ASEAN* recognizes the need for cooperative and incisive efforts to counter the multi-billion dollar black market trade in wildlife, which threatens global biodiversity, endangers public health, and undermines economic development.
On December 1, 2005, ASEAN issued a statement on the launching of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) with membership open to officials from Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Authorities, Customs, Police, Prosecutors, Specialized Governmental Wildlife-law Enforcement Organizations and other relevant national law enforcement agencies.Southeast Asia's rich biodiversity threatened by the global,multi-billion dollar trade in rare and endangered species.
ASEAN-WEN works closely with the CITES Secretariat, Interpol, World Customs Organization (WCO), and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The United States and China are also cooperating with ASEAN-WEN to reduce wildlife crime.
*Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Lao PDR to Host the 3rd ASEAN-WEN Meeting
The 3rd Meeting of the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network will be hosted by the Lao People's Democratic Republic in Vientiane on 26-27 May, 2008. The meeting will be facilitated by the Lao PDR Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s Department of Forestry, and the ASEAN-WEN Program Coordination Unit, with financial assistance from the ASEAN-WEN Support Program.
The proposed agenda for the 3rd Meeting of ASEAN-WEN includes the following items:
1. Discussion on the sustainability plan for the PCU and ASEAN-WEN.
2. Country Reports on the progress of ASEAN-WEN implementation at national and regional levels.
Please ensure that your new, updated Country Report focuses on the following 6 questions. (please note most of these questions are different from last year's) :
- Which agencies in your Government are part of your ASEAN-WEN National Task Force and how do they work together?
- What are your Task Force's biggest achievements since the 2nd ASEAN-WEN Meeting?
- Besides confiscating illegally traded wildlife, how can your Task Force arrest more wildlife criminals? Which governments (ASEAN and non-ASEAN) do you need to communicate with the most?
- What capacity building activities have your Task Force members participated in since the 2nd ASEAN-WEN Meeting, and what capacity building support does it need for the next two years?
- How does your Task Force communicate with the media, government leaders and the public, and what help does it need from the PCU to improve your Task Force's public communications?
- What policies, laws or plans relating to wildlife protection has your Government developed or adopted since ASEAN-WEN was launched in December 2005?
3. Discussion on the Strategic Action Plan of ASEAN-WEN.
Please be prepared to discuss the following points in a break-out session that will divide into 3 groups:
- Communications: How to improve publicity of Task Force members' work-- how can the PCU help with this publicity? How can the PCU work with Task Force members to raise funds for Task Forces and PCU needs?
- Investigations: Selecting Priority topics for future bi-lateral and multi-lateral Special Investigation Group meetings. Developing Wildlife Crime Databases.
- Capacity Building: Localizing training programs more. Distributing local language ASEAN-WEN training manuals, etc.
Invitations will be sent to your country's Police, CITES, and Customs ASEAN-WEN Focal Points very soon. Documents to be tabled in the Meeting will be put up on the ASEAN-WEN website as soon as they are available.
