DHAKA, Oct. 26  -- High-level delegations from South Asia met here on Wednesday to further promote and enhance collaboration with regional and international organizations to combat wildlife crimes.

The Bangladesh Ministry of Environment and Forests organized the 3rd meeting of South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) with the assistance of the World Bank's Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Wildlife Protection project.

Apart from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, representatives from a large number of local and foreign organizations including CITES, Interpol, GTF, TRAFFIC India, UNODC, WWF, World Bank, USAID and GIZ also attended the two-day meeting.

Minister of Environment and Forest Anowar Hossain Manju inaugurated the meeting of SAWEN, an intergovernmental wildlife law enforcement support body of eight South Asian countries represented by Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

SAWEN was launched in 2011 during the second meeting of the South Asian Experts group on illegal wildlife trade in Bhutan.

The first and second meetings were organized in Sri Lanka in June 2012 and Neptal in August in 2014 respectively.