CITES welcomes the world’s environment ministers adding their voice to the concerted global efforts underway to combat illegal wildlife trade at the first UN Environment Assembly held in Nairobi in June. Over the past three years illegal wildlife trade has been rising to the top of the international agenda. From the UN Security Council to the World Heritage Committee, there is recognition at the highest political levels of the economic, social, environmental and security impacts of this high destructive criminal activity. The focus now has to be on the front line. This means even stronger law enforcement and demand-reduction efforts across multiple countries, to reverse the current dangerous trends. CITES decisions and compliance processes underpin the global effort. “Ultimately this fight will be won or lost on the front lines, whether in the field, the courtroom, or the market place – not in a conference room. We have had a lot of important high-level events over the past three years and we must now better focus our collective efforts on local, national and regional actions,” said John E. Scanlon, Secretary-General of CITES.

Within the UN system, UNEP is the global voice for the environment and it promotes the environmental dimension of sustainable development. The CITES Standing Committee (meeting 7 to 11 July in Geneva) will assess eight countries’ National Ivory Action Plans (China, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda and Viet Nam) and will discuss the next steps to stop illegal ivory trade, including whether additional countries should develop National Ivory Action Plans. The Committee will also consider the roll out of a wide range of enforcement-related decisions taken by CITES in March 2013 on other species being pressured by illegal trade, including rhinos, Asian big cats, rosewood, pangolins, freshwater turtles and tortoises, great apes, and snakes, as well as a study of the legal and illegal trade in wild cheetahs.

More Information: juan.vasquez@cites.org