ABU DHABI: The UAE Ministry of Environment and Water, MoEW, has participated in the 65th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), which concluded recently in Geneva, Switzerland. The delegation from the UAE was headed by Dr Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Executive Director, Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity, Environment Agency, Abu Dhabi, and Ahmed Al Hashimi, Director of Bio-diversity, MoEW.

The country’s participation falls in line with the UAE’s efforts to reduce the proliferation of wildlife crimes, particularly through the implementation of standards and requirements introduced by Cites, says a release issued by the Ministry of Environment and Water. Regular Standing Committee meetings focus on the discussion of technical topics that remain relevant to the implementation of resolutions resulting from the convention. All discussed recommendations for the recent meeting will be submitted at the coming 17th Conference of the Parties, which will be held in 2016 in South Africa. Cites’ wild fauna and flora strategy was reviewed during the meeting, where reports of regional and international organisations like the Convention Corporation, Migratory Species, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), International Union Against Crime (IUAC) and The International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) were also presented. Dissensions were also tackled and discussed with regard to the accumulation of confiscated specimens, sea shipments, electronic permits, animal transport and the review and discussion of reports on cheetah and ivory smuggling. (Source : The Gulf Today)