📋 Tender Overview
Norways Climate and Environment Minister Espen Bart Eide and US Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Monica Medina held a roundtable yesterday on environmental crime in New York. The meeting brought together ministers and dignitaries from 11 countries who gathered to discuss the challenges to sustainable development that crimes against nature posecriminal logging mining wildlife trade land conversion and related criminal activities and fishing crimes and how to counter them.At the end of the roundtable Minister Eide and Assistant Secretary Medina issued the following statement on behalf of the governments of Norway and the United StatesWe highly appreciate the active participation of our colleagues in todays round table meeting Improving the effectiveness of measures to combat crimes against nature and thank all participants for their important contributions and comments. As we have heard today crimes against nature - the criminal forms of deforestation mining wildlife trade land conversion and related criminal activities and fishing-related crimes - are generating one of the largest illegal economies in the world estimated at hundreds of billions of dollars annually. These crimes harm ecosystems and local communities hinder their development and have significant long-term consequences for future generations.The US and Norway are working in close partnership to confront these real threats to nature and people. Nature is only the first victim in an organized international criminal chain of abuse. The syndicates that commit these crimes promote corruption and financial crime including tax evasion and money laundering and sow destruction wherever they operate. Not a single country not a single land not a single body of water not a single person is protected from their illegal often cruel activities. We hope that those who join us today will take part in the work to develop a new joint initiative - the Alliance to Combat Crimes Against Nature.
