Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment welcomes landmark UN decision to advance global response to environmental crime

South Africa welcomes landmark UN decision to advance global response to environmental crime

South Africa welcomes the historic adoption of a resolution 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.

South Africa played an important role in advancing this initiative through a coordinated, whole-of-government approach involving the Department of International Relations & Cooperation, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the South African Police Service (SAPS). This collaboration brought together practical environmental enforcement experience, criminal justice and prosecutorial expertise, and diplomatic engagement to advance a stronger international legal response to environmental crime.

Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, David Maynier, welcomed the adoption of the resolution, saying: “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.”

This achievement builds on the momentum generated under South Africa's 2025 G20 Presidency, during which 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, further reinforcing international recognition of the importance of addressing environmental crime.

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

An additional Protocol has the potential to 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," said Minister Maynier.

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 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 overwhelming support for this resolution represents 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.

For media enquiries, please contact: 
Kerry Mauchline 
Spokesperson to the Minister
KMauchline@dffe.gov.za

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