Ha Noi, September 10, 2024, Wildlife Conservation Society, Viet Nam Office (WCS Viet Nam) in collaboration with the Department of International Cooperation and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters (Department 13) of the Supreme People's Procuracy (SPP) organized a closing workshop of “The Wildlife Crime Leadership Initiative for prosecutors in Viet Nam” (WCLI-2).
Award certificate of completion for participants of the WCLI-2, Ha Noi, September 2024
More than forty participants who are representatives of the SPP’s Department 13, the Hanoi Procuratorate University (HPU) and the Prosecutors professional training school in Ho Chi Minh city (HPS), National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA); and WCLI Cohort II participants and their supervisors/leaders attended the closing ceremony.
WCLI-2 was implemented from June 2023 to September 2024, by WCS Viet Nam in collaboration with the SPP’s Department 13, HPU and HPS for 20 prosecutors selected from 13 provinces/cities and lecturers of HPU and HPS to enhance their management and leadership skills in prosecution and supervision of handling wildlife crime cases.
After 15 months of implementation, 85% of Cohort II participants completed the WCLI-2’s three thematic courses delivered by experienced experts and lecturers from the HPU, HPS, SPP’s Department 13, AML Consulting Global (United Kingdom) and the NAPA trainers. In addition, 95% of Cohort II participants also conducted their personal counter wildlife trafficking (CWT) change projects to apply the acquired knowledge and skills in practice. About 1,195 people have benefited from their CWT change projects, where the cohort disseminated their knowledge via seminars, training sessions and other outreach activities. The cohort also led or supported 26 wildlife crime cases (6 closed and 20 ongoing).
Participant shared her CWT change project, Ha Noi, September 2024
At the workshop, participants reported that participation in the WCLI-2 has made positive changes in their professional and leadership ability to CWT. Lessons learned and recommendations for improving future WCLI programs were discussed, including the balance of self-taught vs. in-class sessions, species identification training and practical exercises. These suggestions will be used for adjusting and improving content of the thematic courses and designing the next phase of WCLI for prosecutors.
The workshop was organized within the framework of “The wildlife crime leadership initiative for prosecutors in Viet Nam” funded by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), United States Department of State.