Secretary-General's statements

How the battle to axe the illegal timber trade is being won - External link to CITES Secretary-General's Op Ed
On January 2, new rules related to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) take effect, bringing hundreds of additional timber species under its legally binding global trade controls.   Conferences, declarations and reports highlight the scale of the challenge of sustainably and legally regulating trade in valuable timber. Yet, there is only one international agreement that obliges states across the value chain to ensure legal and sustainable trade in timber, and that is CITES.
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CITES Secretary-General's opening remarks at the Livelihoods Workshop, 23 November 2016, George, South Africa
CITES and Livelihoods Workshop Opening remarks by Mr John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary-General 23 November 2016, George, South Africa   Deputy Director-General, Mr Shonisani Munzhedzi, Distinguished guests and friends and colleagues from CITES Parties and international organizations,
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CITES Secretary-General's Intervention at Hanoi Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade - Hanoi, Vietnam
Hanoi Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade Intervention by John E. Scanlon, Secretary-General, CITES Plenary Session 17-18 November 2016 – Hanoi, Vietnam   Hon. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam, Dr. Ha Cong Tuan Hon. Ministers Distinguished guests Friends and colleagues
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CITES Secretary-General's remarks on the destruction of confiscated elephant ivory and rhino horn in Viet Nam
Remarks on the destruction of confiscated elephant ivory and rhino horn in Hanoi, Viet Nam John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary-General 12 November 2016   Mr. Ha Cong Tuan, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentDistinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen I would like to express my most sincere thanks to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Viet Nam for inviting me to witness the destruction of 2 tonnes of confiscated African elephant ivory and rhino horn today in Hanoi.
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CITES CoP17 – A CoP of “Firsts” and a Turning Point for the World’s Wildlife - External link to CITES Secretary-General's Op Ed
In every corner of our planet, a variety of threats such as habitat loss, climate change, over-exploitation and illegal trade put intense pressure on wild populations of animals and plants. Illicit trafficking in wildlife now takes place at an industrial scale driven by transnational organized criminal groups. The phenomena poses a real and immediate danger to some of our most precious species.
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A Virtuous Cycle for Conservation - External link to CITES Secretary-General's Op Ed
NEW YORK – Poor and rural people around the world rely on plants and animals for shelter, food, income, and medicine. In fact, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 15) on sustainable ecosystems acknowledges many developing societies’ close relationship with nature when it calls for increased “capacity of local communities to pursue sustainable livelihood opportunities.” But how is this to be achieved?
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COP17 is a game-changer - External link to CITES Secretary-General's Op Ed
In every corner of the world, wild plants and animals are under intense pressure as a result of habitat destruction, climate change, over-exploitation and illegal trade, which is taking place on an industrial scale. This is why, at the start of CITES #CoP17, I said the Johannesburg World Wildlife Conference was ‘critical’ to securing the future of wildlife.
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CITES Secretary-General's opening ceremony speech at the seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties - Johannesburg, South Africa
CITES CoP17 John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary General Opening Ceremony Speech Johannesburg, 24 September 2016   Honourable Ministers Distinguished Guests Friends and colleagues ----- Photo credit: IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth It is a great pleasure to be here in the City of Johannesburg – the vibrant heart of South Africa on such a special day, and happy Heritage Day!
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CITES Secretary-General's address at the CITES CoP17 Ministerial Lekgotla - 23 September 2016 - Johannesburg, South Africa
CITES CoP17 - Ministerial Lekgotla - 23 September 2016, Johannesburg Address by John E. Scanlon, Secretary-General CITES ‘CITES and its role in advancing the achievement of the SDGs through legal and sustainable trade and tackling illegal trade in wildlife’ Thank you Minister Molewa. Today’s Ministerial High Level Event is the largest such gathering in the history of CITES, and the CoP to start tomorrow is the largest and busiest meeting in the history of the Convention. It is clear that everyone wants to be right here in Johannesburg!
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CITES Secretary-General's address for the reception organized by Tusk - Johannesburg, South Africa
Time for Change Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, 22 September, 2016 Address by John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary General   Thank you Hugh. Your Royal Highness in London, Dr. Handa in Tokyo, Your Excellences and friends of wildlife from right across the globe – welcome to the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg!
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