Ninh Binh, September 27, 2024, Wildlife Conservation Society, Viet Nam Office (WCS Viet Nam) in collaboration with the Banking Academy of Viet Nam (BAV) organized the workshop on “Preventing and combating illegal wildlife trade using e-commerce platforms and digital payments”.
Participants attended the workshops, Ninh Bình, September 2024
About 50 participants who are representatives of the state management and law enforcement agencies on wildlife protection, management authorities on e-commerce and digital payments, commercial banks and non-bank financial service providers, and relevant faculties of the BAV and University of Law - Viet Nam National University, attended the workshop.
According to recent studies of WCS and other wildlife conservation organizations, the diversity of e-commerce business models and the convenience of digital payments in Viet Nam have negatively contributed to an increase in illegal wildlife trade (IWT) activities, especially online trading since the COVID-19. Therefore, the workshop was organized to raise awareness among state management and law enforcement agencies, e-commerce and digital payment service providers of the suspicious transactions related to IWT; and propose solutions to promote inter-agency cooperation among stakeholders in preventing and combating online IWT.
At the workshop, participants were updated on the IWT situation in Viet Nam from 2018 to 2023, together with detailed information on the methods and modus operandi used by criminals on e-commerce platforms and digital payment channels. A representative from the Anti-Money Laundering Department of the State Bank presented a summary of the National Risk Assessment Report on Money Laundering for the period of 2018-2022, emphasizing the risks of money laundering in environmental crimes and identifying suspicious transactions related to IWT using e-banking services. Participants then discussed the Vietnamese government’s efforts to develop and improve the legal framework for management of e-commerce and digital transactions, and handling relevant violations, including the online illegal trading and advertising of wildlife. Representatives of the Ministry of Information and Communications, and the Department of E-Commerce and Digital Economy - Ministry of Industry and Trade, shared their practical insights on managing and handling violations related to illegal advertising and trading of wildlife on e-commerce and social media platforms, highlighting challenges such as limited knowledge and information on wildlife protection, the shortage of staff, inadequate and inconsistent awareness and participation of e-commerce and digital payment service providers in preventing and combating IWT.
During the panel discussion and presentations, experts, guest speakers and participants also discussed the role and practices of e-commerce and social media platforms, commercial banks, and non-bank financial service providers in monitoring and identifying suspicious transactions related to IWT. Especially, the development and implementation of a mechanism for sharing information between service providers; reporting violations to relevant state management agencies such as the State Bank, the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as coordinating with law enforcement and judicial agencies such as forest rangers, tax authorities, customs, market surveillance, police, and prosecutors, was proposed as effective solutions to enhance coordination between law enforcement agencies and relevant parties in detecting, handling, and preventing wildlife-related violations using e-commerce platforms and digital payments. WCS Viet Nam acknowledged the suggestions and will include them in future cooperation plans with relevant partners.
Participants discussed on the role of online payment service providers in CWT, Ninh Binh, September 2024
The workshop was conducted within the framework of the project “Scaling up efforts to counter wildlife trafficking in Viet Nam funded by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), United States Department of State.