US hands CAWT baton to UK
6 August 2009
The UK formally accepted the chair of Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT) from the US at an event hosted by the Metropolitan Police Wildlife Crime Unit on 20th July 2009.
Metropolitan Police Commander Simon Pountain opened the event and welcomed delegates. The handover agreement was signed by Huw Irranca-Davies MP, Minister for Marine and Natural Environment and Christine Dawson, US Department of State.
Representatives of the six Government partners, Australia, India, Chile, US, Canada and the UK, were invited to the event held at the Met's Headquarters, New Scotland Yard. Representatives of non-Governmental partners TRAFFIC International and IFAW also attended and gave presentations on their work within CAWT. There are a further 13 NGO partners of CAWT, representing a spread across charities and traders.
CAWT is a US initiative to focus public and political attention on ending the illegal wildlife trade by improving law enforcement and reducing consumer demand. Since its beginnings in 2005, CAWT has grown into an international partnership of Government and non-Governmental organisations all sharing the common purpose of combating wildlife trafficking.
![A six-week-old tiger cub, born 23 Dec. 2003, at the Wild Animal Orphanage, San Antonio, Texas. [image copyright Rosa Hill, of IFAW]](/images/pageheaders/poster-news.jpg "News and events [image copyright Rosa Hill, of IFAW]")
