Ms. Ivonne Higuero has been named as the new Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Ms. Higuero is an environmental economist with a career spanning 26 years in international organizations in the area of sustainable development. She is a national of Panama and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Missouri (United States of America) and a Masters’ of Environmental Management Degree in Natural Resource Economics and Policy from Duke University (United States of America).
During her 24 years with the UN, she has held varied roles managing financial and human resources, overseeing the implementation of programmes of work and the provision of secretariat services to intergovernmental bodies. She has experience working at the global, regional and national levels, and engaging with stakeholders across the public and private sectors.
Between 2014 and 2018, she served in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, most recently as the Director of the Economic Cooperation and Trade Division where she led and supervised programmes on trade facilitation, access to markets, innovation and competitiveness policies and public-private partnerships. Prior to this, she was Director of the Commission’s Forests, Land and Housing Division and Chief of the Operational Activities and Review Section of the Environment Division.
Commenting on her appointment, Ms Higuero said: “It is an honour and a privilege for me to have been selected for this exciting assignment.”
The preamble to the Convention, noting the ever-growing value of wild fauna and flora from aesthetic, scientific, cultural, recreational and economic points of view, has never been truer and it fits very well with Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. I look forward very much to assisting the Parties to implement CITES to the highest standard.
Carolina Caceres, representing Canada as current Chair of the CITES Standing Committee welcomed the appointment saying: “CITES Parties will be delighted that the post of Secretary-General has been filled and impressed with the long and broad experience of Ivonne Higuero.”
On behalf of the Parties, I would like to warmly welcome her to CITES and wish her every success with her new appointment”.
Ms Higuero joins the CITES Secretariat as it prepares for the 18th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to be held in Sri Lanka in May-June next year.
Source: CITES
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Annamiticus works to protect imperiled species by advocating for enforcement of wildlife crime laws, educating the public about the wildlife trafficking crisis, and scrutinizing wildlife trade issues.