Highlights and images for 1 December 2017

Switzerland

Summary


CITES

On Friday, the sixty-ninth meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES SC69) convened for its final day in snowy Geneva. In the morning, delegates caught up on outstanding agenda items, and considered in-session documents in the afternoon.

National Ivory Action Plans (NIAPs), pangolins and timber species from Madagascar stirred lengthy discussions. Kuwait requested the deferral of a decision on the NIAP process for Qatar until SC70, but despite having presented an information document on its efforts, the Standing Committee (SC) nonetheless requested it continue in the NIAP process. The discussion on pangolins focused on issues related to the treatment of specimens, including stockpiles, obtained by parties prior to their listing in Appendix I. A recommendation that all pangolin specimens, regardless of the timing of their acquisition, be regulated as Appendix I specimens in accordance with Article III of the Convention until further consideration by CoP18, led to the entire report being put to a vote. The recommendation was adopted by a majority decision of the SC, with China, Russian Federation and Kuwait voting against the proposal. On timber, the SC agreed to maintain the recommendation for parties not to accept exports or re-exports for commercial purposes from Madagascar of specimens of Diospyros spp. and Dalbergia spp.

SC69 was gaveled to a close at 6:20 pm, with delegates giving SC Chair Carolina Caceres a standing ovation and praising her “steely resolve” as well as the hard work of the CITES Secretariat.

IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, and a summary and analysis report from the 69th Meeting of the CITES Standing Committee. The summary and analysis is available in HTML and PDF.

Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth
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Morning Plenary

John Scanlon, Secretary-General, CITES, on the dais during morning plenary

Carolina Caceres, Standing Committee (SC) Chair, Canada

Yap Him Hoo, Singapore

Sai-ping Kwan, China

Claudio Juli Lepe, Chile

José Funes, Mexico

João Loureiro, Portugal

Claude Schenker, Switzerland

Julia Phillips, Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)

Julie Sherman, Wildlife Justice Commission

Ben Janse van Rensburg, CITES Secretariat

Debabrata Swain, India

Ali Laouel Abbagana, Niger

Matt Collis, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)

Mpho Tjiane, South Africa

Josephine Crouch, Youth for Wildlife

Avinash Basker, Global Tiger Forum (GTF)

Afternoon Plenary

Family photo of the CITES Secretariat

Øystein Størkersen, Norway, Chair of the Finance and Budget Subcommittee (FBSC)

Rod Hay, New Zealand

Gaël De Rotalier, EU

Elly Hamunyela, Namibia

Sofie Flensborg, CITES Secretariat

Shereefa Al-Salem, Kuwait

Ana Silvia Morales, Guatemala

Members of the SC vote to adopt the entire set of recommendations included in the report of the Pangolin in-session Working Group

Madangah Ngamgassou, Chad

Bandar Ibrahim Al-Faleh, Saudi Arabia

Anton Mezhnev, Russian Federation

Bill Clark, Israel

Sheldon Jordan, Canada

Bénédicte Johanita Ndahimananjara, Minister of Environment, Ecology and Forests, Madagascar

Aurélie Flore Koumba Pambo, Gabon

Delegates from India present a gift to Carolina Caceres, Standing Committee (SC) Chair, Canada, and
John Scanlon, Secretary-General, CITES, in thanks for their hard work over the week

Carolina Caceres, Standing Committee (SC) Chair, Canada, gavels the meeting to a close

Around the Venue

Jonathan Barzdo, Deputy Secretary General, Ramsar Convention

Delegates from Indonesia

Delegates from Madagascar

Delegates from Spain

Delegates from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Delegates from the EU

Delegates from Kenya

Delegates from Mozambique and Mexico

Delegates from South Africa

Delegates between sessions

John Scanlon, Secretary-General, CITES, with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) team covering CITES SC69: Kate Neville, Canada, Kate Harris, Canada, Tanya Rosen, Italy/US, and Kiara Worth, South Africa

First snowfall of the year in Geneva

Participants

Negotiating blocs
European Union
Non-state coalitions
Youth