Biodiversity is the foundation of life, livelihoods, and lasting peace.
Plants and animals that make up our ecosystems are essential for our survival and for the resilience of our societies and economies.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES. For five decades, CITES has worked at the intersection of wildlife conservation and sustainable use, ensuring that international trade is not detrimental to the survival of species in the wild.
The CITES Strategic Vision 2021–2030 drives this mission forward, seeking to ensure that wildlife trade is sustainable, legal, and traceable, while supporting our shared commitments under the interconnected goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
CITES contributes to SDG 14: Life Below Water and SDG 15: Life on Land, but the picture is broader. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth also intersects with CITES work, reflecting the importance of livelihoods—from traders and rangers to customs officers, fisherfolk, and local communities who steward the sustainable management of wildlife resources.
CITES also contributes to Target 5 and Target 9 of the GBF. These targets highlight the need for sustainable and legal harvest and trade of wild species to provide people with environmental, economic, and social benefits. And Target 19 calls for the mobilization of 30 billion dollars annually through international finance, to support the implementation of biodiversity commitments. These resources can help conserve the species listed under CITES.
Now with 185 Parties and strong partnerships, CITES continues to help build a world where people and wildlife not only coexist but thrive together — and where international trade occurs in harmony with nature and sustainable development.
We are not separate from nature. Our economies, our cultures, and our very survival depend on healthy ecosystems filled with wild plants and animals.
Happy International Day for Biological Diversity to all!