On September 25, 2015, UNODC presented to the Government of Vietnam a report on the state of wildlife and forest crime (WLFC) in the country and the measures that need to be taken to address this growing problem.
The report was a summary of the findings of the Vietnam Toolkit analysis that was requested to be implemented by the Vietnam government in partnership with the CITES Secretariat, INTERPOL, UNODC, World Bank, and the World Customs Organization. It comprised of a unique pool of technical and programming expertise to address wildlife and forest crime, and focused on 3 core areas: legislation, enforcement and judiciary and prosecution.
The findings are a result of working groups that disseminated translated versions of the Toolkit to government agencies; a workshop consisting of academics and representatives from all relevant agencies; and field missions that involved extensive consultation with representatives and officials from central, provincial and local government, donor countries, and civil society groups.
The findings that were presented showed a lack of sufficient knowledge and awareness of WLFC issues in the country; deficiencies in criminal law such as weak penalties; and a lack of international intelligence sharing channels operating effectively for guiding border officials on latest smuggling routes, trafficking methods, or notification of suspect persons and cargo. Further problems included open and porous land borders, data management issues and vulnerability of key posts to corrupt practices.
The report presented several recommendations to improve the situation in Vietnam, such as revision of WLFC legislation, strengthening coordination between enforcement agencies, creating a network of judges, crime scene management training and exploring forensic support. These findings and recommendations will be used to design a detailed programme for national capacity building and technical assistance delivery.
The response to the report was positive and there was a good level of participation from most of the relevant government agencies, and useful comments were provided.
