Lusaka Agreement Task Force

Lusaka Agreement Task Force is the Secretariat and Operational arm of an intergovernmental treaty known as Lusaka Agreement on Cooperative Enforcement Operations Directed at Illegal Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora in Africa. The treaty is a brainchild of Wildlife Law Enforcement Officers from eight Eastern and Southern African countries meeting in Lusaka, Zambia in December 1992, under the auspices of Zambia’s Ministry of Tourism and UNEP. The Agreement came into force on 10th December 1996 with the ratification, or formal acceptance, by four signatories. Currently, there are Seven Parties to the Agreement: The Republics of Congo (Brazzaville), Kenya, Liberia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and the Kingdom of Lesotho. Republics of South Africa, Ethiopia and the Kingdom of Swaziland are signatories. The Agreement provides for setting up of a permanent Task Force that would implement its objectives. Consequently, the Lusaka Agreement Task Force (Task Force) was launched on 1st June with its headquarters located in Nairobi, Kenya.