The following statement was released today from the Wildlife Conservation Society on the postponement the18th meeting of the CITES Conference of the Parties (CoP18), originally scheduled to take place from May 23 to June 3 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Dr. Susan Lieberman, Vice President of International Policy for WCS said:
“Yesterday, the CITES Secretariat announced the postponement of the 18th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP18) scheduled to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka May 23 to June 3, due to the recent horrific terrorist attacks and security issues in the country. All of us at WCS are heartbroken for the victims and their families, and the people of Sri Lanka, and we support this decision to postpone this important meeting.
“This is the first time in its more than 45-year history that a CITES CoP has been postponed less than a month before the meeting. The WCS delegation to the meeting, with representatives from all continents, looks forward to the new date, and to visiting the beautiful country of Sri Lanka, and to strong conservation decisions benefiting wildlife species subject to international trade.”
To learn more about WCS recommendations at CITES CoP18, please visit: www.wcs.org/cites.
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