SAWEN and Kathmandu Declaration: Strengthening South Asia’s Fight Against Wildlife Crime

Learn about the South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN), its member countries, objectives, establishment and the Kathmandu Declaration to combat illegal wildlife trade and transnational wildlife crime.

Table of Contents

Context

South Asian countries adopted the Kathmandu Declaration to strengthen coordinated action against illegal wildlife trade and transnational wildlife crime at the first General Assembly of SAWEN in Kathmandu.

About SAWEN

Nature: A regional intergovernmental mechanism for cooperation against illegal wildlife trade.
Members: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bhutan.
Established: Officially launched in 2011 at the second meeting of the South Asia Experts Group on Illegal Wildlife Trade in Paro, Bhutan.
Secretariat: Formally established in Kathmandu, Nepal, in 2011.
Aim: Combat wildlife crime through cooperation, collaboration, coordination, capacity building and communication.

Kathmandu Declaration

Intelligence Sharing: Strengthen regional intelligence and information exchange on wildlife crimes.
Financial Investigation: Promote financial investigations, anti-money laundering measures and asset recovery.
Criminal Justice: Improve investigation and prosecution of organised wildlife crime.
Transnational Crime: Support recognition of serious wildlife crime as transnational organised crime.