19 November 2012: New documents for consideration at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP 16) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) have been made available on CITES’ website. The documents pertain to: the revised Strategic Vision; the decision-making mechanism for a process of trade in ivory; and saiga antelope.The revised Strategic Vision for consideration at CoP 16 incorporates the contribution to the implementation of the relevant outcomes of UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), including to promote the development of a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication.

In the document on the decision-making mechanism for future trade in elephant ivory, the Secretariat agrees with several of the stakeholders that substantial additional discussion is required to come to a conclusion. The Secretariat also recognizes that dialogues among key stakeholders, particularly the African elephant range States, could take place before or during CoP 16 to build agreement toward a way forward.

The Secretariat’s submission on saiga antelope highlights that the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) Secretariat, as well as various NGOs, expressed concern about the ongoing construction of a border fence between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, reportedly to curb drug smuggling, which could become a barrier for saiga migration and facilitate poaching. [CITES Documents]