About Us

Safeguarding wildlife by combating illegal wildlife trade and preserving biodiversity for a sustainable future.

Lusaka Agreement Task Force is the Secretariat and Operational arm of an intergovernmental treaty known as Lusaka Agreement on Cooperative Enforcement Operations Directed at Illegal Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora in Africa. The treaty is a brainchild of Wildlife Law Enforcement Officers from eight Eastern and Southern African countries meeting in Lusaka, Zambia in December 1992, under the auspices of Zambia’s Ministry of Tourism and UNEP.

This was followed up with working group meetings involving CITES, Interpol and US Fish & Wildlife Service special agents, as well as London University lawyers of the Foundation for International Environment Law Development (FIELD). The development of this African initiative a year later led to formal inter-governmental negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). This led to the adoption of the Lusaka Agreement on Co-operative Enforcement Operations Directed at Illegal Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora on 8th September 1994 in Lusaka, Zambia. The Agreement is deposited with the Secretary General of the United Nations, New York and categorized as a UN Treaty (Environment) no. XXVII.11.

The Agreement came into force on 10th December 1996 with the ratification, or formal acceptance, by four signatories. Currently, there are Seven Parties to the Agreement: The Republics of Congo (Brazzaville), Kenya, Liberia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and the Kingdom of Lesotho. Republics of South Africa, Ethiopia and the Kingdom of Swaziland are signatories.

The Agreement provides for setting up of a permanent Task Force that would implement its objectives. Consequently, the Lusaka Agreement Task Force (Task Force) was launched on 1st June 1999, with its headquarters located in Nairobi, Kenya.

Vision Statement

A Task Force that is outstanding in reducing and ultimately eliminating illegal trade in wild fauna and flora in Africa.

Mission Statement

To support the member states and collaborating partners in reducing and ultimately eliminating illegal trade in wild fauna and flora through:

  • Facilitation of cooperative activities in undertaking law enforcement operations,
  • Investigations on violations of national wildlife laws,
  • Dissemination and exchange of information on illegal trade activities, and
  • Capacity building including promotion of awareness.

Functions

  • To facilitate cooperative activities among the National Bureaus in carrying out investigations pertaining to illegal trade;
  • To investigate violations of national laws pertaining to illegal trade, at the request of the National Bureaus or with the consent of the Parties concerned, and to present to them evidence gathered during such investigations;
  • To collect, process and disseminate information on activities that pertain to illegal trade, including establishing and maintaining databases;
  • To provide, upon request of the Parties concerned, available information related to the return to the country of original export, or country of re-export, of confiscated wild fauna and flora;
  • To perform such other functions as may be determined by the Governing Council.