Roundup: UNEP gives awards to individuals, agencies for their role in environmental protection

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) on Wednesday bestowed Asia Environment Enforcement Awards (AEEA) for 13 enforcement officers and authorities from the Asia-Pacific region, including two from China, for their outstanding contribution in the fight against illegal trade in wildlife and hazardous and toxic materials.

In an interview with Xinhua, Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director and UN undersecretary-general, explained the purpose of establishing the AEEA for the first time, and conveyed his congratulations to the Chinese winners. "The courage to stand up and defend the laws on environmental protection is something we should celebrate,"Steiner said.

Steiner said that they have two main reasons for establishing the AEEA. First, he said, is to focus on the role of enforcement institutions and organizations in ensuring that laws against illegal trade of endangered species and hazardous chemicals are not only found in books but are being implemented on the ground.

The second one is to put a"human face"in this campaign."There are individuals from different countries in the Asia-Pacific region whose main job is to enforce environmental laws in their respective countries and they should be given due credit," Steiner said.

He said that the contributions of people who enforce the law and preserve the environment should be recognized."It is important for public to see that there are real people who take real actions in enforcing the law. These people have been showing not only their commitment but also the courage in combating poaching. Some rangers have actually lost their lives in performing their tasks," Steiner said.

UNEP statistics show that illegal wildlife trade worldwide is valued between 48 to 153 billion U.S. dollars annually, while illegal trade in toxic and hazardous materials is estimated to be valued at 12 billion U.S. dollars worldwide.

Steiner said that to address this fast-growing illegal trade and criminal syndicates, there is a need for international and regional cooperation.

He assured counties in the region that the UNEP will provide them the necessary assistance, adding that there is a need for exchange of information about illegal activities related to the environment among the countries in the region, especially in the fight against illegal trade of endangered wildlife and hazardous materials.

The UNEP lauded the Chinese AEEA awardee, Wang Liang, senior investigator of World Customs Organization Regional Intelligence Liaison Office for Asia and the Pacific (WCO RILO A/P), who has actively contributed to the success of a number of global and regional operations against environmental crimes.

The other winner was the Nanjing Customs District, which ranks among the top five customs districts in China with outstanding achievements in combating illegal trade in hazardous chemicals and wastes.

Steiner commended Wang Liang for his dedication to his work which made possible the professional exchange of information that led to more efficient border patrols and more cooperation among police services in the region. "All the 13 winners, including the Chinese awardees, set good examples of their highly-professional enforcement service,"Steiner said.

Steiner also cited the role of UNEP Ambassador to China Li Bingbing in improving public awareness about environmental concerns by emphasizing that buying products made of ivory"is not a sign of success." "Appealing directly to consumer market is an important task for persuading people not to buy products made of endangered species because this would mean that they are helping criminal networks in wrecking havoc to the environment through their nefarious activities,"Steiner said. Endi