Secretary-General's statements

Workshop on the development & implementation of demand reduction strategies to combat illegal trade in CITES-listed species: opening remarks of Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero   Distinguished delegates and participants, Dear colleagues, It is my pleasure to welcome you to this workshop to review the draft CITES Guidance on Demand Reduction Strategies to Combat Illegal Trade in CITES-listed Species, organized by the CITES Secretariat in close collaboration with TRAFFIC. I appreciate the effort of those of you who are waking up early or staying up late to join us despite the time difference.

Joint session of the 31st meeting of the Animals Committee and 25th meeting of the Plants Committee: Remarks of Secretary General, Ivonne Higuero   Thank you Chair, hello to all! Madam Chair of the Plants Committee, Mister Chair of the Animals Committee Members of the Animals and Plants Committees, Distinguished delegates and participants, It is my honor to welcome you to the first joint online session of the Animals and Plants Committees.

Message of CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero for World Environment Day, 5 June 2021   World Environment Day gives us the opportunity to memorialize and honour the services that humans receive from a healthy and plentiful natural world surrounding us. It is a day of celebration, but also deep reflection because all the signs indicate that we need to work on being better caretakers of our natural world. Through the work of CITES, we witness everyday how we collectively depend on nature, on wild animal and plant species and on the ecosystems that harbour them. Wildlife provides us with shelter, food, medicines, as well as direct and indirect employment to millions of people around the world.

25th meeting of the Plants Committee: Opening remarks of Secretary-General, Ivonne Higuero   Madame Chair of the Plants Committee, Members of the Plants Committee, Distinguished delegates and participants, Dear colleagues and friends, It is my honor to welcome you to the first online meeting of the Plants Committee. And this “first” also coincides with the celebration of the 25th anniversary.  Imagine - the first time that the Committee met was in November 1988 and had an attendance of 31 participants. Today we have 417 representatives of 75 Parties and 106 representatives of 54 organizations.

31st meeting of the Animals Committee: Opening remarks of the CITES Secretary-General, Ivonne Higuero Chair of the Animals Committee, Members of the Animals Committee, Distinguished delegates and participants, Dear colleagues and friends,

We are fortunate to benefit from the goods and services provided by wild species that are an intrinsic part of our planet’s biological diversity. Though we may not always recognize it, these services and the species that provide them are the principal source of all elements of human well-being, from our food, to our medicines and our shelter. At CITES, we are very aware of the extent to which many people around the world rely on wildlife for their livelihoods and to meet their basic needs. CITES Parties work tirelessly to ensure that international trade in wild fauna and flora can benefit their environment, their citizens and their economies, without putting at risk the survival of the species in the wild.

High-level Segment of the Fourteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice: Kyoto, Japan, 7-12 March 2021     Statement by CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero: President, Excellencies, Distinguished delegates, I am honoured to address this august gathering, and I congratulate the Government of Japan and the UNODC for ensuring that this event could take place despite the pandemic that is impacting all Member States and their inhabitants.

Asia Environmental Enforcement Awards - 2020 Theme: Fighting Transboundary Environmental Crime   Bangkok, 17 February 2021.   Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed colleagues and law enforcement professionals. May I begin by warmly thanking the organizers for inviting me to this gathering. I congratulate you on your continued efforts to recognize and celebrate excellence in fighting transboundary environmental crime. I also wish to thank our partners in these awards: the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, INTERPOL, and the World Customs Organization.