EU Statement – UN General Assembly: High-Level Debate on Illicit Trafficking in Wildlife

EU Statement - UN General Assembly: High-Level Debate on Illicit Trafficking in Wildlife

8 June 2026, New York - Statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States by H.E. Ambassador Hedda Samson, Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations, at the UN General Assembly High-Level Debate on Preventing and Combating Illicit Trafficking in Wildlife and other Crimes that Affect the Environment

Thank you, Chair.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro*, Albania*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina* and Georgia, as well as Armenia, Andorra, and San Marino align themselves with this statement.

We welcome the convening of this timely high-level debate. Environmental crimes, particularly the illicit trafficking in wildlife, have evolved into a highly sophisticated, industrial-scale form of transnational organised crime. They generate billions in criminal wealth, strip local populations of natural resources and their livelihoods, fuel corruption, and directly accelerate the triple planetary crisis of pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss, public health, and international security.

Environmental crime is a global threat affecting all regions, but it is particularly devastating to the critical ecosystems of the "Three Basins" - the Amazon, Congo, and Mekong. Europe is conscious of its role as a transit point for various trafficking routes worldwide, as well as a destination region for pet trade markets, and recognises the responsibility this entails, as highlighted by Europol's Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment.

Associated challenges encompass not only wildlife trafficking, but a broader spectrum of crimes that affect the environment, including acts causing environmental degradation, illicit waste dumping, and natural resource depletion. These offenses are no longer isolated conservation issues - they are serious, transnational crimes that are often deeply interlinked with drug trafficking, systemic corruption, and other forms of organised crime. This reality requires closer coordination between law enforcement authorities, border management services, customs, environmental agencies and the judiciary, to ensure coherent detection, investigation and prosecution of those responsible.

Crimes that affect the environment heavily impact Indigenous Peoples and local communities, as well as persons belonging to minority groups, violating their rights to secure livelihoods. Indigenous Peoples and local communities are particularly hard-hit due to their close connection with nature. They - together with rangers and nature defenders - are on the frontline of protection, facing severe threats. It is crucial that attacks against environmental and land defenders are thoroughly investigated and prosecuted, and that national authorities have the capacity and tools to protect those at risk.

To turn multilateral policy into genuine impact, we must look to recent consensus. The EU and its Member States welcome last year's resolution on the topic tabled by Brazil at the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ). We also express our sincere appreciation to Peru in its capacity as Chair of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) Expert Group on crimes that affect the environment, and look forward to engaging with all delegations, international organisations, and civil society in the run-up to the 13^th Conference of Parties to the Palermo Convention.

However, major challenges remain including fragmented legal frameworks, corruption, and the rapid shift of illegal trade to digital spaces. The existing international legal framework anchored by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and UNTOC is vital, but it contains blind spots that criminal networks exploit. To strengthen this system, we must address the convergence between environmental crime, corruption, and illicit financial flows. The current discussions regarding a possible additional protocol on crimes that affect the environment to the UNTOC provide a valuable opportunity to assess and potentially improve coordination and legal alignment issues, as well as to examine the merits of such a protocol in preventing and combating environmental crime.

UN resources are under pressure, and we must encourage agencies to work together through flexible, multistakeholder models. We must deepen public-private partnerships with technology, e-commerce, and shipping sectors to clean up supply chains. Existing EU and international law enforcement cooperation frameworks, including those supported by Europol and INTERPOL, should be further leveraged to systematically target the criminal networks behind environmental crimes.

EU policies and legal frameworks reclassify environmental offenses as serious crimes requiring dedicated tools. Our new Environmental Crime Directive, which entered into force in May 2024 and is to be implemented by Member States by May 2026, establishes rules for criminal offenses. It empowers competent authorities with special investigation techniques to address the financial aspects of crime. Furthermore, the Revised EU Action Plan Against Wildlife Trafficking serves as a key strategic document which EU Member States implement within their national policies and strategies.

Regionally, beyond our Union's borders, the recently adopted Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law represents a powerful global model for harmonised enforcement.

The EU translates partnership into action through technical assistance. Moreover, the EU financially supports UNODC through the Global Initiative Global United Action to Reduce and Dismantle Organised Wildlife Crime and other targeted projects in Uganda and South-East Asia.

Technology is essential for transparency and accountability. DNA forensics and stable isotope analysis are crucial to backstop trade controls. Furthermore, advanced technology is vital to policing the digital frontier. A prime example is the EU-funded ECO-SOLVE initiative and its Global Monitoring System, which leverages AI and open-source intelligence to track and disrupt illegal digital marketplaces. We must integrate community-sensitive mobile reporting and geospatial tools to strengthen data collection. Equally, these tools should be integrated into the work of law enforcement, customs and border agencies to improve risk analysis, target high risk consignments and identify financial flows linked to environmental crime. Strengthening digital investigation capacities and specialised analytical units is essential to keep pace with the rapid shift of illegal trade to online and encrypted platforms.

Madam President,

The EU and its Member States remain firmly committed to strengthening the fight against crimes that affect the environment. We call upon all global partners to reinforce international cooperation, enhance enforcement capacities, and protect both our global ecosystems and the rule of law.

I thank you.

1. North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.