13 May 2014, IISD News - On the margins of the twenty-third session of  the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), Yuri  Fedotov, UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Executive Director, hosted a  special event on the theme 'Global Community United to Address Wildlife and  Forest Crime.' The event featured a demonstration of a canine search for  wildlife by Austrian Customs and an exhibit of seized wildlife products.

Fedotov also used the opportunity to announce the forthcoming launch of the  'Global Programme for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime,' which will deliver  regional and national assistance to support law-enforcement responses, enable  legislation to address crime, and strengthen investigative, prosecutorial and  judicial capacities. Fedotov stressed that the approximate annual US$10  billion in profits from illegal wildlife trade ranked it alongside the  trafficking of human beings, arms and drugs in terms of illicit profits.

Also speaking at the event, John Scanlon, Secretary-General, Convention on  International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora  (CITES), emphasized the devastating scale of wildlife crime, noting that  its consequences are hardest felt by developing countries trying to eradicate  poverty and develop sustainable economic opportunities for their people.

The event was organized by the UNODC Sustainable Livelihoods Unit, Global  Programme for Wildlife and Forest Crime, UNODC Advocacy Section in partnership  with the EU. The twenty-third session of the CCPCJ was held from 12-16  May 2014, in Vienna, Austria.

Source: http://forests-l.iisd.org/news/unodc-announces-programme-to-combat-forest-and-wildlife-crime/