Nationale Postcode Loterij Announces Groundbreaking Funding for The Sentry’s New Investigative Task Force on Illegal Logging

June 20, 2024 (Amsterdam and Washington, DC) – The Nationale Postcode Loterij has pledged a transformative grant of 1.194 million euros to The Sentry, marking a significant step forward in the fight against illegal logging. This substantial funding will empower The Sentry to launch a three-year investigative and policy project, targeting illicit operations that are devastating forests, fueling conflict, and funding kleptocracies.

John Prendergast, Co-Founder of The Sentry, said, “With this generous support from the Nationale Postcode Loterij, The Sentry will now deploy our full range of investigative techniques to target large scale illegal logging operations in regions of Africa and Asia where this criminal sector is a major driver of armed conflict, human rights abuses, species extinction, and environmental devastation. Our aim will be to disrupt and begin to dismantle these voracious and currently unfettered criminal and corrupt enterprises before it is too late.”

Jonne Arnoldussen, Managing Director of the Nationale Postcode Loterij, said: “Illegal logging is not only detrimental to the environment and nature, it also disrupts communities whose livelihoods depend on forests. We are pleased that, thanks to the participants of the Postcode Loterij, we can support The Sentry in its crucial work to disrupt and counter the criminal organisations involved in illegal logging, thereby protecting both people and nature.”

Charles Cater, Director of Investigations at The Sentry, said: “In a combination of weak governance and remorseless greed, war profiteers, kleptocrats, and transnational criminal networks are enriching themselves as they destroy the world’s forests. Not only do local communities suffer from chronic conflict, corruption, and human rights violations, but the impact of the environmental devastation has become nothing less than global in scale.”

The world’s forests are at grave risk from deforestation, endangering the ecosystems upon which the planet’s natural wealth and ability to cope with climate change depend. This challenge is particularly acute in East and Central Africa, as well as in Southeast Asia. The tropical forests of the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Myanmar are all in peril due to widespread illegal logging operations.

Illegal exploitation of land and timber resources can trigger, exacerbate, and finance conflict and contribute to corruption and human rights abuses. The disappearance of these vast natural resources also has devastating impacts for local communities dependent on forest resources, creating climate change refugees and increasing food insecurity.

Logging companies profiteering via billion-dollar gray and black markets are enabled by transnational networks and face little to no oversight as their profits fuel violent conflict and the corruption of government officials. According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), “Corruption is deeply embedded in the facilitation of illegal logging.” Research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has shown that timber extraction often has close links to arms trafficking, human rights violations, and environmental destruction.

For media inquiries or interview requests, please contact: Greg Hittelman, Director of Communications, gh@thesentry.org

About the Nationale Postcode Loterij

The Nationale Postcode Loterij was founded in 1989 to support charitable causes that strive for a just, healthy, and green world, where no one is left behind. The lottery raises funds for charity organisations and raises awareness about their work. Participants have a chance to win hundreds of thousands of prizes each month while supporting numerous nonprofit organisations with at least 40 percent of the ticket price annually. Since its inception, the Postcode Loterij has donated over €7.3 billion to benefit people and nature.

About The Sentry
(Short descriptor for press use: “The Sentry, an investigative organization that tracks corruption”)

The Sentry is an investigative and policy organization that seeks to disable multinational predatory networks that benefit from violent conflict, repression, and kleptocracy. Pull back the curtain on wars, mass atrocities, and other human rights abuses, and you’ll find grand corruption and unchecked greed. These tragedies persist because the perpetrators rarely face meaningful consequences. The Sentry aims to alter the warped incentive structures that continually undermine peace and good governance. Our investigations follow the money as it is laundered from war zones to financial centers around the world. We provide evidence and strategies for governments, banks, and law enforcement to hold the perpetrators and enablers of violence and corruption to account. These efforts provide new leverage for human rights, peace, and anti-corruption efforts. Learn more: www.TheSentry.org