Second Meeting of the UNTOC Expert Group on Crimes that Affect the Environment
From 24–26 February 2026, experts and government representatives will gather in Vienna for the Second Meeting of the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Expert Group on Crimes that Affect the Environment, established under the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC). The meeting brings together States Parties, observers, and international organisations to advance global efforts to prevent and combat environmental crimes within the scope of UNTOC.
Objectives of the Meeting
The meeting is convened pursuant to UNTOC Conference of the Parties (COP) Resolution 12/4, entitled “Enhancing measures to prevent and combat crimes that affect the environment falling within the scope of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.” It follows the first meeting of the Expert Group held from 30 June to 2 July 2025.
The Expert Group is mandated to:
(a) Take stock of the application and collective implementation of the Organized Crime Convention in addressing such crimes;
(b) Identify any gaps that may exist in the international legal framework and that could be addressed under the Convention to prevent and combat such crimes;
(c) Consider possible responses relevant to those gaps, including the possibility, feasibility and merits of any additional protocol to the Organized Crime Convention.
Delegates will also consider draft recommendations to be submitted to the UNTOC COP at its next session in October 2026.
Why This Matters
Crimes that affect the environment — including wildlife trafficking, illegal logging, illegal mining, waste trafficking and serious pollution — are among the fastest-growing forms of transnational organised crime. These crimes undermine biodiversity, fuel corruption, disrupt sustainable development, and endanger the lives and livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples, local communities and environmental defenders.
Strengthening international cooperation and legal frameworks is therefore essential to ensure effective prevention, enforcement and access to justice. Addressing environmental crime through the UNTOC framework offers an opportunity to enhance cross-border cooperation, strengthen accountability, and close legal gaps exploited by organised criminal networks.
IUCN’s Engagement
IUCN and its World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL) will participate in the meeting, contributing its legal and policy expertise to the discussions. IUCN also actively engaged in and contributed to the first meeting of the Expert Group in 2025, supporting deliberations with technical legal analysis and policy perspectives grounded in its global membership and mandate.
Through this process, IUCN aims to support international efforts and strengthen legal frameworks by:
- Advocating for nature and biodiversity protection to be central in strengthened legal frameworks;
- Supporting nature-based governance responses to environmental crime;
- Promote justice and accountability for communities affected by environmental crimes;
- Engaging with States and partners to promote strong, coherent frameworks for addressing environmental crime.
Through its participation in the Expert Group process, IUCN seeks to ensure that global responses to environmental crime are legally robust, biodiversity-centred, and grounded in principles of justice and sustainable development.
IUCN’s engagement builds on IUCN’s longstanding commitment to addressing environmental crimes, as set out in numerous Resolutions and Recommendations adopted by its Members. Most recently, the 2025 World Conservation Congress adopted Resolutions reinforcing this mandate, including:
Resolution 8.033 – Port State measures regarding illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing
- Resolution 8.048 – Crimes that Affect the Environment (CAE)
- Resolution 8.057 – Addressing wildlife trafficking and the management of seized or confiscated live wild animals
- Resolution 8.060 – Recognising the crime of ecocide to protect nature
Resolution 8.082 – Urgent action to prevent illegal succulent plant trade
These build upon other Resolutions calling for treating organized crime impacting the environment as a serious crime (Resolution 8.048 and 7.038), combat wildlife trafficking (Resolutions 7.040, 7.047, 7.054, 7.059, 7.090 and 7.103), strengthen mechanisms to fight environmental crime (Resolutions 6.070 and 6.076), including during armed conflicts (Resolutions 8.064, 7.042 and 4.097), and incorporate human rights perspectives (Resolution 7.115 and 6.025).
