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G20 Summits • 2025 Johannesburg Summit | Road to the 2025 Johannesburg Summit
G20 Environment Meetings

Cape Town Ministerial Declaration on Crimes that Affect the Environment

Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group
Published October 22, 2025
[pdf]

We, the Ministers of Environment and Climate of the G20 Members and Invited Countries, met in Cape Town, South Africa on the 16th and 17th October 2025, and adopted the following Cape Town Ministerial Declaration on Crimes that Affect the Environment.

We recognize the serious threat posed by the following illegal activities: illicit trafficking in wildlife, including, inter alia, flora and fauna, in timber and timber products, in hazardous wastes and in precious metals, stones and other minerals, as well as poaching, and the illegal movement and disposal of waste and hazardous substances which are addressed under relevant MEAs such as CITES. We note that these illegal activities are closely interlinked with other crimes, including illicit financial flows. We underscore that actions on these illegal activities can serve as a lever for progress on a wider set of G20 objectives.
We recognize the urgent need to strengthen national responses to address crimes that affect the environment. We call on all countries to respect national legislation on crimes that affect the environment and put in place measures to prevent the entry of natural resources sourced illegally elsewhere.
We welcome the South African Presidency’s initiative to convene a series of technical workshops and expert meetings on topics referred to in paragraph 2.1[1] building on the 2017 G20 High-Level Principles on Combating Corruption Related to Illegal Trade in Wildlife and Wildlife Products, and to report back on the outcomes such exchanges in 24 months.

Note

[1] Cape Town Expert Meetings on Crimes that affect the Environment ↩

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Source: Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, South Africa

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This page was last updated October 24, 2025