In the Fight against Wildlife Crime, ECOWAS Member States adopt the “Abuja Declaration on Conservation Priorities for the 18th Meeting of the CITES Conference of the Parties 2019”

Abuja, Nigeria, 29 March 2019 – In the face of continued levels of illegal wildlife trade, which is destroying the natural and cultural heritage of their region and undermines sovereign efforts to manage their own resources, West African nations, under the auspices of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met to define a common regional position ahead of the 18^th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP18) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The two-day preparatory meeting, hosted by ECOWAS March 28^th -29th, reviewed several proposals to save endangered West African species. These proposals, and others from around the world, will be tabled at, CITES CoP18 to be held May 23^rd – June 3^rd in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Final ECOWAS Pre_CITES COP18 Press Release #ENG