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SAWEN Member Countries Adopt Kathmandu Declaration
Member countries of the South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) adopt the “Kathmandu Declaration” to strengthen regional cooperation against illegal wildlife trade and related transnational organised crime.
South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network:
| Dimension | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Type | SAWEN is an intergovernmental law enforcement support body of South Asian countries. |
| Member countries | It comprises 8 South Asian countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. |
| Official launch | It has been officially launched in 2011 during the second meeting of South Asia Experts Group on Illegal Wildlife Trade held in Paro, Bhutan. |
| Aim | SAWEN aims to combat wildlife crime through cooperation, collaboration, coordination, capacity building, and communication. |
| Secretariat | The Secretariat is formally established in Kathmandu, Nepal, in 2011. |
| Objectives | It provides for initiatives to harmonize and standardize laws and policies of member countries concerning conservation of wild fauna and flora; to document trends of poaching and illegal wildlife trade and related threats to natural biodiversity within and across countries in the region; to strengthen institutional responses by promoting partnerships for research and information sharing, training and capacity building, and technical support; and to encourage member countries to prepare and implement National Action Plans and to collaborate towards effective implementation of such plans. |
| Governance structure: General Assembly | It comprises ministers of the concerned ministry or his/her senior level government delegate as the apex body of SAWEN. |
| Governance structure: Executive Committee | It consists of all principal focal persons of the member countries. |
| Governance structure | The Secretariat is headed by the Secretary General to perform day to day activities. |