The ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) is the world’s largest wildlife law enforcement network, facilitating inter-agency and cross-border collaboration among law enforcement agencies of the 10 ASEAN countries to suppress illegal wildlife trade in the region.

FREELAND Foundation helped design the ASEAN-WEN between 2003 and 2004, before it was launched by the Thai Government and ASEAN in 2005. FREELAND then led the ASEAN-WEN Support Program (funded by USAID and the U.S. State Department) from 2005-2010, in partnership with ASEAN, US Government agencies, and TRAFFIC Southeast Asia. The ASEAN-WEN Support Program helped develop the ASEAN-WEN and the capacity of national authorities working together through the Network to protect Southeast Asia’s biodiversity.

ASEAN-WEN is now sustained by member governments and a partner in Asia's Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking (ARREST), a new USAID-funded FREELAND-led program to further step up efforts to reduce wildlife trafficking.

Background

ASEAN-WEN aims to improve wildlife law enforcement capacity, coordination and information sharing, both on national and regional levels, among different law enforcement agencies including police, customs, and environmental officers. The Network’s ultimate goal is to put an end to wildlife crime through strong wildlife trade regulation, effective law enforcement and prosecutions that dismantle the organized criminal syndicates behind it.

FREELAND continues to provide support to ASEAN-WEN Task Forces and national authorities to coordinate law enforcement training, workshops and meetings that develop the region’s capacity to stop poaching and illegal wildlife trade. FREELAND also works to facilitate communication, create and launch awareness campaigns, build high-level support in the ASEAN region, as well as provide direct support to frontline law enforcement teams to help them investigate and stop wildlife crime.

Beyond the Southeast Asian region, FREELAND has helped the ASEAN-WEN develop productive links with enforcement agencies in China, the USA, European Union, Australia and South Asia, as well as with key international organizations and initiatives, including Interpol, the World Customs Organization (WCO), the CITES Secretariat, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the World Bank’s Global Tiger Initiative (GTI).

For more information and news from the ASEAN-WEN, visit www.asean-wen.org