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The FCO works very closely with DEFRA to combat the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) and
eradicate the poaching of elephants, rhinos, and other animals, reflecting HMG’s global
leadership on this issue. Our Posts across Africa, are very active on this. Our Ambassadors
and High Commissioners regularly raise the issue of IWT at the highest level, and
FCO Ministers raise IWT with their counterparts wherever possible, including at multilateral
fora. I recently wrote to the Zimbabwean Minister for Environment, Water, and Climate
to advance our working together on this issue. The FCO secured attendance of Ministers
from Kenya, Uganda, Namibia and 15 other African countries at the London Conference
on IWT in February 2014. We also gained the participation of Ministers from these
countries, plus South Africa and 12 other African countries, to attend the UK supported
follow-up conference in Kasane, northern Botswana, on 25 March 2015 for further discussions.
These initiatives have resulted in collective conference declarations with 40 ambitious
commitments, to eradicate IWT through demand reduction, strengthening law enforcement
and legal deterrents, and protecting sustainable livelihoods.
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