SA welcomes UN decision to advance global response to environmental crime

South Africa has welcomed a decision to strengthen international law enforcement efforts against facilitators of transnational organised environmental crime, advancing the global response to this growing threat.

The decision was adopted at the Thirteenth Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP13) to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), held in Vienna, Austria, from 19 to 23 October 2026.

“The resolution, adopted with an overwhelming 87.37% of votes cast in favour and co-sponsored by South Africa, marks a significant milestone in international efforts to combat transnational organised environmental crime. It establishes a process to elaborate an additional Protocol to UNTOC addressing illicit trafficking in wildlife and timber, illegal mining and illicit trafficking in minerals and precious metals, and illicit trafficking in waste,” Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment David Maynier said in a statement on Thursday.

South Africa played an important role in advancing this initiative through a coordinated, whole-of-government approach involving the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the South African Police Service (SAPS).

The collaboration combined practical environmental enforcement experience with criminal justice and prosecutorial expertise, alongside diplomatic engagement, to advance a stronger international legal response to environmental crime.

“This is a significant achievement for South Africa and the international community. Environmental crime is organized crime, and we need to tackle the complex international networks facilitating illicit wildlife trafficking in coordination with other countries,” the Minister said.

The decision builds on momentum generated during South Africa’s 2025 Group of Twenty (G20) Presidency, when the Cape Town Ministerial Declaration on Crimes that Affect the Environment was adopted for the first time.

The Declaration, subsequently welcomed by G20 Leaders, recognised the serious threat posed by these crimes and the urgent need to strengthen national responses. It also reinforced international recognition of the importance of addressing environmental crime.

Throughout the negotiations, South Africa highlighted the challenges countries face in investigating and prosecuting sophisticated criminal networks. These networks exploit differences in national legislation, weaknesses in cross-border cooperation and legitimate supply chains to facilitate crimes against the environment and conceal the proceeds.

An additional Protocol could help address these legal gaps by strengthening criminalisation and international cooperation while respecting national sovereignty and complementing existing international agreements.

"Our experience has demonstrated that combating transnational environmental crime requires an integrated response, both nationally and internationally. The overwhelming support for this resolution represents an important step towards ensuring that our international legal frameworks keep pace with the increasingly sophisticated criminal networks exploiting our natural resources," Maynier said.

DFFE said the decision builds on extensive international deliberations, including the work of an intergovernmental expert group established under COP12 to examine gaps in existing legal frameworks and identify opportunities to strengthen the international response.

“While negotiations on the additional Protocol are underway, South Africa will continue working closely with its international partners to strengthen cross-border cooperation, intelligence sharing, joint investigations and efforts to disrupt the criminal networks and illicit financial flows associated with environmental crime. 

“These practical partnerships remain essential to delivering meaningful enforcement outcomes while the international legal framework is being strengthened,” the Minister said.

He added that the strong support for the resolution marked an important step forward in the global fight against environmental crime.

“South Africa remains committed to playing an active role in shaping the additional Protocol, ensuring that the realities faced by enforcement authorities and prosecutors are reflected in an international legal framework capable of delivering meaningful results,” Maynier said. -SAnews.gov.za

Source: Original report at SAnews.gov.za.