Highlights and images for 27 November 2025

On Thursday, participants at the twentieth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP20) continued species-related discussions in both Committees I and II. 

Committee I, chaired by Mathias Lörtscher (Switzerland), engaged in contentious discussions on eels (Anguilla spp.) and the oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus). Committee II, chaired by Anna Wong (Singapore), dealt mainly with elephant-related agenda items, including the implementation of the priority recommendations from the review of the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) Programme.

Want to dig deeper into today's talks? Read the full Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.

In Committee I, parties considered proposals to amend the CITES Appendices. Highlights from the morning and afternoon session include:

• Chile proposing to include the Chilean palm (Jubaea chilensis) in Appendix I;
• Parties agreeing on a resolution to promote the cooperation on trade, management, and conservation of eels (Anguilla spp.); and
• Parties adopting a proposal to transfer the Oceanic whitetip shark from Appendix II to Appendix I.

In Committee II, parties discussed matters related to elephant trade and conservation, compliance matters, and legal acquisition findings. During the sessions:

• Delegates discussed funding for the Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) and ETIS programmes;
• Burkina Faso introduced co-authored draft decisions on closure of domestic ivory markets; 
• Parties formed a drafting group of African elephant range states to consider mechanisms for sustainable management of elephants and ivory stockpiles; and
• Participants discussed amendments to the Guidelines to the National Ivory Action Plan.

Throughout the day, delegates continued to meet in different working groups, including on: 

• listing brazilwood (Paubrasilia echinata) in Appendix II; 
• considering the proposed amendments to the ETIS Report; and 
• Convention finances and budget.

Participants also attended various side events on striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) conservation, hunting trophy policies, and CITES e-learning tools, among others.