Secretary-General's statements

By CITES Secretary-General, Ivonne Higuero After a few days off to recover from the very busy two weeks in Panama and now moving on to the CBD Open Ended Working Group meeting on the Global Biodiversity Framework and the CBD COP15 in Montreal, I have time to reflect on the outcomes of CITES CoP19. The meeting of the ultimate decision-making body of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora ended one week ago, reaching 365 decisions and covering more than 500 species. And now each of the 2,500 people, representing more than 160 of the Parties to CITES as well as observers, have started working to make sure these decisions turn into action.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends. It’s Friday, the 25th of November - the last day of CoP19. We made it! All of us have worked tirelessly and for a long time to get to this moment and by standing here before you, I am immensely proud; proud of all of you and of what you have accomplished during these two weeks, proud of my country and the way it has welcomed us, and proud of my team. I assure you that you could only dream of having a team like the CITES Secretariat. Please help me to show our appreciation for all your efforts. We should express our gratitude to those who have made us feel so warmly welcomed: His Excellency Mr. president, the vice president, who opened our Conference, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Public Security that has kept us all safe, in addition to all the other parts of the Panamanian government working behind the scenes.

Why more countries should adopt digitalization to curb illicit trade in endangered species As the final week of the World Wildlife Conference, in Panama, gets under way, CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero and UNCTAD’s Director of Technology and Logistics Shamika N. Sirimanne are calling for wider use of digital technologies to help conserve the planet's endangered species.  

 Species Survival Network - CoP19 Side event Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Awards Wednesday 15 November 2022 – 17h15 (Canal 2 – Committee I)   Ivonne HIGUERO CITES Secretary-General Distinguished delegates, Ladies and gentlemen,

Excellencies, distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to Panama... welcome to my home, welcome to the CoP of the Americas! It has been 20 years since the last CITES CoP in this hemisphere - CoP12 in Santiago, Chile. This CoP has been organized during the pandemic and it hasn't been easy for the host country or the Secretariat to deal with all the challenges that this brought. Despite everything, we are gathered here and I think it is a happy coincidence that we are holding the World Wildlife Conference in Panama. Gathered here to discuss world wildlife trade in a country that connects two oceans and two continents containing 7 of the 17 megadiverse countries and which has been a centre for trade since the 13th century... in the Olmec, Maya, Aztec and Inca cultures. They were trading on land and sea and I wonder if they would be surprised at the species that will be addressed at this meeting.

CITES Secretary-General, Ivonne Higuero's message to the Ramsar Wetlands Convention's CoP14 More than a third of the world’s wetlands have been lost since 1970 and the rate has been accelerating annually since the year 2000. These are some of the richest and most productive ecosystems in the world – comparable to coral reefs and rainforests.

High-Level Panel on Multilateral Trade and Environment Cooperation: Answering Crisis and Furthering Resilience Remarks of CITES Secretary-General, Ms Ivonne Higuero Geneva, 17 October 2022 It is my pleasure to be part of this high-level panel discussion which kicks off the WTO’s 3rd Trade and Environment Week.

Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Plenary, 3 July 2022, Bonn Biodiversity related MEAs statement - Ivonne Higuero, Secretary-General of CITES I am speaking on behalf of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, the International Whaling Commission and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.