UN Geneva - Multimedia Newsroom : CITES Press conference: 20th World Wildlife Conference

Thank you very much and very warm welcome to all of you joining us in the person or online from different parts of the world for this press conference.

We're here today to provide your context on their 20s World Wildlife Conference or meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as Saitis COP 20.

My name is Christina Rodina de Carvalho and I'm the Chief of Outreach and Projects Unit and the Secretariat and I will be moderating the session today.

As many of you know, COP 20 will take place in summer camp Uzbekistan and less than in two weeks from November 24th to December 5th.

And the meeting will bring together scientists, parties and observe organisations from the world, the world to advance on our shared commitment to ensure that international trade and wild animals and plants is sustainable, legal and traceable.

I'm very pleased to be joined today by Secretary General of Scientists Madame Huguero Huguero, Chief of Science Unity Carroll and Chief of the Legal Units of Flansburg.

Before we dive into the context of the site is COP 20, we would like to watch the very short promotional video that will set the stage for for the event.

Wildlife is more than beauty.

It's nourishment, livelihoods, music, medicine and much more for both our physical and spiritual needs.

The heartbeat of healthy ecosystems.

Wild planted animals feed families and support jobs.

They nurture our spirits and sustain our cultures.

They keep our planet alive.

When nature is managed sustainably, it provides for us all.

Food on the table, income for communities, building materials, medicines, recreation.

Resilience for all life.

But for wildlife to truly thrive, trade must be sustainable, legal and traceable and never drive species towards extinction.

This year, the world's wildlife experts and decision makers come together for the 20th World Wildlife Conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

As one global community, no single nation can meet this challenge on its own.

That's why COP 20 is a milestone moment, bringing the world together to act, Celebrating 50 years of sites, securing a future where wildlife and communities thrive side by side.

What happens at COP 20 will set the course for wildlife trade and for our collective future.

This is our moment to act, bridging nature and people.

I would like now to invite Secretary General to take the floor and provide us with the context of for COP 20 and an overview of what to expect in summer camp.

Secretary General, the floor is yours.

Thank you so much, Christina, and thank you to all of you.

Good morning, members of the press, distinguished guests, my colleagues, colleagues both here in Geneva and joining us virtually from around the world.

It is really a great pleasure to welcome you to this press briefing about Sites COP 20, or what we call the 20th World Wildlife Conference that will be held in less than two weeks in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, under the slogan Sites at 50 in Samarkand, Bridging Nature and People.

For a bit of background, for those of you who are not that familiar with sites, the Sites Conference of the Parties convenes every three years and there are they take two weeks of discussion to be able to make decisions on a range of matters concerning wildlife, trade measures and species survival.

These meetings are usually hosted by one of our 185 parties, which includes A184 signatory states plus the European Union.

We are immensely grateful to the Republic of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, excuse me, for its leadership and its initiative and hosting the meeting.

COP 20 is really marking historical mark milestone as the first ever CITES COP in Central Asia.

This really reflect the region's growing engagement in global conservation efforts and Uzbekistan's growing engagement in conservation, wildlife trade and making sure that it is legal, sustainable and traceable.

We will meet at a time when parties have to address various global priorities when facing a number of challenges.

We are facing now a triple planetary crisis of biodiversity, loss of pollution and climate change.

We are right now in the week where they are meeting in Brazil to discuss climate, for example.

So these are really urgent matters that we are dealing with over these last years and this also includes an evolving financial landscape and you will hear a little bit more about that in in a minute.

But still the CITES mission remains vital, especially as critical as the situation is when we are talking about the conservation of wild fauna and flora.

Now, CITES regulates international trade in over 40,000 species of wild animals and plants.

This is sometimes surprising to many to know that so many are listed under sites.

It works to ensure that the trade in these species that are listed on the appendices is legal, sustainable and traceable.

And in doing so, the convention aims to help species to continue to exist in the wild, not only for this generation, but for future generations as well.

And as you know, many of the many of the wildlife trade, many of the species benefit us in many ways, for livelihoods, for health, for making, for industry, for economies.

And we have to make sure that, of course, the number of species that are in the wild will continue to maintain healthy ecosystems.

Other uses of the ascites, species of wild species of animals and plants, are used in food, in healthcare, in furniture, in housing, in tourist souvenirs, cosmetics, fashion and more.

And as CITES marks its 50th anniversary this year, it stands as one of the most powerful tools for Wildlife Conservation.

Now a little bit to tell you how it works under CITES again, for those who may not be so familiar, the species that are listed in Appendix One are threatened with extinction, and international commercial trade is generally prohibited.

But you might be surprised to know that those species in Appendix One are only three, 3% of those that are under CITES.

The majority are listed in Appendix 2, which are not necessarily threatened with extinction, but may become so if trade is left unregulated.

The majority of species are there, 97%, and it also includes those species whose specimens in trade look like those species listed for conservation reasons.

And international commercial trade is allowed, but regulated to ensure it's sustainable and legal through a permitting system.

Now let's go back to COP 20 to talk a little bit about that.

As of today, we have received more than 2000 registrations including 1310 delegates from 161 parties, 689 observers from intergovernmental and non governmental organisation.

Now this is one of the things that will be talked about a lot at the conference of the parties.

It is we have a meeting agenda that comprises 114 agenda items, an unprecedented scope for a CITES Cop, which we continue to say each time we have a Cop it is we are beating records, but we are not so sure that this is something that is sustainable.

Now before the COP begins, 2 important events will take place on Sunday, November the 23rd.

1st the the Society Standing Committee which is going to meet for its 79th meeting and it is one of the conventions governing bodies that takes care of business intercessionally.

That means in between Cops, it will focus on administrative and financial matters, as well as issues related to compliance and the regulation of international wildlife trade.

Later in the day, our host country Uzbekistan, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme or UNDP and the Society Secretariat, will convene the COP 20 High Level segment under the theme from policy to practise, monitoring, funding and action for Regulated wildlife Trade.

Now, this segment will provide a strategic opportunity to lay to elevate this global dialogue on biodiversity and sustainable trade, as well as the need for sustainable financing for conservation, a theme that is becoming more and more important as we see that public funds are not enough to cover all the needs for biodiversity conservation.

Now, COP 20 will officially open on Monday, November 24th with the opening ceremony and the plenary session in the morning, followed by regional meetings in the afternoon.

From Tuesday, November 25th on, there will be two parallel meetings, Committee One and Committee 2, and working groups will be set up.

If there's there's need for more discussion, if there's need for more consensus, they will also try to find ways in which they can discuss these more difficult subjects and find agreement.

Of course, as many of you know when talking about CITES, it's one of the few conventions that when no consensus is reached, voting will occur.

And there will be voting both on procedural matters and substantive issues.

Then the final two days of the meeting of the COP are dedicated to the review of those decisions that were decided on that were reached by consensus or reached by a vote in each of those two committees.

Where the plenty plenary will then take a look at what was decided and what was agreed and then have another opportunity for discussion if needed.

But that these, these decisions that were taken and agreed under Committee One and Committee 2 will now need to be reviewed and agreed by the entire plenary.

In other words, all the parties present.

And that's another point that I would like to underline.

It's the parties who take the decisions.

It's the parties who can vote on December 15th, the December 5th, which is the last day of the of the COP, of the meeting of the COP.

We will hear if the next host will be accepted.

That has been offered by Panama to hold COP 21 in 2028 in Panama City, Panama.

And right after the closing of the COP on December 5th, the Standing Committee will meet again.

In other words, the 80th meeting will take place and they will then the chair will then of the Standing Committee will then take some decisions in terms of forming the working groups that will follow the instructions of the parties.

Because during the intersessional.

Between the Cops, there are also working groups working on those matters that were agreed by the COP that needed to have further work, and they will meet to discuss and set up those working groups.

Now, over the course of the two week meetings, CITES will CITES parties will engage in really difficult, sometimes negotiations on a broad array of agenda items spanning the full scope of the implementation of the convention.

And this is another issue to underline.

I will speak a little bit about the proposals that will be coming in to amend the appendices, but it is also important to know that Committee 2 will talk a lot about how to improve the implementation of the convention and new challenges that the parties are confronting in terms of Wildlife Conservation and regulating trade.

Now, at the heart of these deliberations, of course, we always say, are those proposals that will be be discussed to amend the appendices one and two of the convention and then change the rules that govern the regulation of trade for these species.

They will consider 51 proposals to amend appendices one and two, and this covers 250 species.

So you may ask what kind of species are included in these proposals are featured in these proposals.

Now the full suite of proposals along with the Secretariat's final recommendations, you can find them on our website on the COP 20 web page.

We also have a few handouts here that we can give you that shows the assessment that the Secretariat has given the final recommendations.

But let me give you a snapshot of what we have discussed in those recommendations of what will be discussed at COP 20.

The fauna proposals include 3 antelope species, 2 rhino species, hyenas, seals, moths, and the Golden Billed Manga Bay.

Other fauna proposals include elephants, hornbills, vultures, peregrine Falcon, galley wasp, Wasps, geckos, snakes, tortoises, frogs and tarantulas.

Proposals on aquatic species which have been increasing more and more under sites include sharks, manta rays, guitar fishes, eels, sea cucumbers and abalone.

And one of my favourite subjects to talk about is flora because I think often we think about only about the fauna and these and these really iconic species.

But the flora species are also very important to discuss because they not need also to be regulated to ensure that we don't overexploit them.

And some of the discussions will on on these proposals will be about ginseng, Chilean and ponytail palms, South African succulents, Brazil wood and aloes.

Now each decision on the proposals will shape how the international trade is going to be managed for these for these species that may be or may become at risk due to overexploitation and other reasons through international trade, primarily focusing of course, as its CITES on the international trade.

But there could be other reasons why those species are at risk.

It could be due to pollution, it could be to the disease.

Often it's due to loss of habitat and habitat fragmentation, but any trade in addition to that could cause that species to go to extinction.

And this is taken into account as well when those proposals are considered.

Now, of course, my colleague Thea Carroll, who is the chief of the Science Unit, she will be giving you further information and specificities about those COP 20 proposals on selected species and be able to answer some more specific questions.

But let me then expand on the heaviness of this agenda.

There's more than 100 working documents on strategic matters, capacity building, CITES and people compliance, regulation of trade and illegal trade and enforcement, as well as species conservation and trade matters.

Deliberations of these documents will result then, in decisions that will be adopted by the Conference of the Parties.

That will set our programme of work for the next three years, not only for the Secretariat, but also for the Standing Committee and the two scientific committees that deal with animals and plants.

At this point in time, there are close to 350 draft decisions in these documents for consideration of the parties.

And again, we are asking ourselves, is this sustainable?

Can we continue in this way, covering so many decisions in three years and especially under times of difficult financial global financial difficulties?

Now, considering that Parties must implement the provisions of the Convention daily through the issuance of permits, after assessment of the risk to the species and verifying legal acquisition, which is the foundation of the Convention, the number of the decisions to be implemented is significant.

Ensuring that CITES decisions are not only adopted but effectively implemented is central to achieving impact.

COP 20 will include the sessions decisions on compliance and enforcement mechanisms including national legislation, reporting obligations and measures to address non compliance by the parties.

The Secretary will present updates on the national legislation project with assist countries to be and our parties to be able to have the best legislation possible to be able to regulate the wildlife trade.

There will also be the review of significant trade, which is another way of cheques and balances to see how much is being traded.

And maybe there's some warning signs that too much could be being traded.

And a new non detriment finding has to know, has to be carried out to be able to know what is really the amount of of specimens that can be exported.

As well as progress on combating illegal trade, which we talk a lot about these days.

That continues the illegal trade to affect wildlife, both plants and animals.

And we try to find ways in which we can work with partners to have cooperation on all of these issues, including on enforcement and capacity building.

Now 1 of moving away about the species proposals and working documents on enforcement and compliance with the convention.

Let me bring up the issue of the budget of the convention.

I won't spend a lot of time on this, but I do think it's something that I need to highlight.

This is something that most organisations, those of you here in Geneva understand that we're all struggling.

All the entities of the United Nations are struggling right now with budgetary issues.

We, there's a, there's a falling of contributions from the Member states, from our parties and this is becoming very difficult for us to be able to operate.

These are really challenging times for many of the multilateral environmental agreements and CITES is not alone in this.

We have not been receiving the expected contributions from the parties that have that is assessed according to the UN scale and of course we have arrears and payments.

So this is one of the things that we will also be discussing at the at the COP.

But of course the broader global financial situation is affecting us.

We have global inflation, we have unfavourable, unfavourable exchange rates.

And this is going to have an impact on all aspects of our work.

And the Conference of the Parties are going to have to take some tough decisions about this.

We want to make sure that we, the Secretariat, that the work of the Standing Committee, that the work of the Animals and Plants Committees will be able to continue being carried out, carried out now.

These budgetary decisions taken at COP 20 will shape the future implementation of the Convention.

This is how they will set the course for how sites will evolve, how sites will be able to continue keeping abreast of wildlife trade and making those decisions, taking those actions, doing technical assistant, providing building capacity for the parties to be able to deliver on their mandates and obligations under the Convention.

This goes hand in hand with prioritisation and what I spoke of in terms of the increasing agenda of the of the of the Sites Convention.

So we have to continue talking about innovative financing and sustainable financing, not only for the work of sites, but the work of the parties themselves.

So looking ahead, this is a moment at COP 20 to reaffirm the commitment on species conservation through trade regulation by all the parties.

It is also an opportunity to translate the goals and targets of the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework into action related to sustainable use, harvesting and trade of wild species.

CITES will continue to strengthen its role in delivering measurable conservation outcomes and they fully align with the CITES Strategic Vision 2030, which guides the Convention to remain effective, relevant and responsive.

We hope that the COP 20 decisions will even further ensure the implementation of the K of the Convene Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and show how hard the the parties are working to be able to achieve their obligations under the different conventions related to biodiversity.

So just to close now to say thank you to all to the press for being present here in the room with us.

Those are online.

I'm sure that there's different your morning, evening, daytime joining us to hear more about what will be happening at COP 20.

And we welcome you to come to Samarkand and, and, and be with us during these negotiations and be able to follow very closely and inform the rest of the world about these important decisions.

Thank you very much.

And back to the moderator.

Thank you very much, Madam Secretary General, for very, very, very comprehensive overview of what coming up at COP 20.

So now I would like to invite the Chief of Science, Tia Carroll, to provide us with a further insight into the selected species proposals here.

The floor is yours.

Thank you, Christina, and good morning to all.

From violent violence to Vipers, rare endemics and iconic Timbers under the spotlight that cites COP 20, this phrase captures the diversity of proposals that parties will discuss in a few weeks time.

From Brazil wood, Brazil's national tree famed for producing the price pin Ambuko wood use in violin bows to Ethiopians, mountain Vipers, venomous, visually striking and collected for the international international pet trade.

The proposals to be discussed highlight how scientists continues to address conservation and sustainable use across species that are not only biologically unique, but also culturally, economically, and ecologically significant societies.

Parties agreed criteria to be used to be met for species to be included in the appendices and the decisions to amend the conventions.

Appendices should be found on sound and relevant scientific information.

With that in mind, I'd like to give you a quick snapshot of a few of the proposals to be considered.

Let's start with some of the endemic species proposed for inclusion in Appendix One.

If adopted, international trade for commercial purposes will be prohibited.

[Other language spoken]

Species exclusive, exclusively found in specific areas and nowhere else on Earth.

Okapi known as the forest giraffe.

It occurs only in the dense rainforest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Information on declines in okapi populations linked to habitat degradation from artisanal and semi industrial mining, as well as information on illegal killing for meat, skins and fact traded across borders are provided in the proposal.

The inclusion of a carp in Appendix One will, according to the DRC, further strengthen enforcement interventions to conserve this distinctive forest mammal.

The Galapagos land and marine iguanas endemic to the Galapagos Islands.

Marine iguanas are threatened by invasive alien predators, illegal collection for the international pet trade, and extreme fluctuations in population sizes resulting from recurring weather phenomena such as Al Nino.

Land iguanas are also threatened by invasive species, and on some islands, volcanic eruptions are a significant threat for these species, especially because females are known to nest inside the craters.

Ecuador proposes to transfer Galapagos marine and land iguanas from Appendix 2 to Appendix One to address concerns about illegal collection and trade that have an impact on these species.

The Chilean palm One of the oldest palm species in the world, some Chilean palms are thought to be over 1000 years old and can grow up to 25 metres tall.

Historically, these endemic species were tapped for their SAP to make palm honey, a practise that killed the palms and contributed to drastic population declines.

With fewer than 100,000 mature individuals remaining and regeneration limited due to illegal seed collection, Chile proposes the inclusion of the species in Appendix one.

Moving on to the proposals to transfer species from Appendix 1 to 2 and to the lead species from the appendices, a proposal A proposal was submitted to transfer the quadelope first seal from Appendix one to Two to reflect decades of successful conservation and continuing careful management of a recovering species once handed to near extinction.

The Guadalupe fur seal has made a remarkable comeback from 200 individuals in 1954 to more than 35,034 thousand individuals, with numbers continuing to increase.

A proposal on peregrine Falcon, the world's fastest bird, will be discussed.

Found on every continent except on that Antarctica, it thrives in habitats ranging from mountain cliffs to skyscrapers.

After catastrophic declines in the mid 20th century caused by pesticides such as DDT, intensive conservation and reintroduction programmes in North America and Europe have resulted in population recovery.

Historically prized in falconry for their speed, agility and intelligence, peregrines were once taken in significant numbers from the wild.

Today, the vast majority of birds used in falconry come from captive breeding programmes, and strict national and scientist controls have reduced illegal capture.

The proposed transfer from Appendix One to Two recognises successful restoration of one of the most famous birds of prey.

A number of proposals to delete species from the appendices have been submitted, including the Bundaberg and an endemic species found in South Africa, specific populations of giraffe and 2-3 species of cilia and paduk.

Proponents indicate that these species are all populations, no longer meet the criteria for their continued inclusion in the appendices, and that national measures are adequate to ensuing harvest remains sustainable.

Let's go back to birds for a moment.

A proposal was submitted to include African hornbills in Appendix 2, which means that if it is adopted, clay can only be authorised if it's not detrimental to the species and legal acquisition has BeenVerified.

African hornbills are striking birds, usually recognised by their oversized curved bulls and cusks.

As key sea disperses, they sustain Africa's tropical forests.

During breeding, the female hornbill seal seals herself herself into a tree cavity using mud, fruit pulp and droppings, leaving only a narrow slit through which the male passes food to her and the chicks.

A unique nesting strategy among birds that protects the brute from predators but unfortunately also make them vulnerable to exploitation.

If the male is killed, the female and the chicks would die too.

The proponents indicate that habitat loss and degradation due to logging and agricultural expansion have led to regional declines compounded by capture and trade to satisfy international demand for their skulls and casks.

As curious, the proposed inclusion in Appendix 2 would regulate trade and help secure the future of Africa's horn bulls, according to the proponents.

Last but not least, a number of proposals relating to commercially exploited aquatic species will be considered, including including oceanic white tub shark, manta rays, whale shark, guitar fishes and wedge fishes, school sharks, culpa or deep water sharks, sea cucumbers and South African abalone.

A proposal to include all anguilled eels in Appendix 2 will also be considered.

Eels are fascinating animals with unique and complex life histories.

Eels undertake extraordinary migrations across thousands of kilometres, breeding only once before they die, yet this spawning has never been directly observed in the wild.

The meat of Anguilla is highly valued in international trade and is considered a delicacy in many countries.

Three main species are targeted for this trade, Anguilla anguilla, the European eel, included in the Cytosopenix 2 in 2007 at COP 14, Anguilla copernica, the Japanese eel, and Anguilla restrata, the American eel.

All three species have undergone declines over the past century, with management measures implemented by parties to support the recovery of the species and to ensure of that is sustainable.

The main threats to Anguilla eels are described in the proposal as overexploitation with large volumes of glass eels harvested to seed aquaculture, illegal trade, particularly in European eel habitat loss and barriers with dams and the rivers obstructing obstructions preventing upstream upstream migration of Alvis and downstream migration of solar eels.

Predation, disease, parasites and climate change, which can alter ocean currents and temperature, impacting Laval drift and spawning success.

Some parties have expressed concern that shifting trade buttons among species, coupled with difficulties in telling the species apart, particularly when trading as juveniles or processed products, mislabelling of species and poor reporting have hindered the effect of implementation of the Appendix 2 listing of European eel.

Others argue that management systems are in place to effectively regulate the trade in non scientist listed species and that means to identify species in trade are available.

This include morphological identification methods and technologically advanced methods including rapid species identification kits.

The parties to scientists will consider whether the American and Japanese Japanese eel, as well as all Anguillet eels should be included in Appendix 2, thereby making all international trade subject to scientist provisions to ensure trade is sustainable and legal.

Each of the proposals to be discussed at the COP tells the story of risk, of recovery and of renewed responsibility, a reminder that international trade, when effectively regulated and managed responsibly, can be sustainable and that science continues to guide scientist parties in decision making.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much, dear.

So with that, let's now open the floor for questions.

I will begin with those coming from the room.

All right, so that maybe maybe let me see if there are any questions online.

We have a number of adjourned is joining from different parts of the world.

Please feel free to raise your hand and we will.

Yeah, make sure your question is heard and make sure you you name yourself and also the the media outlet you're coming from.

I don't see any questions coming in, but I'll give you a couple of more minutes just to to make sure you want to raise any comments questions.

[Other language spoken]

All right, Yeah.

All right.

[Other language spoken]

But in any case for for those joining online and also in person, if you do have any questions, you are very welcome to to get in touch with us.

You can reach out us with the situs media, situs.org.

We will answer all your queries.

So with that, I think I will I will close this session.

Thank you very much the panel for a very comprehensive overview and summary of what's coming in, in less than two weeks.

So we do hope to to see you in Samarkand and also for those joining online different sessions also a very big welcome.

Thank you very much.

CITES Press conference: 20th World Wildlife Conference - 12 November 2025