Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the contribution made by trade in illegal ivory to the financing of international terrorism.

​The UK Government has not seen conclusive evidence of a direct, significant link between the trade in illegal ivory and the financing of international terrorism. Recent research by the Royal United Services Institute tends to disputes previous claims that ivory is a major source of finance for global terrorist networks such as Al Shabab. This research suggests instead that organised crime and widespread corruption are a greater threat to endangered wildlife. The Government will continue to monitor reporting on the issue. Global terrorism and the illegal ivory trade are issues of serious concern to the UK Government and tackling both is a priority.