On 18 July 2024, ECO-SOLVE hosted a strategic expert dialogue to address the increasingly urgent and pressing issues resulting from environmental crimes. The event gathered a diverse group of experts to discuss how to strengthen multilateral responses to environmental crime, focusing on the intersection of organised crime, environmental degradation, as well as security, development, and human rights issues.
Highlighting that “criminal groups have understood that there is a lot of profit to be made in trafficking environmental goods, with very little risk” participants discussed the state of play of intergovernmental discussions on environmental crimes, emphasising the need for more effective international cooperation and enhanced local capacity through training. A key priority identified was combating corruption and financial crimes, including the seizure of assets. Recommendations included disrupting and dismantling illicit financial flows, increasing community involvement, and strengthening supply chain networks to detect these illicit activities.
The dialogue also highlighted the importance of environmental crime as an EU priority, although more work needs to be done to priorities it at national level. Participants stressed that corruption not only has ethical implications but supports illegal activities which cause physical destruction and degradation of the planet which has multiple negative effects on the climate, biodiversity, livelihoods and consequently the whole of society. Furthermore, concerns were raised about illegal water extraction as an emerging environmental crime and the need for adequate protection for whistle-blowers.
This meeting set the stage for a series of dialogues aimed at furthering and aligning political priorities with practical actions, supporting more effective diplomatic engagement at forthcoming key events, including the UNTOC COP, the COPs of the three Rio Conventions, and the 3rd UN Ocean Conference. The strategic expert dialogue provided a valuable platform for exchanging views and formulating coordinated initiatives to address environmental crime more effectively within the multilateral system.
ECO-SOLVE will be publishing a comprehensive summary of the dialogue’s main themes and recommendations in the following weeks.
