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:
Secretary-General's statements
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.
World Ranger Day 2021
Message from CITES Secretary-General, Ivonne Higuero
31 July 2021
©UNEPWorld Ranger Day is a time to pause, reflect and show our gratitude for the dedication and sacrifice of some of nature’s most devote custodians.
25th meeting of the CITES Plants Committee: Closing remarks of Secretary-General, Ivonne Higuero
Madame Chair of the Plants Committee,
Members of the Plants Committee,
Distinguished delegates and participants,
Congratulations on the successful first online meeting of the Plants Committee! The circumstances in which we have had to organize this meeting are truly historical. The successful achievement of the shared goals for this meeting during these difficult times is the strongest indicator of your dedication to the Convention and commitment to ensure that international trade of wild plants does not threaten their survival.
31st meeting of the Animals Committee: Closing remarks of CITES Secretary-General, Ivonne Higuero
Mr. Chair of the Animals Committee,
Members of the Animals Committee,
Distinguished delegates and participants,
Dear colleagues,
Congratulations on the successful meeting of the Animals Committee! This has been a remarkable meeting with an ambitious agenda, and it has been an honour to witness the results of the hard work of the Committee throughout the last few weeks.
Second Joint session of the 31st meeting of the Animals Committee and 25th meeting of the Plants Committee: Closing remarks of Secretary General, Ivonne Higuero
Madame Chair of the Plants Committee,
Mister Chair of the Animals Committee
Members of the Animals and Plants Committees,
Distinguished delegates and participants,
Dear colleagues,
It was a real pleasure to witness this first joint online session of the Animals and Plants Committees, and I warmly congratulate you all for having so successfully completed its business.
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.