European Union

CITES CoP17 Committees quickly moved through many agenda issues. Committee I agreed to list several species under Appendix I, including all pangolin species. The African lion proposal was deferred to a working group. Committee II agreed to the first dedicated decision on fighting wildlife cybercrime as well as a resolution to combating corruption. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report in English and French from CITES CoP17. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Committee I View of the dais during Committee I Kim Friedman, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Karen Gaynor, Chair, Committee I Teona Karchava, Georgia Nicolas Roncagliolo, Peru Simon Stuart, IUCN Anton Mezhnev, Russian Federation Felipe Alencar Da Costa, Brazil Vanesa Tossenberger, Argentina Antonita Mollo Vino, Bolivia Rodrigo Medellin, Mexico Boundjouw Sama, Togo M. Bella Diallo, Guinea Albertina Nzuzi, Angola Margaret Mwakima, Kenya Byoungyoon Lee, Republic of Korea Ted Reilly, Swaziland Committee II Participants during Committee II Juan Carlos Vasquez, CITES Legal Affairs and Compliance Jonathan Barzdo, Chair, Committee II Sonja Meintjes, South Africa Stephen Mwansa, Zambia Bruno Mainini, Switzerland Iris Ho, Humane Society International Zhang Shanning, China Louisa Mupetami, Namibia Daven Joseph, Antigua and Barbuda Lawrence Chidi Anukam, Nigeria Paul Murphy, Australia Jürgen Friedrich, EU Bruce Weissgold, US Arthur Musakwa, Zimbabwe Melvin James, Saint Kitts and Nevis Fernando Beltrán, Chile Grace Ge Gabriel, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Around the Venue Delegates speak informally before the start of plenary Members of the Secretariat John Scanlon, Secretary-General, CITES, conducts an interview with media Press conference held with Edna Molewa, Minister of Environmental Affairs, South Africa; Pohamba Shifeta, Minister of Environment and Tourism, Namibia; Oppah Chamu Muchinguri, Minister of Environment, Water and Climate, Zimbabwe; and Stephen Mwansa, Ministry of Tourism and Arts, Zambia Jonathan Barzdo, Chair, Committee II, speaks with a delegate from the EU Representatives from the Conservation Alliance for Kenya prepare for an interview with the media Students, lecturers and participants of the CITES Master Course gather to give thanks to former CITES Plants Committee Chair Margarita Clemente Muñoz Edna Molewa, Minister of Environmental Affairs, South Africa, speaks with Tasha Goldberg and Bo-Alex Fredvik, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Delegates from Mexico A remote controlled pangolin leaves the negotiating rooms Delegates between sessions Conference staff around the venue

CITES CoP17 met throughout the day in Committees. Committee I addressed marine species issues, including sharks and rays, totoaba, queen conch, as well as ebonies, rosewoods and agarwoods. Meanwhile Committee II discussed a wide range of elephant-related agenda items. While many issues, like the closure of domestic ivory markets, were deferred to a working group, others, like the motions to either adopt or continue discussing a Decision-Making Mechanism for a process of trade in ivory were struck down during voting. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report in English and French from CITES CoP17. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Committee I View of the dais during Committee I Karen Gaynor, Chair, Committee I Wu Zhongze, China Antonio Palma Inostroza, Chile Jürgen Friedrich, EU Aisake Batibasaga, Fiji Abba Sonko, Senegal Atelaite Matoto, Tonga Moustafa Fouda, Egypt Hugh Robertson, CITES Animals Committee Ilham Atho Mohamed, the Maldives Bénédicte Jahanita Ndahimananjary, Madagascar Vanessa Dick, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Mathias Lörtscher, Switzerland Anne St. John, US Gianni Ruta, World Bank Susanne Breitkopf, Environmental Investigation Agency Committee II View of the dais during Committee II Patrick Omondi, Kenya Jonathan Barzdo, Chair, Committee II Delegates during the session Sarath Wimalabandara Kotagama, Sri Lanka Lejo van der Heiden, EU Pohamba Shifeta, Minister of Environment and Tourism, Namibia  Tom Milliken, TRAFFIC Antonio Manila, the Philippines Nozipho Mxakato-Diseko, South Africa He Jingxin, China Yap Him Hoo, Singapore Ahmed Esmaeil Al Hashmi, UAE Delegates vote for the adoption of a resolution Øystein Størkersen, Chair, Standing Committee Sévérin Nsia, Benin Craig Hoover, US Oppah Chamu Muchinguri, Minister of Environment, Water and Climate, Zimbabwe Delegates during the session Around the Venue Delegates enter the venue for the third day of negotiations Delegates discuss issues relating to Committee II Delegates from Finland Delegates between sessions A delegate reads the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) website Delegates from the EU Around the exhibition area

CITES CoP17 reconvened Sunday afternoon. After resolving the stalemate on the Rules of Procedure, participants split into two Committees to continue deliberations. Committee I addressed corals and eel, among other topics, while Committee II discussed budget issues, in particular how the Secretariat might meet the demands of the increasing interest and participation in CITES. Working groups met late into the evening, including a closed Asia group on National Ivory Action Plans and the Elephant Trade Information System and a trilateral meeting with Japan, China and the US on coral. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report in English and French from CITES CoP17. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Main Plenary View of the dais during plenary CoP Chair Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, South Africa John Scanlon, Secretary-General, CITES Øystein Størkersen, Chair, Standing Committee Wendy Jackson, New Zealand Sabri Zain, TRAFFIC Isabel Camarena Osorno, Mexico Clarissa Nina, Brazil Josef Schmuck, Documentation Center for Species Protection Maheshwar Dhakal, Nepal Hiroyuki Nishiura, Japan Committee I Participants in Committee I Karen Gaynor, Chair, Committee I Hélène Perier, EU Mauro Gongora, Belize Pamela Scruggs, US Ali Laouel Abbagana, Niger Firdaus Agung, Indonesia Committee II View of the dais during Committee II Paul Murphy, Australia Susanne Bengtsson, CITES Secretariat Jonathan Barzdo, Chair, Committee II Bruce Weissgold, US Simon Nemtzov, Israel Mikhail Malkov, Russian Federation Around the Venue John Scanlon, Secretary-General, CITES, shares a moment with CoP Chair Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, South Africa Delegates from Kuwait Interviews are conducted throughout the day Delegates meet informally Delegates between sessions Around the exhibition venue

The seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP17) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) convened in the morning in Johannesburg, South Africa. South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma opened CoP17 and stated his country is taking action to address the illegal trade of wildlife as called for by the UN General Assembly and UN Environment Assembly. He stressed the importance of wildlife conservation to sustaining local communities and economic development through hunting and ecotourism. John Scanlon, CITES Secretary-General, welcomed Angola, Iraq, EU, Tajikistan and Tonga as new parties to CITES. In the afternoon, participants began tackling the long agenda, starting with the Rules of Procedure. Given ongoing disagreements, the CoP17 Chair proposed, and the CoP agreed, to establish an overnight working group to resolve the voting rights of a regional economic integration organization (REIO), and report back to Plenary on Sunday. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report in English and French from CITES CoP17. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Opening Ceremony Traditional drummers welcome delegates to the meeting Edna Molewa, Minister of Environmental Affairs, South Africa Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa Erik Solheim, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Øystein Størkersen, Chair, Standing Committee John Scanlon, Secretary-General, CITES South African dancers perform at the opening ceremony, welcoming delegates to the meeting Afternoon Plenary View of the dais during the afternoon session Øystein Størkersen, Chair, Standing Committee CoP Chair Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, South Africa Vladimir Ivlev, Russian Federation Zhihua Zhou, China Mauricio Escanero, Mexico Daniel Ashe, Director, US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Daniel Calleja, Director-General for the Environment, EU Edis Solórzano, Venezuela Simon Nemtzov, Israel Gerhard Adams, Germany Adrianne Sinclair, Acting Chair, CITES Plants Committee Carolina Caceres, Chairman, CITES Animals Committee Melanie Virtue, Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) Mathias Lörtscher, Switzerland Elizabeth Mrema, UNEP Martha Nomaele, Youth Delegate, South Africa Megan Reed, Youth Delegate, US Derek Hanekom, Minister of Tourism, South Africa Delegates during the session Civil Society Demonstration Members of civil society demonstrate outside the Sandton Convention Centre before the start of the meeting Around the Venue Delegates gather for the opening ceremony Delegates meet informally Elizabeth Mrema, UNEP, speaks with delegates Daniel Ashe (R), Director, USFWS, speaks with delegates Edna Molewa, Minister of Environmental Affairs, South Africa, speaks with the media Erik Solheim, UNEP Executive Director, speaks with the media Around the exhibition space