As governments, policymakers, law enforcement agencies, and civil society organisations (CSOs) prepare to meet at the Thirty-Fifth Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) in Vienna next week, the Wildlife Justice Commission calls for greater attention to one of the most powerful, yet consistently underused, tools in the fight against crimes that affect the environment (CAE): financial investigations.
As the principal policy-making body of the United Nations in crime prevention and criminal justice, the CCPCJ provides a critical platform to advance global governmental efforts against CAE, including wildlife trafficking. This year’s session carries strategic importance, as it takes place only months ahead of the Fifteenth United Nations Crime Congress in September 2026, where States will shape the next five-year global agenda for crime prevention and criminal justice matters, including how the international community responds to CAE, and the 13th Conference of Parties of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC COP) taking place in October 2026. At the UNTOC COP, it is expected that a proposal will be put forward to launch negotiations on a potential dedicated UNTOC Protocol to address CAE.
In this context, Wildlife Justice recently shared its insights and recommendations to States through a formal written statement aimed at informing these discussions. The statement highlights the critical role of financial investigations in combatting wildlife trafficking, and broader CAE, as well as the opportunities at the multilateral level to strengthen and advance these efforts.
Our message is clear: to effectively disrupt the criminal networks behind these crimes, we must follow the money.
CAE are not isolated or opportunistic incidents; they are serious transnational organised crimes driven by significant profits. Combined, terrestrial, marine, and forest crimes are estimated to generate up to USD 199 billion annually, with even broader economic and environmental impacts reaching into the trillions. Beyond devastating impacts on biodiversity, these crimes fuel corruption, weaken governance and the rule of law, threaten livelihoods, and undermine global security.
Our findings indicate that the same criminal structures trafficking wildlife are frequently involved in money laundering, corruption, fraud, and other illicit economic activities. Yet despite these clear links, wildlife investigations often focus solely on the physical seizure of wildlife products, while the financial infrastructure sustaining these networks remains largely untouched.
From investigations to policy action
Through our investigative work, the Wildlife Justice Commission has consistently seen how financial investigations are critical in exposing criminal networks, identifying high-level offenders, strengthening prosecutions, and enabling authorities to seize and recover illicit profits.
Our policy recommendations are directly informed by this on-the-ground expertise and first-hand insights into the structure and functioning of organised criminal networks.
Financial investigations also create enforcement opportunities to seize and confiscate criminal assets and profits, disrupting the economic incentives that drive these crimes in the first place and preventing reinvestment into further criminal activity. In many cases, financial evidence strengthens prosecutions by allowing prosecutors to apply additional money laundering or organised crime charges – often carrying stronger penalties – alongside wildlife offences, helping authorities target the high-level offenders who profit most from these crimes, thereby enhancing deterrence and impact.
Translating commitments into action
Despite their proven impact, financial investigations, anti-money laundering mechanisms, and asset recovery tools remain the exception rather than the norm in CAE cases. Persistent gaps – from weak legal frameworks and limited cross-sectoral and international cooperation to a lack of powers or resources to trace proceeds, and insufficient awareness – continue to hinder progress. Our written statement highlights key opportunities under the UNTOC and the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC)—that, if applied, can significantly support effective financial crime responses related to CAE and close gaps faced on the ground. In particular, UNCAC Resolution 11/9 on “Preventing and combating corruption as it relates to CAE”, adopted by consensus by UNCAC State Parties, includes an array of commitments including in relation to financial investigations, asset tracing and recovery, stronger anti-money laundering measures, and enhanced international cooperation. The upcoming UNTOC COP also offers a critical opportunity for States to strengthen the application of UNTOC provisions to CAE and related illicit financial flows, enable the systemic use of financial investigations in CAE cases, and facilitate greater harmonisation of criminalisation frameworks, through supporting the development of an additional Protocol on CAE.
As governments gather in Vienna next week to discuss global crime prevention and criminal justice priorities, we therefore urge States to turn commitments into concrete action by:
- Reporting on progress in implementing UNCAC Resolution 11/9 commitments, particularly by actively participating in the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on the Prevention of Corruption next year and report on good practices, challenges and lessons learned in this regard
- Supporting the development of an additional UNTOC Protocol on CAE at the 13th Conference of the Parties to the UNTOC
To advance this conversation at this Thirty-Fifth Session of the CCPCJ, the Wildlife Justice Commission will host a side event From Commitment to Action: Following the Money to Address Crimes that Affect the Environment on Wednesday, 3 June, at 13:00, co-organised with Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the World Wildlife Fund for Nature International. The event will explore practical and innovative approaches to disrupting the economic drivers of CAE – including wildlife trafficking – and the organised criminal networks behind them. It will also promote effective and coordinated responses under the UNTOC and UNCAC as global momentum for strengthened enforcement efforts against CAE builds.
Learn more and join our event here.
