3 October 2013: The Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has announced that an amendment to the Convention will enter into force allowing regional economic integration organizations to accede to the Convention. The amendment, known as the ‘Gaborone amendment,’ was adopted in Gaborone, Botswana, 30 years ago, on 30 April 1983.

With the acceptance by Costa Rica on 30 September 2013, the two-thirds proportion needed for the amendment to enter into force has been reached. The amendment will enter into force on 29 November 2013. [CITES News]