Event Details

15 Oct

When

15 Oct 2025
1 PM - 4 PM

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Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Habrá interpretación simultánea en inglés, español y portugués.

Haverá interpretação simultânea em inglês, espanhol e português

Posted on 06 Oct 2025

Environmental crime remains one of the world’s most pressing yet under-addressed threats. From illegal waste trafficking and deforestation to transboundary pollution and biodiversity loss, these crimes often occur at the intersection of licit and illicit systems, sustained by regulatory gaps, weak enforcement, and corruption. 

The ECO-SOLVE programme, led by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) and funded by the European Union, supports the development of data-driven responses, multilateral engagement, and locally led strategies to combat environmental crime.

In October 2025, GI-TOC will convene a three-part public webinar series bringing together policymakers, legal experts, environmental defenders, and civil society actors. The series will explore global treaty negotiations, efforts to reform international legal frameworks, and community-based innovations from the Amazon, building momentum ahead of major multilateral milestones.

 

Key Themes Across the Series 

  • Reinforcing global commitments through treaty negotiations and legal reform
  • Exposing enforcement gaps and corruption that enable environmental crime
  • Amplifying local expertise and community-driven strategies in affected regions
  • Advancing evidence-based responses through research, partnerships, and innovation

Key Objectives of the Webinar Series 

  • Inform: Share cutting-edge research and policy recommendations on environmental crime
  • Engage: Create a dialogue between international policymakers and frontline defenders
  • Amplify: Elevate the voices of civil society and local communities in global policy debates
  • Coordinate: Build momentum and alignment ahead of key multilateral events like COP30 and the next rounds of UNTOC and UNEP negotiations

Target Audience 

  • Government and law enforcement officials
  • Civil society and community-based organizations
  • International organizations and UN agencies
  • Academic and legal experts
  • Journalists and media
  • General public with interest in environmental justice

[1:00 – 1:05 PM CEST ] Opening remarks: Mark Shaw, Executive Director (GI-TOC)

[1:00 – 2:00 PM CEST ] Panel 1: A Plastic Problem – The Illegal Trade in Waste

This session examines the trafficking of plastic waste and the misuse of recycling frameworks by multinational brokers. It will unpack findings from GI-TOC’s recent research and ongoing international negotiations on plastic regulation. 

  • Moderator: Simone Haysom, Director of Environmental Crime (GI-TOC)
  • Lauren Young, Analyst (GI-TOC)
  • Christopher Hudak, Basel Action Network
  • Sedat Gündoğdu, Cukurova Üniversitesi

[2:00 – 3:00 PM CEST ] Panel 2: To Be or Not to Be? A New UNTOC Protocol on Environmental Crimes

A timely panel unpacking why a new protocol to the UNTOC is being discussed, what impact it could have, and what should be prioritised to ensure it is meaningful. 

Moderated Panel Discussion –Juliana Machado Ferreira, Executive Director Freeland Brasil

  • John Scanlon, Chair, Global Initiative to End Wildlife Crime and former Secretary-General of CITES Reflections on a decade of efforts to promote a new protocol under UNTOC and the growing urgency for global action.
  • Dyhia Belhabib, Programme Manager of Fisheries and Principal Investigator of I-Sea Fisheries, Ecotrust
  • Ian Tennant, GI-TOC Findings from GI-TOC’s recent report on the 4th Protocol, including priority recommendations to the IEG for improving coherence and ambition in tackling environmental crime.
  • Carlos Alberto Sanchez del Aguila, Minister Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Peru to the UN in Vienna Report back on the first IEG meeting and reflections on how the process could evolve.

[3:00 – 4:00 PM CEST ]Panel 3: From the Ground to COP30 – Local Perspectives on Environmental Crime and Climate Justice in the Brazilian Amazon

This panel will explore how grassroots strategies and community knowledge can inform global responses to environmental crime particularly in the lead-up to COP30 in Belém. Drawing on findings from the ECO-SOLVE policy brief Amplifying Community-Led Solutions to Combat Environmental Crimes in the Amazon, panellists will share lessons from the ground and examine how environmental defenders can play a more central role in shaping just, effective climate action.  

  • Moderator: Siria Gastelum
  • Presentation of Policy Brief – Laura Avila, GI-TOC (12 min)
  • Panel Discussion: Community-Based Strategies in the Amazon (30 min)
  • Jamilly Brito Guimarães, MAB
  • Ana Celina Bendet, CEDECA
  • Claudelice Santos, Instituto Ze Claudio e Maria