CITES Sec. Gen. gives thumbs up for SL to host World Wildlife Conference in May

Tourism Development and Wildlife Minister John Amaratunga visited the Ministry and discussed issues relating to the sector yesterday. He was accompanied by State Minister Ranjith Aluvihare and Wildlife Department Director General M.G.C. Sooriyabandara

• Over 3,000 delegates, foreign media to participate 
• Minister assures that Sri Lanka on track to meet deadlines set by CITES 

By Charumini de Silva

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Secretary General Ivonne Higuero expressed her confidence and satisfaction on the preparation progress made by Sri Lanka Tourism to host its World Wildlife Conference in May in Colombo.

Secretary General Higuero, who was on a brief visit to Sri Lanka last week, met with Tourism Development and Wildlife Minister John Amaratunga, State officials, and the event organisers to evaluate Sri Lanka’s preparedness to host the conference, following the conclusion of the political crisis that dragged on for nearly two months.

“We have no doubt of the commitment of Sri Lanka to have this meeting here. I understand that situation in the country has stabilised, but what I need to see is that during the next few months, we can pull off this together,” she urged the Minister and the team in Sri Lanka.

The triennial conference is scheduled to be held from 23 May to 3 June 2019 at the BMICH in Colombo, with over 3,000 foreign delegates and media expected to participate. 

In addition to hosting the conference, Higuero noted that Sri Lanka’s tourism industry will benefit, with the exposure to international media as well as the influx of foreign delegates, who have already planned to travel to Sri Lanka with their families. 

“There will be 3,000 delegates attending the conference, and there could be many more, because Sri Lanka is a special place. The foreign media will be here throughout the conference. I already know that many delegates have made arrangements for their holidays either just before or just after the meeting,” she said. 

According to CITES, it was the first time since 1992 that an island nation has been selected to host the conference, and the second time the conference is being held in South Asia. 

Higuero pointed out that Sri Lanka would be the ideal location to host the conference, due to its wildlife and diversity. 

“Sri Lanka is an excellent place to have such an important meeting, in particular because of its diversity, its wildlife, and its natural protected areas. This is an important meeting at the global level, and we only have it every three years to make decisions concerning the species of flora and fauna endangered,” she added.  

During the discussions, Tourism Development and Wildlife Minister John Amaratunga assured the Secretary General that Sri Lanka was on track to meet the deadlines set by CITES in preparations for the conference. 

“The preparation has been made for the CITES Wold Conference over the past one year. There was a slight disruption of one and half months, which would have created a doubt on your mind as well. The Government is functioning according to the democratic principles; there is nothing to fear. I can assure you now that we are back to normalcy, and our officials will work on a full time basis towards meeting the necessary requirements, in order to ensure a successful CITES conference in Sri Lanka in May,” he said.