1. Negotiations

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora – CITES

The 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is a response to concerns over-exploitation of wildlife through international trade contributes to the rapid decline of many species of plants and animals. CITES aims to ensure international trade of wild animal and plant species does not threaten their survival.

CITES parties are required to identify threatened species, establish rules regarding their trade, and impose trade sanctions against violators. CITES currently protects roughly 5,800 species of animals and 30,000 species of plants on three appendices. Appendix I lists species endangered due to international trade, permitting such trade only in exceptional circumstances. Appendix-II species may become endangered if their trade is not regulated, thus they require controls aimed at preventing unsustainable use and maintaining ecosystems. Appendix-III species are those subject to domestic regulation by a party requesting the cooperation of other parties to control international trade in these species.

Events

Showing 1 - 10 of 42 results

20th Meeting of the CITES Conference of the Parties (CITES CoP20)

Delegates worked through 114 agenda items, adopted 353 decisions, and reviewed 50 listing proposals, protecting 77 new species. The Kazakh population of saiga antelope, the South African bontebok, the Guadalupe fur seal, and Parlatore’s podocarp show encouraging population resurgence or improved conservation status.
Conference of the Parties (COP) 23 November 2025 - 5 December 2025

78th Meeting of the CITES Standing Committee

Delegates celebrated achievements, like the dramatic recovery of the saiga antelope. But their agenda with over 127 working documents across 87 agenda items containing more than 200 draft decisions could not be completed, illustrating a growing gap between the Convention’s workload and resources.
Event 3 February 2025 - 8 February 2025

77th Meeting of the CITES Standing Committee

Delegates faced with 77 agenda items, with over 101 related documents spanning some 2,700 pages, were unable to complete the entire agenda, but were able to make recommendations on 11 compliance cases, establishment of the CITES Global Youth Network, seizure reporting on big cats, monitoring elephant poaching, and stockpiling timber.
Event 6 November 2023 - 10 November 2023

19th Meeting of the CITES Conference of the Parties (CITES CoP19)

Delegates adopted 46 proposals to increase or decrease controls on international trade in wildlife and wildlife products, bringing many species of sharks, lizards, turtles, fish, birds, frogs, and plants under the Convention’s control to ensure the sustainability of these species in the wild while allowing their international trade.
Conference of the Parties (COP) 14 November 2022 - 25 November 2022

74th Meeting of the CITES Standing Committee

Delegates successfully completed a challenging agenda of 89 items, 117 documents, and 5,000 pages, encompassing issues from big cats conservation, to tree species, to fish, sharks and rays, marine turtles, seahorses, Tibetan antelopes, and saiga antelope, preparing the way for the next Conference of the Parties in Panama in November.
Event 7 March 2022 - 11 March 2022

73rd Meeting of the CITES Standing Committee

The CITES Standing Committee agreed to give input to the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, work on the African Carnivores Initiative, and conduct a risk analysis for future meetings amid the pandemic.
Event 5 May 2021 - 7 May 2021

18th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP18)

COP18 highlighted the increasing pressures on CITES as an instrument to counter the rising scale of biodiversity loss, as parties struggled to address stresses other than trade on wildlife populations, including habitat loss, disease outbreaks, and human-wildlife conflict. These are issues CITES is not designed to regulate but must consider when considering what “sustainable use” of endangered species means.
Conference of the Parties (COP) 17 August 2019 - 28 August 2019

70th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

The seventieth meeting of the Standing Committee (SC70) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) convened from 1-5 October 2018 in Sochi, Russian Federation. Over 700 participants from national governments, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations attended the meeting
Event 1 October 2018 - 5 October 2018