Summary
Participants to the 70th meeting of the Standing Committee (SC) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) reconvened for a fourth long day of discussions. In the morning, the CITES Secretariat welcomed progress made by several countries in harmonizing national legislation with the Convention. She noted that Angola, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Mauritania, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan have reported progress on legislation under the National Legislation Project review. She also highlighted that Mongolia, Botswana, and Kazakhstan, originally in the list of countries that have not reported any legislative progress, have taken steps to remedy the situation. Uzbekistan welcomed the support of the Secretariat and noted that the new legislation will be ready by the end of 2018. Two countries, Ecuador and Comoros, have not shown progress on legislation and the Secretariat stated there will be a suspension in commercial trade after 60 days. The Secretariat also noted that several countries have failed to submit national reports for consecutive years and could be subject to commercial trade suspensions if the submission deadline of Oct. 31, 2018 is not met.On trade in live elephants, the SC requested the Secretariat to consult with parties whose elephants are listed in Appendix II and have exported live elephants to non-elephant range states and to seek information on how importing states made their determination on suitable housing and care. The SC also discussed:
- enforcement issues;
- illegal trade in cheetah;
- sturgeons and paddlefish;
- humphead wrasse; and
- sharks and rays.
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and a summary and analysis report from the 70th Meeting of the CITES Standing Committee.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth
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Morning Session
Afternoon Session
Evening Session
Around the Venue
Delegates between sessions
Delegates speak informally