Secretary-General's statements

On the occasion of the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Region – Coordinated by UNECE and The International Telecommunication Union CITES Secretary-General, Ivonne Higuero, on ‘Building Digital Ecosystems’. Delivered in Geneva on 6 April 2022. It is an honor for me to speak on this very important topic - thanks to UNECE and ITU for the invitation. Excellencies, dear delegates, before I speak about the topic of the session, allow me to provide some background on CITES. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora or CITES is a legally binding, multilateral environmental agreement with 184 Parties.

Secretary-General's Opening Statement to the 74th Meeting of the CITES Standing Committee   Mr Jean Patrick Le Duc, chief of delegation of France and Chair of the European Council, Mr Pierre Athanaze, Vice President of the Metropole, Ms Carolina Caceres, Chair of the CITES Standing Committee, Distinguished Standing Committee Members, Parties, observers, Ladies and Gentlemen Good morning to all. I am grateful to Her Excellency Barbara Pompili, Minister of Ecological Transition of France for her thoughtful video, and sorry that her excellency Bérangère ABBA, State Secretary for biodiversity, is ill. We wish her a speedy recovery.

Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice - Expert Discussions on Crimes that Affect the Environment - Vienna, Austria Keynote address by Ivonne Higuero, Secretary-General of CITES 14 February 2022 Your Excellency Barbara POMPILI, Minister for Ecological Transition of France Your Excellency Takeshi HiKIHARA, Chair of the CCPCJ Ms Ghada WALY, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Excellencies, Distinguished delegates, Ladies and gentlemen,

Financial Action Task Force High-Level Conference 2021 - Leipzig, Germany Keynote address by Ivonne Higuero, Secretary-General of CITES 07 December 2021 Thank you, Mr. President, it’s an honour to address this distinguished gathering and I congratulate the Government of Germany on hosting this important event as part of its Financial Action Task Force presidency. As you may know, CITES is a legally binding multilateral agreement that sets rules for the international wildlife trade. The Convention regulates international trade in more than 38,000 species of wild animals and plants, including their parts and derivatives. Its purpose is to ensure that this trade is legal, sustainable and traceable.

Wildlife Inter-Regional Enforcement (WIRE) 2021 & Debriefing of Operation Mekong Dragon III Address by Ivonne Higuero, Secretary-General of CITES 30 November 2021   Distinguished colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, It is such an honour for me to address you today, an audience of committed law enforcement and justice officials from Africa, Asia and Oceania. The spirit of collaboration embodied in the Wildlife Inter-Regional Enforcement initiative is precisely what we need to strengthen our collective resolve in the struggle against wildlife crime. This forum provides a wonderful opportunity to discuss your excellent work to enhance cooperation along the entire criminal justice chain. And to further strengthen and expand this collaboration.

Sustainable use: a powerful tool to ensure the conservation of species of wild fauna and flora, a presentation by CITES S-G I. Higuero   During a virtual session of the Reverse the Red Pavilion at IUCN's World Conservation Congress (Marseille, September 3 - 11, 2021), CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero spoke about sustainable use of wildlife as a powerful tool to support species conservation. Watch her full presentation below:

2021 World Elephant Day: From Conflict to Coexistence - Remarks of CITES S-G I. Higuero Happy World Elephant Day! For those of you who are hearing for the first time about the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora a - or CITES - , it is a legally binding, multilateral agreement that sets rules for international trade in wildlife. The Convention regulates international trade in more than 38,000 species of wild animals and plants, including their parts and derivatives. Its purpose is to ensure that this trade is legal, sustainable, and traceable.

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples: Message from CITES Secretary-General, Ivonne Higuero Indigenous peoples and local communities are among the most active groups engaged in conserving and caring for much of our planet’s wildlife and ecosystems. Members of these groups rely on these spaces to meet their basic needs, from food, to shelter, to fuel and medicines. Over their long histories, many Indigenous groups have lived in good harmony with their environments.