Official
name: United
Kingdom
Capital: London
President: Theresa
May – Prime Minister
From
of government: Parliamentary
Official languages: English
Population: 65,390,899
Area
in km: 241930
in 2015
Currency: Pounds
GDP: 2678
billion USD (2013)
Religions: Christianity
Member of the GA: 24-10-45
Delegate’s
name: Ana Paola Acosta Mtz.
United
Kingdom, island country located off the northwestern coast of mainland Europe.
The United Kingdom comprises the whole of the island of Great Britain—which
contains England, Wales, and Scotland—as well as the northern portion of the
island of Ireland. The name Britain is sometimes used to refer to the United
Kingdom as a whole. The capital is London, which is among the world’s leading
commercial, financial, and cultural centers. Other major cities include
Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester in England, Belfast and Londonderry in
Northern Ireland, Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland, and Swansea and Cardiff in
Wales.
Illegal
wildlife trade is considered to be a multibillion dollar business. It’s the
fourth most productive illegal trade in the world. It approximately makes
$5-100 billion dollars annually. Keeping
in mind, this crime consists on the illegal selling and trading of wild
animals and plants, most of these are endangered species and are a popular
target of wildlife crime because of its rarity and expensive price.
Deeply disturbed, this illegal trade can cause overexploitation.
It also corrupts the poorest people and undermines the government authorities
by settling the rule of law. Furthermore,
illegal Wildlife trade can also be worrying because it undercuts countries’
attempts to conserve their natural sources. Emphasizing, China, Thailand, India, Asia, Africa, the USA and the
UK, are some of the countries playing key roles in the trade network
Illegal wildlife trade is a huge problem in the
UK. A lot of species are affected, such as reptiles, birds, caviars, corals,
elephants, hippos and rhinos. Regardless, wildlife crimes cover not only
trading but poaching, also. Furthermore,
The Prince of Wales and the duke of Cambridge hosted a high profile conference
at St. James Palace on May 21st, in collaboration with the UK government, to
focus the world’s attention to end illegal trade in wildlife. “As a father and
a soon-to-be grandfather, I find it inconceivable that our children and
grandchildren could live in a world bereft of these animals. Humanity is less
than humanity without the rest of creation. Their destruction will diminish us
all.”, the prince said. Observing,
what the UK is doing to combat this major problem, the National Wildlife Crime
Unit (NWCU) within the UK Police Force and the UK Border Forces’ specialized
CITES team based at Heathrow Airport play an important role tackling wildlife
crime in the UK. There are wide-ranging efforts to combat wildlife crime in the
UK with actions at the international and national level. International examples
of cooperation include the UK’s role in organizing the high-level London
Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade where the London Declaration was adopted,
the establishment of the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, support for the
Global Tiger Initiative Multi Donor Trust Fund and the International Consortium
on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC).
Wildlife crime has reached unprecedented
levels. The UK has committed to continuing to play its part in wiping out the
trade. Fully aware, The U.K. is
managing a £10 million package over four years to help reduce demand,
strengthen enforcement and support sustainable livelihoods. Expressing its satisfaction, The U.K
has committed its financial support to the Governments of Botswana, Chad,
Ethiopia, Gabon and Tanzania in implementing the ground-breaking elephant
Protection Initiative. Nevertheless,
there are certain places in the world where wildlife trade is particularly
threatening. These areas are called “wildlife trade hotspots.” Recent evidence
shows that some networks are also linked to terrorist organizations, but the
U.K. it’s doing its best to try and help reduce the problem. Viewing with appreciation, at the
conference at Lancaster House in London in February 2014, delegates from more
than 40 different countries and 11 UN organizations have signed The London
Declaration and they have also committed to improving cross border cooperation
and to strengthening laws and policing. Speaking at the conference, the UK's
Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "The illegal wildlife trade is a
global problem and it matters deeply to all of us gathered here today. We need
to show the world our political commitment at the highest level across the
globe to addressing this before it is too late."
Deeply conscious, to defeat this trade, the UK’s partnerships
focus on developing sustainable livelihoods, strengthening law enforcement and
reducing demand. The UK it’s doing its best to try and solve this problem. Aware of, the UK government plans to
ban the sale of modern day ivory, this is an important first step as we press
for a complete ban, stopping the trade in poached ivory will require truly
global and concerted action. Taking into
consideration, the UK and France can work together identifying wildlife
smugglers, detecting hidden wildlife products and preventing illegal goods from
leaving the region. Both countries can provide a stronger team to do this. The
more we can do to tackle this international problem with an international
response, the sooner we can make change happen. Recalling, UK will commit an additional 13 million pounds to new
measures tackling the illegal wildlife trade, doubling our investment. Recognizing, UK will host a fourth high
level meeting on the illegal wildlife trade in 2018, to see what changes or
differences have been made and what else can we do to help reduce this crime.
