Ten organisations unite to combat illegal wildlife trafficking in global supply chains
Ten international organisations have joined forces in an initiative led by the World Shipping Council, supported by United Nations Development Program, the Global Environment Facility, and the Global Wildlife Program, in collaboration with TRAFFIC and WWF, and co-sponsored by BIC, Global Shippers Forum, the International Fund for Animal Welfare and TT Club. Together, they have produced practical guidelines for all supply chain participants, with advice on measures to take, questions to ask to help identify criminal wildlife trade, and guidance on reporting suspicious activities. An accompanying "Red Flags" document serves as a daily reference for all individuals involved in the supply chain.
Combatting illegal wildlife trafficking is a shared responsibility that requires collaboration across international containerized supply chains. All parties involved, especially consolidators and those receiving goods for packing or carriage, must take proactive steps to prevent the shipment of illegal wildlife. This includes verifying the legitimacy of cargoes, properly sealing shipments, conducting risk assessments, and promptly alerting national authorities to suspicious activities, as appropriate.
The Joint Industry Guidelines for Combatting Illegal Wildlife Trafficking are designed to support and further promote existing International Maritime Organization (IMO) guidelines by providing specific and actionable guidance to private sector stakeholders, and the IMO was kept informed through the development process. The joint industry guidelines have been submitted to the IMO for additional awareness and action.
“It’s estimated that 72-90% of illegally trafficked wildlife, including live animals, animal products, plants, and timber, is smuggled via the shipping industry, so the sector holds a responsibility to rise against transnational organised crime. By taking action with these resources, the sector will have far-reaching positive impacts for conversation and biodiversity growth at the same time as protecting livelihoods of local communities.“ Philippa Dyson, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager at TRAFFIC.
The World Shipping Council is the unified voice of the liner shipping industry, a non-profit trade association with offices in Brussels, London, Singapore and Washington, DC.
WWF is an independent conservation organisation, with over 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.
BIC was founded under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce in 1933 as a neutral, non-profit, international organization. BIC promotes safety, security, standardization, and sustainability in the container supply chain and today has over 2900 container owning and operating members in 128 countries. BIC operates registers and data resources for the industry, including the BIC Code Register, the BoxTech Global Container Database, BIC Facility Code Database and Geofence Library, and the Global ACEP Database. Based in Paris, BIC holds observer status at the IMO, the WCO, and UN/CEFACT.
IFAW is a global non-profit helping animals and people thrive together.
GSF is the global business organisation speaking up for exporters and importers as cargo owners in international supply chains and trade procedures. Its members are national and regional shippers’ associations representing hundreds of manufacturing, wholesaling, and retailing businesses in across five continents. GSF works for safe, competitively efficient, and environmentally sustainable global trade and logistics.
TT Club is the established market-leading independent provider of mutual insurance and related risk management services to the international transport and logistics industry. TT Club’s primary objective is to help make the industry safer and more secure. Founded in 1968, the Club has more than 1200 Members, spanning container owners and operators, ports and terminals, and logistics companies, working across maritime, road, rail, and air. TT Club is renowned for its high-quality service, in-depth industry knowledge and enduring Member loyalty. It retains more than 97% of its Members, with a third of its entire membership having chosen to insure with the Club for 20 years or more.
TRAFFIC is a non-governmental organisation working to ensure that trade in wild species is legal and sustainable for the benefit of the planet and people.
