Joining Forces to Combat Environmental Crime: Strengthening Global Action through the new Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law

Date                    19 October, 1.00pm – 1.50pm

Organizers         Council of Europe and UNEP

Co-sponsors:     European Union, Cyprus, France, Latvia, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Portugal and Sweden

Format                Hybrid

Background

Environmental crime constitutes a major threat to the environment, human health, security and sustainable development. It is among the largest and most profitable forms of transnational organised crime, as criminal networks continue to perceive it as a high-profit, low-risk activity. The illegal trafficking of wildlife, timber and hazardous waste, as well as unlawful pollution, illegal mining and other environmental offences, devastate ecosystems, undermine the rule of law and deprive communities of essential natural resources.

If left unchecked, environmental crime accelerates biodiversity loss, exacerbates climate change and deepens social and economic inequalities. Beyond its environmental consequences, it erodes human rights by undermining access to clean water, healthy ecosystems and a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. Addressing this growing threat therefore requires a coordinated international response that strengthens cross-border cooperation, enhances law enforcement capacities, closes legal loopholes and dismantles the criminal and financial networks that profit from environmental exploitation.

On 3 December 2025, the Council of Europe opened for signature the Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law. The Convention represents a landmark achievement in international environmental law and criminal justice. It reaffirms the Council of Europe's commitment to preventing and combating environmental crime and contributes directly to Strategic Objective 4 of the Council of Europe Strategy on the Environment, namely preventing and prosecuting environment-related crime. It also constitutes a key deliverable under the Council of Europe–UNEP cooperation framework.

The Convention establishes comprehensive international standards by defining a broad range of environmental criminal offences, including particularly serious offences which could amount to ecocide. It also strengthens the protection of victims, witnesses and whistleblowers, introduces an extensive chapter on prevention measures, and contains detailed provisions on jurisdiction, corporate liability, sanctions and other measures applicable to both natural and legal persons, as well as aggravating circumstances.

Beyond criminalisation, the Convention promotes a comprehensive policy approach by encouraging States to adopt national strategies, strengthen institutional capacities, provide specialised training, establish dedicated investigative, prosecutorial and judicial units, and reinforce international cooperation to address environmental crime across borders.

The Convention will enter into force upon ten ratifications, including at least eight by Council of Europe member States. It is also open for signature by non-member States, making it currently the only international treaty with global reach dedicated exclusively to combating environmental crime through criminal law.

Objective of the side event

The side event will provide an opportunity for all UN Member States to become acquainted with the new Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law and its contribution to strengthening the global response to environmental crime.

The discussion will bring together representatives of governments, international organisations, practitioners and civil society to exchange views on national commitments, international legal standards and practical cooperation for the effective prevention, investigation and prosecution of environmental crime. It will explore how the Convention's innovative provisions can be translated into concrete action through strengthened international cooperation and capacity-building.

The event will also provide an opportunity to discuss the added value of the European Union's accession to the Convention and the synergies between the Convention and the EU Environmental Crime Directive, thereby promoting coherent and mutually reinforcing legal frameworks at the regional and global levels.

More information to follow.