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54th Meeting of the CITES Standing Committee
2-6 October 2006 | Geneva, Switzerland

ENB Summary

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Highlights for Monday, 2 October 2006

The 54th meeting of the Standing Committee (SC-54) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) opened today in Geneva, Switzerland, and will continue until Friday, 6 October 2006. In the morning, delegates met in plenary to hear opening statements and address organizational matters, followed by the meeting of the Finance Subcommittee. In the afternoon, SC-54 addressed arrangements for the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-14) and the legal personality of the Convention and the Secretariat.
On Monday 2 October, the 54th meeting of the CITES Standing Committee (SC-54) opened in Geneva with record attendance of more than 300 delegates.
R-L: CITES Secretary-General Willem Wijnstekers and SC Chair Cristian Maquieira during the opening of SC-54. Secretary-General Wijnstekers outlined the Secretariat’s proposed costed work plan for 2009-2011, noting it seeks to address the Convention's financial constraints.
Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), delivered a message on behalf of UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, in which he stressed UNEP’s commitment to supporting CITES and its efforts to improve services to all biodiversity-related conventions.
Jonathan Bardzo, CITES Secretariat, discussed the COP-14 agenda, which was approved as amended with additional items on capacity building and livelihoods.
Reporting on financial matters, Marzena Jankowska, CITES Secretariat, highlighted substantial arrears in the CITES Trust Fund, with only 15 out of 52 parties settling their outstanding contributions, and suggested the SC consider appropriate forms of action to deal with non-payment.

Delegates further discussed whether several agenda items, including timber trade, should be considered in open or closed sessions, with Canada on behalf of NORTH AMERICA, ISRAEL, KENYA, and GERMANY favoring open discussions. CHINA, supported by JAPAN and opposed by the US, requested a closed session on enforcement matters, national laws for implementation of the Convention, and illegal trade in tigers. SC Chair Maquieira proposed informal consultations on this issue.

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