News

On 30 November 2015 Lithuania and Angola organized an informal meeting of the United Nations Security Council in Arria formula on the impact of illicit arms trade to poaching in Africa.

"Poaching does pose an existential threat to many animal species. It also deprives local people of their livelihoods, increases corruption of government officials, contributes to the spread of armed violence and cuts tourism revenues to the world's poorest countries", said Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the UN ambassador Raimonda Murmokaitė.

Despite the efforts by the international community, poaching in Africa is on a steady rise due to increasing demand mostly outside the continent. The number of forest elephants in Africa has declined over 60 percent during the last decade.

"The aim of this meeting is not only to encourage the Security Council to dedicate more attention to preventing weapons from ending-up in the hands of poachers, but also to encourage it to take concrete action, including by imposing sanctions to individuals and groups involved in poaching, exposing illegal trade routes and getting UN presence on the ground more involved in fighting wildlife crime", noted ambassador Murmokaitė.

Enormous gains from the poached animals continue to attract armed groups, international criminal networks, corrupt local officials and military personnel. The weapons and ammunition used for poaching – from military-style AK-47s to sophisticated and expensive hunting rifles – are being smuggled through borders or diverted for poorly secured government storages.

During its tenure at the Security Council, Lithuania consistently dedicated attention to fighting illicit arms trade. The latest Security Council resolution on small arms, adopted during Lithuania's presidency in May 2015, highlights the link between illegal exploitation of natural resources and trafficking of arms as a major factor fuelling and exacerbating many conflicts.