His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, and His Excellency Major General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, signed the MoU between the Ministry and Dubai Police. His Excellency Sultan Alwan, Assistant Undersecretary of the Regions Sector at MOCCAE, signed the MoUs with TRA, represented by His Excellency Engineer Majed Sultan Al Mesmar, Deputy Director General, and with DM, represented by Ahmed Abdulkarim Ahli, Assistant Director General for General Support.

His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi said: “MOCCAE has undertaken a series of measures to combat illegal wildlife trade at the federal level. Affirming the commitment of the signatories to pursuing common interests, the MoUs aim to facilitate the enforcement of Federal Law No. (11) of 2002 concerning regulating and controlling the international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora. Furthermore, they seek to help the concerned authorities avoid duplicating efforts in the implementation of laws, rules and regulations as well as the inspection of the relevant facilities.”

The MoUs optimize the utilization of resources through the integration of work systems and procedures among the signatory organizations. The parties will cooperate in the development of unified standards and control mechanisms in the field of supervision and inspection, exchange relevant information and introduce joint annual targets for combating illegal wildlife trade at the national level.

Under the terms of the Dubai Police MoU, MOCCAE will report suspected traders in endangered species to Dubai Police. The police shall take the necessary legal action in accordance with Federal Law No. (11) of 2002, including launching investigations into the illegal activities and reporting the locations of endangered animals to the Ministry.  

His Excellency Major General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, praised the great partnership and cooperation with the Ministry of Climate Change and the Environment and all concerned departments and institutions concerned with environmental affairs in preserving wildlife and environmental balance. He pointed out that Dubai Police is always committed to its security and environmental role and implementing domestic and international policies for the protection of endangered plants and animals and combating any activity contrary to the principles of preservation of these species.

Al Marri added that Dubai Police is keen to cooperate with its partners, especially the Ministry of Climate Change and the Environment, in enforcing Federal Law No. (11) of 2002 on the regulation and control of the international trade in endangered animals and plants and the implementation of the provisions of the CITES Convention. He pointed out that the Dubai Police is working to prevent illegal trade of endangered plants and animals and is cracking down on violators and handing over confiscated plants and animals to MOCCAE and the specialized authorities to take the necessary action.

Under the mandate of the DM MoU, MOCCAE will supply the Municipality with data on endangered, dangerous and wild animals, including the specifics of their upkeep, that can help identify suspected dealers and uncover the locations of the animals. In cases of seizure, DM will assume the responsibility for media coordination with guidance from the Ministry. The two parties will coordinate on the next steps in dealing with the animals rescued from illegal trade.

Ahmed Abdulkarim Ahli, Assistant General Manager, Public Support Sector, Dubai Municipality, said: "The Dubai Municipality is one of the first local authorities to join the CITES Convention and has committed itself to the implementation of its provisions. Dubai Municipality has always been keen to reduce this illegal trade and decrease the violations, based on the Federal Law No. (11) for the year 2002 on the regulation and control of this trade."

He pointed out that DM is preventing violations birds, ornamental fish and pet shops in Dubai, in addition to shops selling antiques and gifts, as well as monitoring the events associated with the activities of the Dubai Shopping Festival. He stressed that DM is working to raise awareness of the importance of protecting endangered wildlife and urging the public to stop purchasing products made from them and to call the toll-free number 800900, which operates 24 hours a day to report such violations.

Through the communication officers, MOCCAE and Dubai Municipality will collect statistics on the violations and run periodic public awareness campaigns on illegal wildlife trade. In addition, the Ministry will support DM with capacity building to assist the concerned parties in implementing the provisions of the MoU.

In line with the TRA MoU, MOCCAE will provide TRA with the details of persons selling endangered species on social media. The Authority will coordinate with the respective social media platforms to delete posts related to illegal animal trade and poaching activities. The concerned parties shall also exchange expertise and best practices in the tracking of illegal animal traders online.

His Excellency Engineer Majed Sultan Al Mismar, Deputy Director General of TRA, said: "We emphasize the importance of cooperation and coordination of efforts with various government agencies on issues of mutual interest, including monitoring the trade in endangered animals. Social media platforms are widely used in the UAE, and we are working to ensure that they don’t turn into platforms for illegal trade in such products, and we are counting on the awareness of the public and the efforts of our partners in the public and private sectors. We will work in coordination with our partners in this MoU to ensure that all electronic business processes and activities are in line with the laws, policies and legislation in force in the UAE. Hence, I would like to commend this important initiative and the efforts and role of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and the participating authorities and their commitment towards issues of public interest."

The MoUs will be effective from the date of their signature and shall remain in force for one calendar year and automatically be renewed for similar periods unless any of the parties indicate otherwise by written notice thirty days before the date on which they wish to terminate this MoU.