The Parties to CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), the CITES Secretariat, and a wide array of stakeholders are now in their final preparations for the 20th Conference of the Parties  (CoP 20). It opens on the 24th of November in Samarkand, and the agenda is massive. With over 110 agenda items, many with numerous sub-items, the CoP has its work cut out for it. However, does the agenda really need to be this large and complex? Perhaps it’s time to start talking about how to streamline CITES.

To support a conversation in the corridors of CoP 20, colleagues from the African Wildlife Economy Institute (AWEI) at Stellenbosch University and the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) looked at what could be cut. We reviewed the massive agenda in light of the Convention's original aims and the CITES Vision, which states that “by 2030, all international trade in wild fauna and flora is legal and sustainable.” We also kept in mind the strategic role that CITES can play in support of Target 5 of the Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to ensure legal and sustainable use, harvesting, and trade of wild species. 

In our brief on Streamlining CITES, we propose that the CoP should primarily focus on amending the Appendices, that the Secretariat should focus on supporting the CoP and providing capacity assistance to the Parties, and that the Parties should focus on facilitating the legal and sustainable trade in wild species. Everything else could be cut or moved. Future CoPs could then also go online. In so doing, there could be significant cost savings and much-needed gains in efficiency and effectiveness.

With a streamlined and focused CITES, the Parties would have more time to consider the implications of amendments to the Appendices and, most importantly, more capacity to issue permits and certificates for wildlife trade. Though December 2030 is only five years away, at CoP 21 in three years, a rapid streamlining process could be adopted and, by 2030, the Parties could be entirely focused on ensuring legal and sustainable wildlife trade. 

At CoP 20 in Samarkand, it’s time to start talking about streamlining CITES.

AWEI Policy Brief: Streamlining CITES

AWEI event page: CITES COP20

  • Dr Francis Vorhies

    AWEI Director