Secretary-General's statements

World Ranger Day 2021 Message from CITES Secretary-General, Ivonne Higuero 31 July 2021                                                                                            ©UNEP World Ranger Day is a time to pause, reflect and show our gratitude for the dedication and sacrifice of some of nature’s most devote custodians.

25th meeting of the CITES Plants Committee: Closing remarks of Secretary-General, Ivonne Higuero   Madame Chair of the Plants Committee, Members of the Plants Committee, Distinguished delegates and participants, Congratulations on the successful first online meeting of the Plants Committee! The circumstances in which we have had to organize this meeting are truly historical. The successful achievement of the shared goals for this meeting during these difficult times is the strongest indicator of your dedication to the Convention and commitment to ensure that international trade of wild plants does not threaten their survival.

31st meeting of the Animals Committee: Closing remarks of CITES Secretary-General, Ivonne Higuero   Mr. Chair of the Animals Committee, Members of the Animals Committee, Distinguished delegates and participants, Dear colleagues, Congratulations on the successful meeting of the Animals Committee! This has been a remarkable meeting with an ambitious agenda, and it has been an honour to witness the results of the hard work of the Committee throughout the last few weeks.

Second Joint session of the 31st meeting of the Animals Committee and 25th meeting of the Plants Committee: Closing remarks of Secretary General, Ivonne Higuero   Madame Chair of the Plants Committee, Mister Chair of the Animals Committee Members of the Animals and Plants Committees, Distinguished delegates and participants, Dear colleagues, It was a real pleasure to witness this first joint online session of the Animals and Plants Committees, and I warmly congratulate you all for having so successfully completed its business.

Workshop on the development & implementation of demand reduction strategies to combat illegal trade in CITES-listed species: opening remarks of Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero   Distinguished delegates and participants, Dear colleagues, It is my pleasure to welcome you to this workshop to review the draft CITES Guidance on Demand Reduction Strategies to Combat Illegal Trade in CITES-listed Species, organized by the CITES Secretariat in close collaboration with TRAFFIC. I appreciate the effort of those of you who are waking up early or staying up late to join us despite the time difference.

Joint session of the 31st meeting of the Animals Committee and 25th meeting of the Plants Committee: Remarks of Secretary General, Ivonne Higuero   Thank you Chair, hello to all! Madam Chair of the Plants Committee, Mister Chair of the Animals Committee Members of the Animals and Plants Committees, Distinguished delegates and participants, It is my honor to welcome you to the first joint online session of the Animals and Plants Committees.

Message of CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero for World Environment Day, 5 June 2021   World Environment Day gives us the opportunity to memorialize and honour the services that humans receive from a healthy and plentiful natural world surrounding us. It is a day of celebration, but also deep reflection because all the signs indicate that we need to work on being better caretakers of our natural world. Through the work of CITES, we witness everyday how we collectively depend on nature, on wild animal and plant species and on the ecosystems that harbour them. Wildlife provides us with shelter, food, medicines, as well as direct and indirect employment to millions of people around the world.

  Opening Remarks at the 25th Meeting of the CITES Plants Committee by CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero 2 June 2021 Madame Chair of the Plants Committee, Members of the Plants Committee, Distinguished delegates and participants, Dear colleagues and friends,