Among the 53 agenda items of the 65th meeting of the Standing Committee, the issue of great apes was addressed under agenda items 34.1, 36 and 37. Item 27 is also very relevant given its reference to Decision 16.39 on the implementation of enforcement of the Convention as it relates to Appendix I species and the establishment of an Enforcement Working Group to address these issues. The CITES Secretariat also facilitated the holding of a side event on great apes, and it facilitated, through the Chair, an opportunity for a documentary maker to film part of the Committee's proceedings.
The issue of trade between Guinea and China was addressed under Agenda Item 34.1 in the context of claims of captive breeding (which was previously addressed by the Committee in 2011, 2012 and 2013 ). Item 36 addressed the serious concerns that exist with illegal bushmeat trade (both domestic and international), and the Committee agreed to establish a working group to address these issues. Item 37 was specifically on great apes. The reports on each of these Items, prepared by the Secretariat, are all available in the three working languages of the Convention on the CITES website.
The Secretariat report on great apes did not show any discernible increase in international illegal trade in great apes at this time. It noted that the World Custom’s Organization (WCO) stated that no seizures of illegally traded great apes were reported by its members in 2013. This is not the case with elephants, rhinos, tigers, cheetahs, pangolins or rosewood for which decisions were taken to establish working groups following on relevant CoP decisions and the detailed reports provided to the Committee outlining the serious threats posed to these species from illegal international trade.
The Secretariat recommended that, subject to external funding, it be requested by the Standing Committee to commission a report on the status of great apes for the 67th meeting of the Committee, and this was agreed.
As regards a specific working group being established on great apes, a request to establish a working group came from one member of the 19 member Committee, which was not supported by any other Committee member. Other interventions from Standing Committee members supported the Secretariat's recommendations and encouraged working with other processes such as the Collaborative Partnership on Wildlife (CPW) etc. (noting that the CITES Secretariat is working with the CPW, GRASP and ICCWC on issues relating to great apes).
As regards Items 34.1, 36 and 37, every observer Party and intergovernmental and non-governmental organization that had requested the floor was given the opportunity to speak by the Chair. On Item 37 interventions were made by the representatives of Africa (Niger), Asia (Japan), Europe (Hungary) and North America (United States of America), and by Côte d'Ivoire, the United Kingdom (speaking as Chair of the Working Group on Special Reporting Requirements), UNEP, IUCN, Pan African Sanctuary Alliance, Pro Wildlife, Species Survival Network and Wildlife Conservation Society.
On the issue of a possible illegal trade reporting mechanism on great apes (as mentioned in CoP Decision 16.67), rather than create a new working group for that specific purpose, the Committee agreed with the Secretariat that the Working Group on Special Reporting Requirements was best placed to address this issue. This was also agreed with the Chair of that Group during the course of the discussion.
The cross-cutting Working Group on Bushmeat is very relevant to great apes, as is the implementation of Decision 16.39 and the establishment of the Enforcement Working Group referred to above, and the ongoing work on captive breeding addressed under Item 37.1.
Issues concerning great apes are well covered by these three working groups.
The request to the Secretariat to commission a report on great apes, assuming funding can be found, will provide a sound platform to further consider these issues at the 67th meeting of the Standing Committee and CoP17, along with many other issues.