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Paul Johnston

Ambassador to Ireland

Part of FCDO Outreach

3rd March 2014

World Wildlife Day

Late last year, the UN General Assembly decided to make March 3 World Wildlife Day.

On this day in 1973, the UN adopted the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, affirming the intrinsic value of wildlife and its various contributions including ecological, genetic, social, economic, scientific, educational, cultural, recreational and aesthetic, to sustainable development and human well-being.

For the UK, a particular focus has been the sharp increase in demand for illegal wildlife products. This has accelerated in the last decade. Rhino poaching has increased 5000% between 2007 and 2012, and since 2004 the Central Africa region has lost two-thirds of its elephant population. The Western Black Rhino was declared extinct last year.

That’s why my government took the initiative to convene world leaders from over forty countries for an Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference held in London last month.

Chaired by UK Foreign Secretary Hague and attended by the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, the conference sought to secure commitment by key states to take actions to help eradicate the demand for wildlife products, strengthen law enforcement and support the development of sustainable livelihoods for communities affected by wildlife crime.

Conference outcomes are summarised in the London Declaration.  As part of that leaders agreed to:

  • renounce the commercial international trade in elephant ivory until such time it is agreed that elephants are no longer threatened by poaching;
  • renounce the use of products from animals threatened with extinction; and
  • adopt legislation that made wildlife trafficking a “serious crime” in the context of the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime.

These countries, supported by 11 international organisations, made bold commitments in London.

I encourage you to show your support and send the unequivocal signal that the international community will not tolerate wildlife crime. Find out more through theWorldWildlifeDay Facebook page.

About Paul Johnston

Paul Johnston joined the UK Civil Service in 1990, working for the Ministry of Defence initially. He has served in Paris and New York and has also had a wide…

Paul Johnston joined the UK Civil Service in 1990, working for the Ministry of Defence initially.

He has served in Paris and New York and has also had a wide range of political and security roles in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. Paul joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1993 as Desk Officer for Bosnia. As part of this role he was also Private Secretary to EU negotiator Lord Owen and his representative on Bosnia Contact Group.

His first foreign posting was to Paris in 1995-99 as Second Secretary Political. He was Private Secretary to the Ambassador and latterly part of the UK delegation to the Kosovo Rambouillet negotiations. Then he returned to London as Head of the Kosovo Policy Team, leading work on post-conflict policy in the EU, NATO, UN and G8.

Before his second overseas posting to New York in 2005, Paul held a variety of other EU policy and security appointments in London, such as Head of European Defence Section between 2000-01 and Head of Security Policy Department between 2002-04.

As Head of the Political Section in UKMIS New York, he advised on major policy issues for the UK on the Security Council and the UN World Summit, including the UK EU Presidency in 2005.

Paul returned to London in 2008 as Director, International Security for the FCO. He was responsible for policy on UN, NATO, European Security, arms control and disarmament, human rights and good governance.

Paul was British Ambassador to Sweden from August 2011 to August 2015 and then was Deputy Permanent Representative to NATO.

He was UK Ambassador to the EU for Political and Security affairs from 2017 to January 2020 and became Ambassador to Ireland in September 2020.