16 U.S.C. § 7631 — Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Traf-

Page 2702 TITLE 16—CONSERVATION § 7621 1 So in original. Probably should be followed by a period. SUBCHAPTER II—REPORT ON MAJOR WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING COUNTRIES § 7621. Report (a) Report Not later than one year after October 7, 2016, and biennially thereafter by June 1 of each year in which a report is required, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce, shall submit to Congress a report that lists each country determined by the Secretary of State to be a focus country within the meaning of this chapter. (b) Special designation In each report required under subsection (a), the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce, shall also list each country deter- mined by the Secretary of State to be a country of concern within the meaning of this chapter 1 (c) Procedure for removing countries from list Concurrently with the first report required under this section and submitted after Decem- ber 23, 2022, the Secretary of State, in consulta- tion with the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce, shall publish in the Federal Register a procedure for removing from the list described in subsection (b) any country that no longer meets the definition of country of concern under section 7601(4) of this title. (d) Sunset This section shall cease to have force or effect on September 30, 2028. (Pub. L. 114–231, title II, § 201, Oct. 7, 2016, 130 Stat. 952; Pub. L. 117–263, div. E, title LIX, § 5943(c)(1), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 3470.) TERMINATION OF SECTION For termination of section on Sept. 30, 2028, see subsec. (d) of this section. Editorial Notes REFERENCES IN TEXT This chapter, referred to in subsecs. (a) and (b), was in the original ‘‘this Act’’, meaning Pub. L. 114–231, Oct. 7, 2016, 130 Stat. 949, known as the Eliminate, Neu- tralize, and Disrupt Wildlife Trafficking Act of 2016, which is classified principally to this chapter. For com- plete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note under section 7601 of this title and Tables. AMENDMENTS 2022—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 117–263, § 5943(c)(1)(A), sub- stituted ‘‘biennially thereafter by June 1 of each year in which a report is required’’ for ‘‘annually there- after’’. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 117–263, § 5943(c)(1)(B), substituted ‘‘shall also list each country determined by the Sec- retary of State to be a country of concern within the meaning of this chapter’’ for ‘‘shall identify each coun- try of concern listed in the report the government of which has actively engaged in or knowingly profited from the trafficking of endangered or threatened spe- cies.’’ Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 117–263, § 5943(c)(1)(C), added subsecs. (c) and (d) and struck out former subsec. (c). Prior to amendment, text of subsec. (c) read as follows: ‘‘This section shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after October 7, 2016.’’ SUBCHAPTER III—FRAMEWORK FOR INTERAGENCY RESPONSE § 7631. Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Traf- ficking (a) Responsibilities In addition to the functions required by Exec- utive Order 13648 (78 Fed. Reg. 40621), the Task Force shall be informed by the Secretary of State’s annual report required under section 7621 of this title and considering all available infor- mation, ensure that relevant United States Gov- ernment agencies— (1) collaborate, to the greatest extent prac- ticable, with the national wildlife services, or other relevant bodies of each focus country to prepare, not later than 90 days after the date of submission of the report required under sec- tion 7621(a) of this title, a United States mis- sion assessment of the threats to wildlife in that focus country and an assessment of the capacity of that country to address wildlife trafficking; (2) collaborate, to the greatest extent prac- ticable, with relevant ministries, national wildlife services, or other relevant bodies of each focus country to prepare, not later than 180 days after preparation of the assessment referred to in paragraph (1), a United States mission strategic plan that includes rec- ommendations for addressing wildlife traf- ficking, taking into account any regional or national strategies for addressing wildlife traf- ficking in a focus country developed before the preparation of such assessment; (3) coordinate efforts among United States Federal agencies and non-Federal partners, in- cluding missions, domestic and international organizations, the private sector, and other global partners, to implement the strategic plans required by paragraph (2) in each focus country; (4) not less frequently than annually, con- sult and coordinate with stakeholders quali- fied to provide advice, assistance, and infor- mation regarding effective support for anti- poaching activities, coordination of regional law enforcement efforts, development of and support for effective legal enforcement mecha- nisms, and development of strategies to reduce illicit trade and reduce consumer demand for illegally traded wildlife and wildlife products, and other relevant topics under this chapter; (5) pursue programs and develop a strategy— (A) to expand the role of technology for anti-poaching and anti-trafficking efforts, in partnership with the private sector, foreign governments, academia, and nongovern- mental organizations (including technology companies and the transportation and logis- tics sectors); and (B) to enable local governments to develop and use such technologies; (6) consider programs and initiatives that address the expansion of the illegal wildlife trade to digital platforms, including the use of Page 2703 TITLE 16—CONSERVATION § 7641 1 So in original. Probably should be followed by a period. digital currency and payment platforms for transactions by collaborating with the private sector, academia, and nongovernmental orga- nizations, including social media, e-commerce, and search engine companies, as appropriate; (7)(A) implement interventions to address the drivers of poaching, trafficking, and de- mand for illegal wildlife and wildlife products in focus countries and countries of concern; (B) set benchmarks for measuring the effec- tiveness of such interventions; and (C) consider alignment and coordination with indicators developed by the Task Force; (8) consider additional opportunities to in- crease coordination between law enforcement and financial institutions to identify traf- ficking activity; and (9) coordinate or carry out other functions as are necessary to implement this chapter. (b) Duplication and efficiency The Task Force shall— (1) ensure that the activities of the Federal agencies involved in carrying out efforts under this chapter are coordinated and not dupli- cated; and (2) encourage efficiencies and coordination among the efforts of Federal agencies and interagency initiatives ongoing as of October 7, 2016, to address trafficking activities, in- cluding trafficking of wildlife, humans, weap- ons, and narcotics, illegal trade, transnational organized crime, or other illegal activities. (c) Consistency with agency responsibilities The Task Force shall carry out its responsibil- ities under this chapter in a manner consistent with the authorities and responsibilities of agencies represented on the Task Force. (d) Task Force strategic review One year after October 7, 2016, and biennially thereafter, the Task Force shall submit a stra- tegic assessment of its work and provide a brief- ing to the appropriate congressional committees that shall include— (1) a review and assessment of the Task Force’s implementation of this chapter, iden- tifying successes, failures, and gaps in its work, or that of agencies represented on the Task Force, including detailed descriptions of— (A) what approaches, initiatives, or pro- grams have succeeded best in increasing the willingness and capacity of focus countries to suppress and prevent illegal wildlife traf- ficking, and what approaches, initiatives, or programs have not succeeded as well as hoped; and (B) which foreign governments subject to subsections (a) and (b) of section 7621 of this title have proven to be the most successful partners in suppressing and preventing ille- gal wildlife trafficking, which focus coun- tries have not proven to be so, and what fac- tors contributed to these results in each country discussed; (2) a description of each Task Force member agency’s priorities and objectives for com- bating wildlife trafficking; (3) an account of total United States funding each year since fiscal year 2014 for all govern- ment agencies and programs involved in coun- tering poaching and wildlife trafficking; (4) an account of total United States funding since fiscal year 2014 to support the activities of the Task Force, including administrative overhead costs and congressional reporting; (5) recommendations for how to improve United States and international efforts to sup- press and prevent illegal wildlife trafficking in the future, based upon the Task Force’s expe- rience as of the time of the review; and (6) an analysis of the indicators developed by the Task Force, and recommended by the Gov- ernment Accountability Office, to track and measure inputs, outputs, law enforcement out- comes, and the market for wildlife products for each focus country listed in the report, in- cluding baseline measures, as appropriate, for each indicator in each focus country to deter- mine the effectiveness and appropriateness of such indicators to assess progress and whether additional or separate indicators, or adjust- ments to indicators, may be necessary for focus countries. (e) Termination of Task Force The statutory authorization for the Task Force provided by this chapter shall terminate on September 30, 2028 1 (Pub. L. 114–231, title III, § 301, Oct. 7, 2016, 130 Stat. 952; Pub. L. 117–263, div. E, title LIX, § 5943(c)(2), (3), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 3471.) Editorial Notes REFERENCES IN TEXT Executive Order 13648, referred to in subsec. (a), is Ex. Ord. No. 13648, July 1, 2013, 78 F.R. 40621, which is set out as a note under section 1531 of this title. This chapter, referred to in text, was in the original ‘‘this Act’’, meaning Pub. L. 114–231, Oct. 7, 2016, 130 Stat. 949, known as the Eliminate, Neutralize, and Dis- rupt Wildlife Trafficking Act of 2016, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note under sec- tion 7601 of this title and Tables. AMENDMENTS 2022—Subsec. (a)(5) to (9). Pub. L. 117–263, § 5943(c)(2), added pars. (5) to (8) and redesignated former par. (5) as (9). Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 117–263, § 5943(c)(3)(A)(i), sub- stituted ‘‘biennially’’ for ‘‘annually’’ in introductory provisions. Subsec. (d)(6). Pub. L. 117–263, § 5943(c)(3)(A)(ii)–(iv), added par. (6). Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 117–263, § 5943(c)(3)(B), substituted ‘‘on September 30, 2028’’ for ‘‘5 years after October 7, 2016, or such earlier date that the President terminates the Task Force by rescinding, superseding, or otherwise modifying relevant portions of Executive Order 13648.’’ SUBCHAPTER IV—PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS THE ESCALATING WILDLIFE TRAF- FICKING CRISIS § 7641. Anti-poaching programs (a) Wildlife law enforcement professional train- ing and coordination activities The Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International