This workshop focused on key issues related to Regional Trade Agreements (RTA) and the environment. It had three main objectives: (i) to take stock of current experience and insights on RTAs and the environment from different stakeholders, and to establish a stakeholder dialogue on this topic; (ii) to investigate how RTAs can serve as a vehicle to advance a resource efficient and circular economy transition; and (iii) to explore the potential of RTAs in addressing the nexus of illegal trade and environmental crime

1. Environmental Crime – UNEP’s activities
Illegal trade and environmental crime – state of play
OECD Workshop on Regional Trade Agreements and the Environment
10-11 June 2021, Virtual Meeting
Aphrodite Smagadi
UNEP Law Division

2. Environmental crime - features
 Criminal supply chain network
 Multiple perpetrators
 Convergence with other crimes
 Cross-border traffic
 A high-profit, lost-risk operation
No universal definition

3. Environmental crime – UNEP approach
“A collective term to describe illegal activities
harming the environment and aimed at
benefiting individuals or groups or companies
from the exploitation of, damage to, trade or theft
of natural resources, including, but not limited
to serious crimes and transnational organized
crime”
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, ‘Scaling Back on Corruption – A
Guide on Addressing Corruption for Wildlife Management Authorities’ (United
Nations 2019)

4. Response and the
role of UNEP
Legislative response Implementation and
enforcement

5. Legislative response
International
 MEAs
 Biodiversity, chemicals,
ozone/climate, marine
pollution
 Global and regional
 Illegal, unreported and
unregulated fishing, illegal
logging /trade in timber
 The UNCAC and the UNTOC
National
 Penal sanctions in the
environmental legislation
(Kenya, Australia)
 Environmental offences in the
penal codes (Finland,
Vietnam)
 Mixed approach (Brazil)

6. Implementation and enforcement
Training and capacity
building
Special
environmental courts
International
cooperation
Practical issues and challenges

7. Reports and publications

8. REN Project (2011 - 2018)
The Regional Enforcement Network for Chemicals and Waste (REN)
(Dec 2011 - Feb 2018)
• 25 participating countries in Asia Pacific
• Capacity building
• Chemicals and waste
IMPACT
• Educated frontline enforcement officers
• Established communication and coordination among national and regional agencies
• Reduced illegal transboundary movement of chemicals and waste (with seizures of
over 865,000 tons of hazardous chemicals and harmful waste recorded during project
implementation)

9. WasteForce Project (2018-2021)
Package 4: Capacity building activities for European and Asia Pacific
Authorities

10. Technical assistance on marine litter and microplastics
Ongoing activities
https://www.greencustoms.org/
Green Customs Initiative
A Partnership of International entities (MEA secretariats,
UNODC, other organizations) cooperating:
• To prevent the illegal trade in environmentally-sensitive commodities and substances
and to facilitate their legal trade
• By targeting customs and other relevant border control officers
Asia Environmental Enforcement Awards
The Law Division is implementing activities involving, inter alia:
• Technical support to strengthen legal frameworks regarding unnecessary and avoidable
marine litter, including single-use plastics
• Action plan implementation in support of regional seas in relevant regions
Recognizes and celebrates excellence in enforcement by government officials and institutions
combating transboundary environmental crime, such as illegal trade in wildlife, illegal trade in
chemicals or waste, including plastic.

11. Asia Environmental Enforcement Awards

12. Upcoming activities
 Safety across Asia For the global Environment
(SAFE)
 To start an EU/UN/Asia cooperation to contribute to the prevention of
wildlife-related pandemics by targeting risks at facilities and locations
with a high risk of disease agents’ transmission from wild animals to
humans in four priority Asian countries
 Unwaste: tackling waste trafficking to support a
circular economy
 To fight trafficking in waste between the EU and South East Asia by
promoting enhanced EU-ASEAN Member States partnerships, in support of
ongoing efforts towards a circular economy transition, in line with the
relevant policy frameworks in the EU and partner countries.

13. Thank you
Aphrodite Smagadi
Legal Officer, UNEP Law Division
aphrodite.smagadi@un.org
United Nations Avenue, Gigiri
PO Box 30552 – 00100 GPO Nairobi, Kenya
www.unep.org