Troels Vester, Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Pakistan, called on Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr. Musadik Malik in Islamabad earlier today.
Their discussion focused on the growing nexus between illegal electronic trade, money laundering, and organized illegal logging all of which pose a significant threat to environmental sustainability and governance. Both sides expressed 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 emphasized the urgent need to strengthen Pakistan’s legal and policy frameworks by making them more stringent and ensuring effective enforcement mechanisms.
Troels Vester, who has previously served 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.
