United Nations, Jul 24 (IANS): The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution on tackling illicit trafficking of wildlife.

The resolution, adopted on Friday, recognises the economic, social and environmental impacts of illicit trafficking in wildlife, and emphasises the importance of effective international cooperation among member states, relevant multilateral environmental agreements and international organisations, reports Xinhua news agency.

It urges member states to reinforce their efforts and adopt effective measures to prevent and counter the serious problem of crimes that have an impact on the environment, conservation and biodiversity, such as illicit trafficking in wildlife and wildlife products.

The resolution urges member states to take decisive steps at the national level to prevent, combat and eradicate the illegal trade in wildlife, on the supply, transit and demand sides, including by strengthening their legislation and regulations.

It strongly encourages member states to cooperate at the bilateral, regional and international levels to prevent, combat and eradicate international illicit trafficking in wildlife and wildlife products.

It encourages member states to enhance cooperation for the timely and cost-efficient repatriation of live illegally traded wildlife, and to enhance information-sharing among national and international authorities on the seizure of illegally traded wildlife and wildlife products in order to facilitate follow-up investigation and prosecution.