CWT--CITIES

On February 11, 2014, President Obama issued the National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking. Incorporating recommendations from the Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking, the Implementation Plan was released on February 11, 2015 to guide and direct the efforts of Federal agencies in executing the Strategy. The Plan followed the structure and objectives of the three Strategic Priorities identified in the Strategy: Strengthen Enforcement (including both U.S. Domestic Enforcement and Global Enforcement), Reduce Demand for Illegally Traded Wildlife, and Expand International Cooperation and Commitment. Twenty-four objectives fall under these three Strategic Priorities, each including a number of Next Steps that identify discrete actions. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is providing this funding opportunity to convene a CaribWEN focal points workshop in Bridgetown, Barbados (or another location) to discuss the design, structure and operations of the CaribWEN. Such a workshop should be used to: take the first steps toward developing the structure and representation of countries in the Caribbean Wildlife Enforcement Network a CaribWEN; discuss the operational aspects and activities of the network; plan the steps necessary to develop political and diplomatic support in the region for operationalizing the CaribWEN develop a plan to encourage all the islands and territories of the Caribbean to participate in the CaribWEN; and, develop a plan to secure, short-, medium- and long-term funding for the operations of the CaribWEN. The workshop should include participating countries and territories from the July 2016 workshop in Nassau, other regional governments, the CITES Secretariat, and experts and non- and inter-governmental organizations determined necessary by the organizers. The funds provided would enable invited developing States, non- and inter-governmental organizations and the CITES Secretariat to fully participate in the workshop. The funds would also be used to provide simultaneous interpretation during the workshop. The workshop should seek to design a network capable of achieving the following mid- and long-term benefits: Strengthen law enforcement cooperation between island governments and dependenciesa home governments; Improve coordination in bilateral and multilateral enforcement actions; Improve information and intelligence sharing with regard to terrestrial and marine wildlife crimes; Facilitate training and capacity building for enforcement, prosecutorial, and judicial authorities in the region; Establish and formalize a regional strategy to combat trafficking, upon which national strategies may also be developed; Sensitize stakeholders to the regional conservation threat of wildlife trafficking and encourage commercial interests to become involved in eliminating this threat; and, Heighten awareness among the general public, visiting tourists, businesses, and the hospitality industry of the seriousness of wildlife crimes.