooperation between the WCO and other relevant law enforcement organizations, and a more coordinated working partnership between Customs authorities and other border control agencies, we can collectively combat wildlife crime more effectively," said the WCO Secretary General, Kunio Mikuriya.
"Marking World Wildlife Day 2015 gives the WCO the opportunity to underscore the key role played by Customs in combating cross-border wildlife crime, and to recall the WCO’s commitment to strengthening collaboration and information-sharing to ensure a more efficient law enforcement response against the illegal wildlife trade," Secretary General Mikuriya added.
Fully committed to protecting the environment and ensuring the security of endangered wildlife, the WCO and its Members will continue to take swift action against organized criminal syndicates involved in this type of illicit trade, given its negative impact on people and economies around the world.