31st CCPCJ Side Event: Environmental crime as organized crime in the Amazon basin

This event will discuss the different forms of environmental crime in the Amazon basin, the criminal actors involved, as well as preventive strategies and responses from governments, civil society and indigenous communities. The connection between environmental crimes, such as illegal gold mining, illegal logging and related illicit activities, such as illicit financial flows have become increasingly evident in recent years. Civil society organizations present in the region have advocated for the law enforcement agencies to address environmental crime as organized crime and have carried out studies with the intent to better understand the criminal dynamics and more effectively disrupt the criminal networks perpetrating environmental crimes and associated crimes, including of financial nature. This panel will include short presentations from three experts on environmental crime trends in the Amazon, opening remarks from the Peruvian Permanent Representative to the UN in Vienna, and will be moderated by Livia Wagner, the GI-TOC Network Coordinator and Thematic Lead on Human Trafficking.