The Rise of Environmental Crime: A Growing Threat to Natural Resources, Peace, Development and Security

Drugs and Crime, the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force and the United Nations Development Programme, within existing mandates and resources. The importance of gaining improved information on the role of environmental crimes and natural resources in conflict was also recognized directly for the first time in the operational mandate in S/RES/2277 (2016) to MONUSCO, the largest UN peacekeeping mission, in Eastern DRC. In eastern DRC looting of natural resources is a primary driver of the near 20 year long conflict. In terms of the different features of environmental crime, there is a degree of division of labour in terms of providing legislation and set the parameters for implementation. On the illegal wildlife trade, CITES (The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is the legally binding international instrument that imposes obliga- tions on source, transit and destination states. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. And it makes it easier to gain cooperative action across the illegal supply chain regarding listed species. 36

Three conventions control the international trade and move- ment of hazardous waste and dangerous chemical substances by setting procedures and standards for import and export. Both the environment and human health are exposed to hazardous waste and chemicals through the cycle these products go through from production, transport, use and to disposal. The interlinked conventions are: The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, which primarily covers wastes trade. The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade and The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollut- ants which primarily covers chemicals, including restric- tions on production. 37 1) 2) 3) The consensus based Montreal Protocol of 1987, which controls ozone depleting gasses (ODS), has been ratified by 197 parties, making it universally ratified. Projects worth USD

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