Mr. Troels Vester, Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Pakistan called on the Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Dr. Musadik Malik earlier today in Islamabad.
Their discussion was focused on the ever growing nexus between illegal electronic trade, money laundering, and organized illegal logging, posing a significant threat to environmental sustainability and governance. There was deep concern over the rising trend of transnational environmental crimes that not only endanger natural resources but also undermine efforts to promote sustainable development.
Dr. Musadik Malik insisted on the urgent need to strengthen Pakistan’s legal and policy frameworks by making them more stringent, ensuring effective enforcement mechanisms.
Mr. Troels Vester, who has previous experience as Country Manager of the Programme Office in Indonesia and Programme Coordinator (Country Manager) in the Country Office in Myanmar, acknowledged Pakistan’s commitment to addressing environmental crimes and reaffirmed UNODC’s full support in this area.
Both sides agreed to develop a joint project aimed at improving inter-agency coordination and modernizing laws and enforcement mechanisms to curb illegal activities impacting the environment and economy.
