Streamlining CITES

• Short article: Let’s talk about how to streamline CITES
• AWEI at CITES CoP 20

This policy brief on streamlining CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) reviews CITES' agenda and working arrangements with a view to improving its effectiveness and efficiency. It aims to assist Parties and stakeholders in considering how CITES can be streamlined to better deliver on its Vision, which is that, by 2030, all international trade in wild fauna and flora is legal and sustainable. 

Section 1 outlines the rationale for improving the functioning of CITES, drawing on the Convention text, the CITES Strategic Vision: 2021–2030, and the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. 

Section 2 examines how the key institutional components of the Convention – the CoP, the Secretariat, and the Parties – can each focus more closely on their core functions – i.e., the CoP on amending the Appendices, the Secretariat on administering the Appendices and assisting the Parties, and the Parties on issuing trade permits. 

Section 3 analyses the current agenda of CoP 20 from a “mandate alignment” perspective and proposes a streamlined agenda for CoP 21 and beyond that could enhance CITES’ effectiveness and reduce costs.

The recommendations presented are intended to spark informal yet open discussions in the corridors at CoP 20 on how the Convention can refocus on its founding purpose: ensuring that international cooperation prevents the over-exploitation of wild species through trade, and that CITES remains fit for purpose in achieving its 2030 Vision. Streamlining CITES is a pathway to revitalising it.