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| China hosted its first National Environmental Security Seminar with support of INTERPOL as a part of international effort to tackle environmental crime [Photo: INTERPOL] |
Beijing: International efforts to develop a cooperative and
collaborative multi-agency strategy to tackle environmental crime received a
boost after China hosted its first National Environmental Security Seminar with
the support of INTERPOL.
At the meeting China announced it would seek out and develop
opportunities to enhance its international environmental enforcement efforts in
cooperation with INTERPOL. To take this initiative further, it was agreed that
an expanded meeting will be organized involving all Chinese Divisions and
Ministries responsible for environmental law enforcement.
Following the official launch by INTERPOL’s Environmental
Crime Programme of its National Environmental Security Task Force (NEST)
initiative in September, Chinese authorities decided to organize a National
Environmental Security Seminar with INTERPOL and invited the head of INTERPOL’s
Environmental Crime Programme, David Higgins, who welcomed their initiative.
“China has set a good example for the entire international
environmental compliance and enforcement community and we look forward to
forging closer ties and working alongside China in our common endeavour to
prevent environmental crime and enhance environmental security,” said Mr
Higgins.
Critical issues such as the survival of wild tigers and the
protection of forest were on the agenda, together with INTERPOL initiatives
such as Project PREDATOR and Project LEAF, which are actively supported by the
US Agency for International Development, the Norwegian Agency for Development
Cooperation and the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.