18.09.2018
From 4 to 6 September, ATIBT attended the « World Conference on Forest Crime » at the INTERPOL General Secretariat in Lyon.
Main objectives of the conference:
The main objective of the meeting was to create an exchange platform for the international forest law enforcement community to coordinate activities and share its experience, including through the use of new technologies. It is also intended to enable Interpol member countries to participate in the development of the forest law enforcement program, LEAF (Law Enforcement Assistance for Forests).
To fight against forest crime, which is fundamentally organized crime, we must understand the model, understand how it operates and map the organizations involved. Profit being the sole objective of these groups, it is necessary to follow the circuits of the money and to have a financial strategy and attacking the assets of these organizations. We must also fight against corruption within the administrations. New technologies improve our means, but also increase the risk of hiding.
A specific panel discussion on Central Africa was organized, bringing together officials from DRC, Cameroon, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo.
Participants:
The public consisted mainly of customs officials, investigators, magistrates, ministerial officials from about 40 countries, with the presence of a number of organizations such as WWF, Greenpeace, WRI, NEPCON, ATIBT, and companies specialized in traceability tools, satellite tracking, etc.
