RUSI to Lead Assessment of UK’s Performance in Targeting the Finances of Illegal Wildlife Trade

RUSI’s research will help the UK to fulfil commitments made at the G7 Leaders’ Summit in June 2021, where countries came together to agree a shared G7 Nature Compact to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. A key component of this involves strengthening the response to money laundering and financial crime associated with IWT and other environmental crimes.

Specifically, G7 Leaders agreed to report on their progress in implementing the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) recommended actions on IWT at their Interior & Security Ministers’ Meeting in September 2021.

In June 2020, the FATF urged countries to evaluate their exposure to the proceeds of IWT; ensure that national laws and law enforcement powers allow authorities to go after the finances of wildlife traffickers; and to pursue more parallel financial investigations in IWT cases.

RUSI’s research will analyse how the UK is affected by IWT-linked illicit financial flows; outline the UK’s current response to these flows; and identify opportunities to enhance such efforts, including through joint working with the private sector, civil society and other G7 partners.

RUSI will publish a full report with UK-specific recommendations in late 2021.

Civil society organisations and the financial sector can participate in the research by contributing evidence to the project’s key research questions via the following links by 17th August:

Financial sector: http://www.rusi.org/IWT-Finance-G7

Civil society: http://www.rusi.org/IWT-G7-civil-society    

RUSI will also conduct research interviews with selected key experts across government, civil society, and the private sector.

For further information, please contact Alexandria Reid, Research Fellow and Project Lead, alexandriar@rusi.org or iwtillicitfinance@homeoffice.gov.uk.