DTB Joins the Fight Against Illegal Wildlife Trafficking
4th March 2020: Diamond Trust Bank Kenya Limited (DTB) has signed up to the United for Wildlife's 2018 Mansion House Declaration, a set of six commitments to help in the fight against illegal trade in wildlife.
The Declaration by United for Wildlife (UfW) is developed by and for the financial industry to help them take action against global wildlife trafficking. DTB is the second Kenyan institution to join the Kenya Taskforce Chapter, which is the first national taskforce established to focus on and support the regional efforts of the financial sector in combating Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT).
Speaking after the signing ceremony, DTB Group CEO and Managing Director Nasim Devji said DTB is committing its support in fighting IWT by using all the resources available, including anti-money laundering deterrence measures and financial investigation techniques just like in any other financial crime.
"Given the magnitude of this task, we are cognizant that it will take our collective effort to have a chance at success. This calls for communities, government, private sector, NGOs alike to come together and we are proud to come on board to accelerate the efforts already in place," said Ms Devji.
Robert Campbell, Programme Manager of United for Wildlife Taskforces said "It's so important for the United for Wildlife Financial Taskforce to have representation from a regional bank like DTB. DTB brings localised knowledge of what's happening at ground level and front-line staff to take the first steps in combatting the financial side of the illegal wildlife trade."
The finance sector can become involved, often unwittingly, with those who traffic illegal wildlife products; this is why UfW is working to identify actions the financial sector can take to detect and stop illegal wildlife trade, and intercept the financial gains driving it.
The signatories were initially comprised of representatives from 30 global banks, experts on illegal wildlife trade and financial organisations such as Standard Chartered, HSBC, RBS, Bank of America, Merrill Lych and JP Morgan. Signatories become part of the UfW Financial Taskforce and commit to contribute to the global fight against IWT.
As the UfW Financial Taskforce grows, it's increasingly critical that regional and nationally focused banks join their global counterparts in the fight against wildlife trafficking. Spearheaded by The Duke of Cambridge and the Royal Foundation, UfW are fighting to save endangered species like elephants, rhinos, tigers and pangolins. Illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is among the five most lucrative global crimes and often run by highly organised criminal networks.
