Secretary-General's statements

CITES Secretary-General's presentation on Corruption and illegal trade in wildlife at the 6th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention Against Corruption - Saint Petersburg, Russia
Corruption is “an insidious plague” that is present in the wildlife sector just as it is in other sectors, indeed in virtually any form of human activity. A clear message of the determination of the international community to work to prevent and combat corruption was sent with the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) of the UN Convention Against Corruption in 2003 and its entry into force in 2005.
Read more
The New Sustainable Development Goals: a Vision for Living in Harmony with Nature - External link to CITES Secretary-General's Op Ed
This week in New York, the U.N. General Assembly will adopt a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets that represent an unprecedented opportunity to safeguard globally threatened wildlife species. The new goals are part of an agenda called Transforming Our World: The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda – a vision for the planet in which “humanity lives in harmony with nature and in which wildlife and other living species are protected.”
Read more
CITES Secretary-General's keynote address at the Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia.
Keynote Address 'CITES and wildlife trade – how CITES works and what it is and isn’t’ John E. Scanlon Secretary-General, CITES Secretariat Tbilisi, 20 October 2015
Read more
CITES Secretary-General's welcoming remarks at the 22nd Meeting of the CITES Plants Committee - Tbilisi, Georgia
22nd Meeting of the CITES Plants Committee 19 – 23 October 2015 Tbilisi Welcoming remarks by John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary General   Mr. Gigla Agulashvili, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia First Deputy Minister Mr. Teimuraz Murgulia Chair of Plants Committee, Professor Margarita Clemente, and members of the Committee   Distinguished guests, friends and colleagues,
Read more
CITES and Trade Agreements – Partnering to Combat Wildlife Crime and to Achieve Sustainable Development - CITES Secretary-General's Op Ed
Global trade in wild animal and plant species, including fish and timber, is on the rise - both legal and illegal. Legal and sustainable trade in certain species, such as the wool of the vicuna or the bark of the African cherry tree, can benefit people and wildlife. The current surge in illegal wildlife trade, estimated to be in the billions of dollars annually, is having devastating economic, social and environmental impacts. But not all the costs of wildlife trafficking can be quantified. Iconic species like elephants, and the lesser-known but heavily trafficked pangolin, are being driven toward what experts warn may be the next big extinction.
Read more
CITES Secretary-General's remarks at the ATAG Global Sustainable Aviation Summit 2015 - Geneva, Switzerland
CITES Secretary-General's remarks at the ATAG Global Sustainable Aviation Summit 2015 Geneva, 29 September 2015 ‘Air transport’s role in reducing Illegal trade in wildlife’ Address by John E. Scanlon, Secretary-General of CITES   Director General and CEO of IATA, Tony Tyler Director General of Airports Council International, Angela Gittens Director General of CANSO, Jeff Poole
Read more
CITES Secretary-General's TED-type talk on legal and illegal wildlife trade at the Wildlife Forum during XIV World Forestry Congress 2015 - Durban, South Africa - External link
TED-type talk, known as a Tree Talk, on legal and illegal trade in wildlife, delivered at the Wildlife Forum held during the XIV World Forestry Congress, Durban, September 2015.
Read more
CITES Secretary-General's keynote address at the Symposium on the interface between international and domestic environmental law - Tel Aviv, Israel
Symposium on the interface between international and domestic environmental law Keynote Address CITES and wildlife trade - International cooperation and national action John E. Scanlon Secretary-General, CITES Secretariat Tel Aviv, Israel, 31 August 2015   Good morning and thank you to our colleagues in the Israel Nature and Parks Authority for organizing today’s Symposium and for giving me the opportunity to address you.
Read more
CITES Secretary-General's welcoming remarks at the 28th Meeting of the CITES Animals Committee - Tel Aviv, Israel
28th Meeting of the CITES Animals Committee 30 August – 3 September 2015 Tel Aviv, Israel Welcoming remarks by John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary General   Minister of the Environment, Mr. Avi Gabai General Director, Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA), Mr. Shaul Goldstein Deputy Director General, Head of UN and International Organizations Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Aharon (“Roni”) Leshno Yaar
Read more
CITES Secretary-General's remarks on the destruction of confiscated elephant ivory at Bangkok, Thailand
John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary-General (Statement read by Ms. Margaret Akullo, UNODC Officer-in-Charge for Southeast Asia and the Pacific) DNP Headquarters 26 August 2015   Hon. Prime Minister, H.E. Gen. Prayut Chan-O-Cha. Hon. Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, H.E.Gen. Surasak Kanchanarat. Officers from Departments concerned with Thailand’s National Ivory Action Plan implementation. Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Read more

Pages