CITES CoP18 will be held in Colombo in May 2019

(FASTNEWS|COLOMBO) – The Secretariat of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), the global treaty that regulates wildlife trade, announced that the next meeting of its Conference of the Parties (CoP18) will be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 23 May to 03 June 2019.

Sri Lanka’s offer to host CoP18 was accepted at CoP17 held in October 2016 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Representatives from 183 member countries and international organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), various Environmental Organisations and Journalists from around the world will participate in this event.

CITES was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of IUCN (The World Conservation Union). The text of the Convention was finally agreed at a meeting of Representatives of 80 countries in Washington, D.C., the United States (US), on 03 March 1973, and on 01 July 1975 CITES entered in force.

A special discussion regarding the preparatory works of the conference was held with the participation of Secretary to the President Udaya R. Senevirathne at the Presidential Secretariat, on Friday (17).

Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, John Amarathunga, Gamini Jayawickrama Perera, Secretary to the Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment Anura Dissanayake, officials and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) participated in this discussion.