Secretary-General's statements

Geneva, Switzerland, 10 November 2010 CITES Secretary-General John Scanlon with Minister Koichi MIZUSHIMA and Mr Masaaki YAMADA of the Japanese Mission in Geneva (Japan is president of CBD CoP10) Let me start by extending my sincere congratulations to the Government of Japan, through Minister Mizushima, for achieving a successful outcome in Nagoya. The diplomatic effort put into the meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) – both before and during the CoP - coupled with announcements of additional financial commitments, was critical.

11.00 am 28 October 2010 Intervention by the Executive Heads of the Secretariats of the: Convention on Wetlands of International Importance; Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage; Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; and Convention on Migratory Species Delivered by the Secretary-General of CITES Your Excellency President of the COP, Honorable Ministers, Executive Secretary of the CBD, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen.

Museum of Natural History of the City of Geneva Geneva, Switzerland Your excellencies, Madame la Maire, distinguished CITES authorities, colleagues within and outside of the United Nations system, friends of CITES, ladies and gentleman, 2010 is an important year for many reasons. It is the International Year of Biodiversity; in March the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES took place in Doha, in the State of Qatar; we celebrate our 35th anniversary of CITES entry into force today; and the Convention on Biological Diversity holds its 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties in October in Nagoya, Japan, and I would like to recognize the attendance, today, of His Excellency the Ambassador of Japan, Mr Kenichi Suganuma.

Geneva, 20 May 2010 The Secretariat has recently received a number of emails urging the return to Indonesia of 11 orangutans confiscated by the CITES Management Authority of Thailand in February 2009.

8 November 2010, Doha, Qatar Mr President Secretary General Commissioners of Police and heads of INTERPOL National Central Bureaus Distinguished Delegates Ladies and Gentlemen I last stood in this magnificent building in March of this year, when I was introduced to the 175 Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora - widely known as CITES or the Washington Convention. I had just been selected to become the new Secretary-General of CITES, following the retirement of my predecessor.