John Davie, Charge d’Affaires at the British Embassy in Asuncion

More than 70 justice operators and law enforcement agents were brought together by the UNODC’s Environment Team and MADES to establish a baseline for the state’s response to wildlife and forest crime. The event took place in Asuncion, the capital, on the 17th, 18th, and 19th of May 2022.

The ICCWC presented its Indicator Framework at the event. Paraguay has become the region’s fifth country to implement this self-assessment tool, which allows authorities to identify their needs and strengths as well as establish a baseline for tracking progress in combating crimes that harm the environment, violate the legal system, and accelerate biodiversity loss.

Representatives from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the National Police, the Supreme Court of Justice, the National Administration of Navigation and Ports (ANNP), the National Animal Health Service (SENACSA), the Secretariat for the Prevention of Money Laundering (SEPRELAD), the National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD), and MADES, among others, collaborated to produce a participatory diagnosis of the State’s responses in the fight against wildlife and forest crime. Paraguay will be able to track progress and explore potential areas of collaboration with all stakeholders thanks to this diagnosis and the reports that will follow.

John Davie, Charge d’Affaires at the British Embassy in Asuncion, put it this way:

It is a priority on the national political agenda, as well as for the United Kingdom, to continue collaborating in the fight against environmental crimes in order to restore the planet’s balance and ensure the health of all people.