SEAFDEC takes part in 33rd Meeting of Animals Committee

The Senior Policy Officer from the SEAFDEC Secretariat, Ms. Pattaratjit Kaewnuratchadasorn, and the Senior Expert and Assistant Project Manager for the Japanese Trust Fund Programs, Mr. Fumiya Takahashi, took part in the 33^rd Meeting of Animals Committee (AC33) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) convened on 12–19 July 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland. The AC33 was attended by the CITES Animal Committee members from six geographical regions (Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Central and South America and the Caribbean, and Oceania), observer parties, and observer organizations.

During the AC33, the discussions focused on CITES trade regulations and compliance, capacity building, and other relevant topics. The AC33 also reviewed the species-specific matters of endangered animals including aquatic species (e.g. sharks and rays, eels, seahorses, and marine ornamental fishes,  among others). Moreover, in-session working groups were established to consider and discuss specific issues and draft recommendations for reporting back to the plenary discussion of AC33, where SEAFDEC participated in the working groups on sharks, seahorses, and Review of Significant Trade. SEAFDEC also made a short statement on its ongoing initiatives to enhance the capacity of the ASEAN Member States (AMSs) in identifying sharks and rays species and improving data collection for appropriate CITES implementation. The recommendations from the AC33 will be further considered at the upcoming 78^th Meeting of the Standing Committee and Conference of the Parties (COP) of CITES in 2025.