Thailand political commitment building

Environmental Investigation Agency, UK (EIA)

EIA published a report in the lead up to the Hanoi Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade in November 2016 examining how 15 countries including China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam – had implemented their commitments under the London Declaration of February 2014. This report utilized specific indicators developed by EIA to assess the countries’ actions. EIA continues to review progress made in implementation of the London Declaration particularly by China, Laos and Vietnam.

EIA investigative products are used by a number of stakeholders to push for greater commitment by consumer countries to enforce wildlife crime laws pertaining to the trade in Asian big cats and ivory – see above description in the law enforcement support section.

Freeland

Freeland has a Memorandum of Understanding with the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) that commits the two organizations to collaborate to strengthen and harmonize legislation across the 10 ASEAN Member States on combating wildlife crime. Using the Freeland-produced ASEAN Handbook on Combating Wildlife Crime, a Freeland-led Legal Support Task Force (that also includes National University of Singapore and ASEAN-WEN) provides technical training and support to parliamentarians and their staff who are responsible for writing laws and policies. Freeland also provides technical support to the AIPA Secretariat to mobilize interest among politicians and media across ASEAN to suppress wildlife trafficking.

INTERPOL

INTERPOL’s Environmental Security Sub-Directorate seeks to promote the prioritization of work by national police services on environmental crime issues. See also the above INTERPOL reference in the section concerning support of law enforcement (national level).

TRAFFIC

TRAFFIC research based on seizure and market data analysis drives onward communication of actionable information and is used to advocate necessary legislative reforms and increase the effectiveness of law enforcement interventions – see the national level law enforcement support section above for additional information.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

The UNDP-supported, GEF-financed project “Combating Illegal Wildlife Trade, focusing on Ivory, Rhino Horn, Tiger and Pangolins in Thailand” being implemented by the Department of National Parks, will assist in building high level political commitment. This is in part through law enforcement assistance improving cooperation, coordination, and information exchange, and enhancing enforcement and prosecution capacity through the Thai Department of National Parks, the Royal Thai Police, Customs Department, Administrative Court, and the Office of the Attorney General – see above section on law enforcement support for additional information.

UN Environment and UNDP, in partnership with other UN agencies such as UNODC and the CITES Secretariat, along with the Global Wildlife Program, will convene an Africa-Asia Symposium on Strengthening Legal Frameworks to Combat Wildlife Crime in Bangkok in July 2017. The symposium is expected to bring together up to 10 countries from Africa and 10 from Asia to discuss criteria for effective legal frameworks and priority issues to strengthen application of national laws to wildlife crime.

United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment)

UN Environment, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme and others, will convene an Africa-Asia Symposium on Strengthening Legal Frameworks to Combat Wildlife Crime in Bangkok on 4-5 July 2017 (the Symposium). The key objective of the Symposium is to advance efforts in Africa and Asia Pacific to strengthen and harmonize legal frameworks to combat wildlife crime. Participants will discuss their countries’ experience with developing and enacting laws that address wildlife crime, and debate proposed criteria and recommended minimum requirements for strengthening legislation that governs the multiple aspects of wildlife crime. Opportunities to strengthen political will to combat wildlife crime through the strategic engagement of parliamentarians from Africa and Asia Pacific will also be explored as a secondary objective. The Symposium will support the participation of 20 representatives from Africa and Asia Pacific, and more if additional resources can be mobilized. Target participants will be senior government officials who are responsible for developing or strengthening laws and regulations relevant to combating wildlife crime. Thailand is proposed for inclusion in the Symposium.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

UNODC, through its Global Programme for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime, works with national legal systems and law enforcement agencies of Member States (which in ASEAN includes Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam) to strengthen legislative frameworks, shape policy, enhance knowledge and capacities, and increase regional cooperation to combat wildlife and forest crime. In October 2015, the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime agreed to include “wildlife and timber trafficking” as a priority crime under the purview of the Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC). In June 2016, UNODC worked in cooperation with Thailand and the Royal Thai Police to convene a regional conference to bring the SOMTC focal points on wildlife and timber trafficking together to agree on a work programme. The Work Programme to Combat Wildlife and Timber Trafficking will be integrated with the existing SOMTC 2016-18 Work Programme to implement the ASEAN Plan of Action to Combat Transnational Crime. In parallel, UNODC is also encouraging the establishment of a SOMTC working group on wildlife and timber trafficking to coordinate implementation of the Work Programme.

UNODC conducted a rapid assessment in February 2017 of all relevant stakeholders in the criminal justice system of Thailand to identify the strengths and challenges in the national response to wildlife and forest crime. The findings of the assessment were presented to the Government of Thailand at a national roundtable meeting held in April 2017. Key findings highlighted that although Thailand is a regional leader in combating wildlife crime and its law enforcement authorities are some of the most experienced and well-equipped in the region; some serious deficiencies in the legal frameworks for wildlife protection and for combating corruption are undermining these efforts.

UNODC and the Office of the Attorney General of Thailand (AGO) convened a national seminar in March 2017 for prosecutors, judges and law enforcement agencies to discuss the extent of wildlife trafficking through Thailand and to explore the possibility of establishing a specialized team of prosecutors for environmental crimes within the AGO.

USAID Wildlife Asia

USAID Wildlife Asia will seek to build commitment by engaging high levels of the judiciary in the region. See above section on law enforcement support (national level) for additional information on support to the Supreme Court of Thailand.

WildAid

The WildAid consumer demand campaign targeting ivory is also assisting inbuilding commitment by the Government of Thailand – see section below concerning consumer demand.