Secretary-General's statements

Message of the CITES CITES Secretary-General, Mr John E. Scanlon, to the SPREP regional preparatory meeting for the Conference of the Parties of CBD, CMS and Ramsar Convention

Geneva, Switzerland, 31 July 2014   World Ranger Day honours park rangers across the world who have been injured or lost their lives in the line of duty, and also celebrates the role rangers play in protecting our natural resources, including wild animals and plants.  It was first observed in 2007, on the 15th anniversary of the founding of the International Ranger Federation (IRF).    The challenges and risks that rangers face have increased significantly in recent years.

Opening Remarks by John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary-General at the Sixty-fifth meeting of the Standing Committee Geneva (Switzerland), 7 July 2014 Thank you Chair and I would like to join with you in extending a very warm welcome to the Standing Committee Members, their alternates, Party Observers, and Inter-governmental organizations, international and national non-governmental organizations and the private sector.  To those distinguished participants who are observing the month of fasting, I wish to say Ramadan Kareem and wish you a happy and blessed month. -----

‘Illegal Wildlife Trade’ UN Environment Assembly Intervention by John E. Scanlon Secretary-General of CITES Nairobi, Kenya – 26 June 2014   The scale and nature of illegal wildlife trade have changed over the years and so is the global response [1].

Environmental Justice and Sustainable Development - A Global Symposium on Environmental Rule of Law   ‘The international dimension of illegal wildlife trade’    Presentation by   John E.

Update on FAO-CITES activities related to commercially-exploited aquatic species   John E. Scanlon, Secretary-General, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 9-13 June 2014, Rome, Italy Chair, Johan H. Williams Committee delegates Colleagues Thank you for giving us the opportunity to briefly address this Agenda Item on the results of the Fourteenth Session of the FAO COFI Sub-Committee on Fish Trade. ------

Celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Viet Nam becoming a Party to CITES Speech by John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary-General Ha Noi, Viet Nam, 27 May 2014   Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vu Van Tam Secretary-General of the ASEAN Inter Parliamentary Assembly, Periowsamy Otharam Your Excellences Distinguished delegates Ladies and gentlemen It is a great honour to be with you in Ha Noi today to celebrate this special occasion and I extend my deep gratitude to the Government of Viet Nam for the kind invitation and its warm hospitality. ------------------

Hong Kong SAR holds one of the largest stockpiles of seized ivory in the world. Today’s event follows the crushing of ivory in many different countries across the world, including 6.2 tonnes of seized ivory in Dongguan, China earlier this year. Despite considerable efforts to combat wildlife crime, it continues to be a major problem worldwide. The poaching of African elephants and the illegal trade in their ivory is one of the most noticeable and destructive forms of wildlife crime. It is not only having a devastating impact on the African elephant, but it also poses a threat to people and their livelihoods – as well as national economies and in some cases national and regional security.