Qatar Airways has reaffirmed its commitment to combat unlawful trafficking of animals and their products by extending participation in the USAID ROUTES (Reducing Opportunities for Unlawful Transport of Endangered Species) Partnership.
A few months back, Qatar Airways signed the historic Buckingham Palace Declaration, which commits the carrier to take concrete steps to end the supply routes used by wildlife traffickers to shift their goods. Following the ROUTES Partnership agreement, the airline then signed the first MOU in May of 2017. Qatar Airways first attained the IWT assessment certification in May 2019. This indicates that Qatar Airways has systems, personnel training, and reporting protocols in place that make it difficult to smuggle illicit animal items.
The Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) Assessment was developed by IATA and ROUTES, an international transportation association. Signatories to the United for Wildlife Buckingham Palace Declaration can show they have adopted all applicable Commitments by following the IWT IEnvA Standards and Recommended Practices (ESARPs).
Mr. “Illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade threatens our global biodiversity and the safety and wellbeing of those living in marginalised areas,” said Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker. We’re deploying new strategies to interrupt this illegal trade to conserve biodiversity and our fragile ecosystems. It doesn’t fly with us, and we will continue to emphasize our zero-tolerance approach to illegal wildlife trafficking. To better conserve the animals we love, we will continue to work with our stakeholders to enhance awareness and understanding of illicit wildlife operations.
