TNRC External Resource Preventing and Combating Corruption as it Relates to Crimes that have an Impact on the Environment

Preventing and Combating Corruption as it Relates to Crimes that Have an Impact on the Environment

By UNODC | December 2021 | External Resource

This 2021 Guide prepared by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Research and Trend Analysis Branch, Corruption and Economic Crime Branch, and the Global Programme for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime, examines the role of corruption associated with crimes that have an impact on the environment, including wildlife, fisheries, forests, and other natural resources.

The information presented in this report is derived from 48 responses to a survey that was issued to States parties of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) on experiences and good practices. This survey centered around two main areas: corruption prevention and criminal justice responses to corruption as it relates to crimes that have an impact on the environment. Outlined in the report are some of the structures and processes that have been put in place to prevent, detect and prosecute these crimes, adjudicated cases, and challenges faced. The conservation and natural resource management community should consider the list of opportunities and potential solutions identified by States parties in the areas of regulation, awareness-raising, transparency, reporting, capacity-building, coordination, public service, and penalties as they relate to future cooperation avenues and programming priorities.

General findings from this report establish that there is not sufficient information about corruption linked to crimes that impact the environment and that measures taken by governments, intergovernmental organizations, and civil society organizations to prevent and combat corruption are inadequate relative to the size of the challenge at hand. Understanding the diverse challenges that organizations face is critical to developing effective strategies that can help prevent, detect, and prosecute these crimes that contribute to global biodiversity loss.

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