During the most important meeting of the year in international politics, governments chose to highlight illicit wildlife trafficking as a major threat to peace and security, the rule of law and global development.
President Ali Bongo of Gabon called for the appointment of a special UN envoy on wildlife crime as well as a UNGA resolution, a move that was supported by the UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs William Hague and the German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, as well as other representatives present such as the Norwegian Minister of Environment.
President Ali Bongo said, "Illicit wildlife crime is no longer a simple environmental problem, it is a transnational crime and a threat to peace and security on your continent."
The president of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete highlighted the problem of demand and called for help from the international community to close markets.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Guido Westerwelle Highlighted that for Germany " it is no longer a measure of securing endangered species, it's about countering the spread of organized crime and preventing uncontrolled militarization. This has become a problem of foreign and security matters".
"This is a step forward in the fight againts wildlife crime and today countries have shown they are serious in the fight againts this organised crime," said Jim Leape, Director General of WWF International.
Over the next three years, the commitment makers and their partners will fund and facilitate collaborated efforts and resources to protect key African elephant population from poaching, while reducing trafficking and halting demand for ivory.
Charter Roberts, president and CEO of WWF-US said: " We know how to solve this crisis. What's been missing is a united front from governments, NGOs and the private sectorto scale up resources to stop the killing and crush the demand. Look at what has been done with conflict diamonds and fur from endangered species.
"The more people are aware of the consequence of what they buy, it changes what they do. "We need to do the same with elephant ivory and rhino horn and tiger bone."
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