Geneva, Switzerland, September 13, 2019 – The OISTE Foundation, the Zermatt Summit Foundation, Integral Petroleum, Philip Morris International, delegates from 46 different countries and Sucafina, signed the Anti-Illicit Trade Declaration launched at the 2018 Zermatt Summit, calling on the International Community to address all forms of Illicit Trade.
Illicit trade continues to pose a significant threat to the global economy, and we must globally address the commonality of illicit trade mechanisms to defend the mission to achieve the SDGs.
This declaration outlines the steps that need to be taken to stop Illicit Trade, which governments and private sector signatories agree needs to be treated as a serious crime.
“As a coffee industry, we take anti-illicit trade efforts very seriously. Almost all actors across the supply chain are involved in sustainability outreach yet challenges still remain. For smallholder farmers, the discussion must start with economic viability. Without allowing farmers to feed their families and send their children to school, we cannot have a serious dialogue about the additional social and environmental issues that are so pressing," said David Behrends, Managing Partner & Head of Trading at Sucafina.
"I am very pleased that Sucafina has joined such a respected, global group of entities across many industries. Shared know-how and best practices will allow us to leverage our efforts to tackle illicit-trade in an even more coordinated fashion,” he added.
Sucafina has recently affirmed its full support for the Swiss Government’s 2018 Guidance on implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights for the Commodity Trading Sector.
For more information, read WISeKey's press release in this regard.