The South Asia Judicial Symposium on Wildlife Crime was co-organized by SAWEN and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) from 7 to 8 May 2025 in New Delhi, India. The symposium brought together over 50 participants, including judges, prosecutors, and SAWEN focal persons from member countries. Delegates from India, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka participated in person, while representatives from other SAWEN member countries joined the event virtually.

The main objective of the symposium was to foster greater regional collaboration and coherence among prosecutors and the judiciary in tackling wildlife crime, which often spans multiple jurisdictions and involves transnational criminal networks. Discussions focused on improving the enforcement of wildlife laws, assessing amendments and penalties, aligning sentencing practices, and exploring tools such as species victim impact statements and digital forensic technologies. By the end of the symposium, the goal was to identify judicial approaches that could support more consistent and effective prosecution, sentencing, and adjudication of wildlife crimes across South Asia. The recommendations from the event will also inform ongoing SAWEN and UNODC dialogues on strengthening the region’s wildlife crime justice systems.

This symposium was made possible with the generous support of the United Kingdom Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), through the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC).