33rd Meeting of the CITES Animals Committee: Closing Remarks by CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero

Updated on 11 September 2024

 

33rd Meeting of the CITES Animals Committee

Closing Remarks by CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero

19 July 2024, Geneva, Switzerland

 

Dear Chair of the Animals Committee,

Members of the Animals Committee,

Distinguished delegates and participants, 

Dear colleagues and friends, 

I am certain there isn’t a dry eye in the house. I extend my deepest gratitude to you, our dear Chair, not only for your seamless leadership in guiding us through our agenda this past week but also for your hard work, collegiality, and friendship over the past seven years.

Chair, you have consistently been open and willing to assist the CITES Secretariat team. Your extensive knowledge of CITES, along with your practical and pragmatic approach, has been immensely appreciated. You have always made yourself available for calls, except when on holidays or sick of course—sorry I was told to mention this! 

In preparation for this meeting, you endured lengthy briefing sessions with the Secretariat in Geneva. You will be a tough act to follow—your kindness and attentive listening are qualities we have deeply valued over the years. Allow me to present you now with some small tokens to remember your time with us.

I also extend my thanks to the Vice Chair for his support to the Chair. They have worked tirelessly together from opposite sides of the world. Both have participated in, and at times chaired, the workshops discussed this week, including those on NDFs, songbirds, marine ornamental fishes, ABNJ, and aquatic species. They have both significantly contributed to intersessional consultations and processes.

I wish to thank the members of the Animals Committee for their hard work in preparing for this meeting, taking the time to carry out the critical consultations with your regions to present their expert views. As others have mentioned, Peter Paul deserves our deepest gratitude, he is an extraordinarily dedicated professional who generously shares his time and captivates the Secretariat with his fascinating stories and extensive knowledge! We wholeheartedly agree that it would be beneficial to have support for him with the election of an alternate nomenclature representative.

Warm thanks also to all the chairs of the intersessional and in-session working groups at AC33. Your leadership and hard work have provided us with a clear path to report to the SC and the CoP on matters such as the review of significant trade, captive breeding, periodic review, nomenclature, and the conservation and trade of various taxa.

The Secretariat is grateful to all 331 participants at this meeting, including 205 representatives from 64 Parties and 126 representatives from 79 observer organizations. Your passion and commitment give hope to the younger generations that the animal species listed in the Appendices will remain in the wild for many years to come.

Special thanks to the interpreters and to the document management team and translators who work late hours to prepare and translate documents for your timely consideration. As always, my never-ending gratitude to my colleagues in the CITES Secretariat team, who work tirelessly to service these meetings and ensure you have materials of high standard upon which to base your recommendations. They are passionate about their work and dedicated team players, but they also find time to laugh together and support each other whenever needed.

I hope you will still have some time to enjoy the rest of your stay in Geneva and celebrate a week of collaboration, partnerships, and commitment to animal conservation and sustainable trade.

Safe journeys home, and I hope to see many of you at the Standing Committee in February next year.

Thank you, Chair. May this new chapter in your life be everything you have dreamed of!