Vienna:South Africa has expressed approval for a decision aimed at bolstering international law enforcement efforts against transnational organized environmental crime. This decision, which advances the global response to environmental threats, was adopted at the Thirteenth Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP13) to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), held in Vienna, Austria, from October 19 to 23, 2026.
According to South African Government News Agency, the resolution was adopted with a significant 87.37% of votes in favor and was co-sponsored by South Africa. It marks a key milestone in the international fight against transnational organized environmental crime. The resolution initiates the process to elaborate an additional Protocol to UNTOC, targeting illicit trafficking in wildlife and timber, illegal mining, illicit trafficking in minerals and precious metals, and illicit trafficking in waste.
South Africa played a crucial role in pushing this initiative forward through a coordinated government approach involving the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), and the South African Police Service (SAPS). This collaboration combined practical environmental enforcement experience with criminal justice and prosecutorial expertise, along with diplomatic engagement, to bolster a stronger international legal response to environmental crime.
The resolution also builds on the momentum from South Africa’s 2025 Group of Twenty (G20) Presidency and the adoption of the Cape Town Ministerial Declaration on Crimes that Affect the Environment. This Declaration, later welcomed by G20 Leaders, recognized the serious threat posed by these crimes and the urgent need to fortify national responses.
Throughout the negotiations, South Africa emphasized the difficulties countries face in tackling sophisticated criminal networks that exploit national legislation differences and weaknesses in cross-border cooperation. An additional Protocol could help bridge these legal gaps by enhancing criminalization and international cooperation while maintaining respect for national sovereignty and complementing existing international agreements.
DFFE noted that the decision is the culmination of extensive international deliberations, including the work of an intergovernmental expert group under COP12, which examined gaps in existing legal frameworks. While negotiations on the additional Protocol are ongoing, South Africa plans to continue collaborating closely with international partners to bolster cross-border cooperation, intelligence sharing, and joint investigations.
Minister David Maynier highlighted the importance of international cooperation and the significant step the resolution represents in combating environmental crime. South Africa remains committed to shaping the additional Protocol to ensure that enforcement authorities' and prosecutors' realities are reflected in an international legal framework that can deliver effective results.
