The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has said it will support efforts to fight against poaching as well as illegal sale of Africa's wildlife products.

The announcement was made by UNDP resident representative in the Republic of Congo Anthony Ohemeng-Boamah who was speaking on Monday during an international conference organized in Brazzaville to discuss the illegal exploitation and illicit sale of Africa's wildlife products.

"We hail the leadership taken today by the Republic of Congo to organize this conference which will enable us to have tangible results. We shall work together in the coming days to draft an African strategy," Ohemeng-Boamah promised.

"Our strategy, to be approved by the African Union, will guide and support efforts undertaken at the continental and national levels by states to fight against poaching and illegal sale of wildlife products in the short term and long term," he said.

Ohemeng-Boamah said the United Nations will use international instruments to eradicate the phenomenon, especially the UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crime and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

He pointed out the importance of collaboration between countries affected by the phenomenon of poaching and illegal sale of wildlife products.

The conference which was organized by the Congolese government and the African Union Commission, in partnership with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and UNDP, is expected to come up with a joint roadmap for stopping poaching and illegal sale of wildlife products on the African continent.

At the same time, statistics released by UNEP showed that 25, 000 elephants were killed and 23,000 tons of ivory seized in 2011, while 146 rhinoceros were killed in Africa in 2013. Endit

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