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ASEAN-WEN (ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network) |
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| Frequently Asked Questions about ASEAN-WEN |
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| Q :
What is ASEAN-WEN and what does it stand for? |
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| A :
AN-WEN stands for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ Wildlife Enforcement Network. It involves law enforcement agencies of the 10 ASEAN countries and facilitates cross-border collaboration in the fight against the region’s illegal wildlife trade. The network was developed by senior ASEAN environmental officials in October 2005 and launched by ASEAN member countries on December 1, 2005 at a high level meeting in Bangkok. |
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| Q :
How did ASEAN-WEN get its start? |
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| A :
October 2004, Thailand hosted the 13th UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). During the meeting, the Thai government proposed creation of a new wildlife law enforcement network among ASEAN countries, with the goal of eventually linking up with existing networks in other parts of the world. ASEAN members responded positively, and Thailand took the initial lead in setting up ASEAN-WEN. |
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| Q :
Who are the members of ASEAN-WEN? |
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| A :
10 members of ASEAN – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand – are involved in ASEAN-WEN. The network also plans to work with other countries linked to Southeast Asia’s illegal wildlife trade, such as the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, the African states and the European Union. |
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| Q :
How serious is wildlife crime in Southeast Asia? |
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| A :
is very serious. Southeast Asia is a global hotspot for the poaching, trafficking, and consumption of illegal wildlife parts and products. Among the reasons for this is the region’s high biodiversity, well-established smuggling routes, and accessible transport links. |
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| Q :
Why do we need ASEAN-WEN? |
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| A :
egal wildlife dealers utilize well established and highly organized cross-border networks. Governments must respond in kind if they want to stand a chance combating the illegal wildlife trade. All too often, the task of investigating and apprehending wildlife offenders in Asia is left to environmental agencies, which frequently lack the authority or the capacity to stop major wildlife crimes. |
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| Q :
How does the network work? |
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| A :
network will operate on two levels: national and regional. On the national level, each country will set up an inter-agency task force comprised of police, customs, and environmental officers. Once this step has been completed, task forces will form the backbone of a regional network dedicated to battling trans-national wildlife crimes. The concept is similar to already-existing networks dealing with other trans-national crimes such as drug smuggling and human trafficking. |
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| A :
CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Supported by national legislation, trade in species listed in the three CITES Appendices must conform to CITES requirements and provisions outlined in the text of the Convention. For more information on CITES, please visit http://www.cites.org |
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