30 October 2011: A Regional Meeting on Electronic Information Management and Permitting under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) agreed on the desirability of promoting regional cooperation among CITES and customs authorities on implementing e-permitting going forward, with help from the Secretariats of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) and CITES, and the World Customs Organization.

Co-sponsored by the Government of Brazil and the Permanent Secretariat of ACTO, the meeting convened in Brasilia, Brazil, from 26-28 October 2011. It was attended by delegations from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela, as well as representatives of ACTO and the CITES Secretariat.

The meeting discussed current CITES permitting systems among ACTO member States and the transition to an e-permitting system. The new electronic systems will allow the harmonization of CITES and customs controls and data standards, while providing more efficient tracing of trade in wildlife products. Brazil’s national environment agency, the Brazilian Institution of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), discussed their e-permitting system and their offer to share knowledge and technologies with other ACTO countries. [ACTO Press Release (Spanish)]