ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM WORKSHOP ON
COMBATING WILFLIFE TRAFFICKING
SHANGRI-LA RASA RIA HOTEL, TUARAN SABAH, MALAYSIA
30 MARCH – 1 APRIL 2015
In conjunction with Malaysia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2015 and as part of Malaysia’s commitment to the Hanoi Plan of Action to Implement the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Vision Statement, Malaysia and the United States of America are co-hosting the ARF Workshop on Combating Wildlife Trafficking from 30 March 2015 to 1 April 2015 in Tuaran, Sabah, Malaysia.
The 3-day Workshop focuses on enhancing trans-boundary and regional cooperation in combating wildlife trafficking, a pressing transnational issue demanding global cooperation. It brings together expert speakers from selected ARF Participating Countries as well as regional organizations involved with the issue of wildlife trafficking by featuring case studies, country experiences, lessons learned and sharing of public awareness campaigns.
Participants will also have the opportunity to visit Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Nature Reserve to observe rehabilitation programmes for orangutans.
More than 60 participants from Governments and NGOs and Korea and China include Senior/director-level officials and subject matter experts representing national agencies of the ARF Participating Countries as well as academicians involved with the issue of wildlife trafficking are among those that will be participating in the workshop.
The Workshop will be officiated by Honourable Dato’ Sri Anifah Hj. Aman, Minister of foreign Affairs, Malaysia on 30 March 2015 with the presence of the Honourable Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment of Sabah and Her Excellency Catherine A. Novelli, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment of the United States of America. YBhg. Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh, Malaysia’s Ambassador for Orangutan Conservation will be the guest speaker for the Workshop.
Among the main topics of discussion at the Workshop include: understanding the poaching and trafficking threat: ASEAN perspective; major challenges and areas for enhanced cooperation; best practices in prevention and investigation of wildlife poaching and trafficking; strengthening regional cooperation to combat wildlife trafficking; and communication and education awareness initiatives.
The Workshop is part of Malaysia’s deliverables as the Chairman of ASEAN 2015 as well as the Chairman of the ARF.
The outcomes of the Workshop will be reported to the 22nd ARF Ministerial Meeting scheduled to be held in Malaysia in August 2015.
PUTRAJAYA
29 March 2015
Read more on the CITES website:http://cites.org/eng/ASEAN_member_States_discuss_enhancing_regional_cooperation_to_combat_poaching_and_illegal_trade_in_wildlife