Museveni in London for conference on illegal wildlife trade

President Yoweri Museveni arrived Wednesday in London for an international conference on illegal wildlife trade organised by the British government.

The conference is a follow up of the Giants Club Conservation and Tourism Investment Forum that was hosted by President Museveni in October last year.

The President was received at Luton Airport by Colonel Chris Sharwood-Smith the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire a representative of Her Majesty the Queen and the Uganda delegation led by the Uganda High Commissioner to Britain, Ambassador Julius Peter Moto and Brigadier Mathew Gureme the Defense Attaché.

Museveni will on Thursday present a call to action on illegal Wildlife trade at the conference being held at Battersea Evolution Conference Hall, Battersea Park, London. He will later hold a meeting with the Duke of Cambridge Prince William at Buckingham Palace and attend a dinner hosted by the Giants Club.

The illegal wildlife trade is an urgent global issue, threatening some of the world's most iconic species with extinction, damaging sustainable economic growth and the livelihoods of vulnerable people in rural communities.

According to reports, it is worth up to £17 billion per year and is the fourth most lucrative transnational crime after drugs, weapons and human trafficking.

The 2018 London conference will be an opportunity for global leaders to build on previous efforts, address the underlying issues that facilitate illegal wildlife trade, and make steps to tackle this criminal trade.

In 2017, Museveni successfully hosted the first ever Giant Club Conservation and Tourism Investment Forum that attracted major global investors focused on responsible tourism and investment.

The Giants Club is an initiative of non-governmental organization Space for Giants. Its founding members include Presidents of Uganda, Kenya, Gabon and Botswana and it works to unite political leaders with enlightened businesses, conservationists and philanthropists in order to protect Africa's remaining wildernesses.