On 3 March, the World Customs Organization (WCO) joins the international community in marking the United Nations (UN) World Wildlife Day, celebrating all the world's wild animals and plants, the contribution that they make to our lives, and the health of the planet, as well as honouring the people who make a difference in protecting the environment.

World Wildlife Day 2023, under the theme “Partnerships for wildlife conservation”, falls on the 50th Anniversary of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which was signed in Washington, D.C. on 3 March 1973. On this occasion, the WCO reiterates its pledge to protect wildlife and its continuing support to one of its partner organizations - the CITES Secretariat.

“We need a collaborative approach among all relevant stakeholders – law enforcement agencies, the public and private sectors - to share data, information and intelligence, dismantle criminal networks and prosecute criminals, without which we cannot win this war”, said the WCO Secretary General Dr. Kunio Mikuriya. “The Customs community remains committed to its mandate for the recovery and preservation of key species and the restoration of ecosystems, in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 15 - Life on Land”, added Secretary General Mikuriya.

The WCO wishes to amplify the call for cooperative action and raise awareness  of the imperative need for the conservation of the most critically endangered species of wild fauna and flora. It aims to play its part in addressing the rapid decline of biodiversity, reflected in the “critically endangered” status of over 8,400 species of wild fauna and flora, with almost 30,000 more considered to be “endangered” or “vulnerable”. The continuing loss of species and habitats is severely threatening ecosystems, which in turn threatens the sustainability of the planet. Restoring and protecting these resources is essential for the survival of all, at all levels.

In line with the UN’s theme for World Wildlife Day 2023, Customs continues to forge partnerships and strengthen interagency collaboration with public and private actors along the global supply chain in the fight against environmental crime. Leveraging public and private partnerships to achieve impact at scale is in line with the WCO’s approaches to the fight against illicit wildlife trade; the WCO is partnering with the CITES Secretariat, INTERPOL, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Bank, through the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC).

The “Thunder” series of operations targeting illegal wildlife trade, which are jointly organized and coordinated by the WCO and INTERPOL and supported by the CITES Secretariat, are concrete examples of the strong partnership between our agencies. The latest “Thunder” operation saw the participation of 125 countries (the largest number since the inception of the “Thunder” operations in 2017), with over 2,200 seizures, 934 suspects identified and 141 companies suspected of engaging in illegal sales profiled.

Over the years the WCO, through its Environment Programme, has been at the forefront of the discussions on environmental protection, highlighting the important role played by Customs in enforcing CITES at borders as the first line of defence against cross-border illegal wildlife trade. Through vigilant controls at borders and data-driven risk profiling techniques, Customs is an essential partner in efforts to restore and maintain ecosystems and ensure that wildlife is traded legally and sustainably, as envisioned under the CITES multilateral treaty.

The WCO also supports its Members in combating illegal wildlife trade through various projects under the Environment Programme, such as INAMA, ICCWC and Sida. These Projects provide comprehensive training and support to enhance the CITES enforcement capacities of beneficiary Customs administrations in Africa, Asia and South America, while strengthening international and interagency cooperation regionally and globally.

The WCO calls on its Members to strengthen their role in order to achieve these objectives, and intensify their enforcement and conservation efforts towards the sustainability of ecosystems, so that collectively we can promote the wellbeing of our planet.