High Level Panel Discussion on “How can implementing CMS contribute to the achievement of the SDGs?”
At the onset of the 12th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) in Manila, the Philippines (23-28 October 2017), the host Government of the Philippines hosted a High-Level Panel Discussion in the afternoon of October 22nd, where ministers from around the world and executives of international organizations addressed the connections between sustainable development and the conservation of wildlife with a special focus on migratory species and the Sustainable Development Goals. An open round table setting enabled the panelists to engage in an interactive debate. The discussion aimed to result in a Declaration which will be presented to the Conference of the Parties for its consideration and adoption.
The CIC was highly honored to participate in the panel discussion alongside ministers and heads of UN Conventions and International Organizations. The topic centered on how CMS could best contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
CIC Director General, Tamás Marghescu, representing the CIC at the event, had the opportunity to contribute to the discussion twice by first bringing up the lack of awareness of the Convention’s work on the ground, where implementation really should materialize. Awareness raising measures and the mobilization and consultation of stakeholders are needed to foster the implementation of Convention decisions.
The constituency of the CIC, with more than 30 million hunters represented, is ready to assist implementation on the ground in many ways, he said. Further, he questioned the present model of sustainability with the pillars of economy, environment, and society being equally ranking. Tamás Marghescu suggested that environment should be the foundation of the social and economic pillars rather than being a pillar itself.
Mr. Marghescu’s second intervention related to the discussion on alternative income generation through eco-tourism, he strongly emphasized that hunting bans and hunting trophy transportation bans are not acceptable without compensating those who are losing their livelihoods. Such bans certainly do not contribute to income generation, but are rather counter-productive.
In the coming days, the CIC is coordinating its action with other organizations promoting conservation through sustainable use present in Manila, such as FACE, SCI, IAF, and BASC.
Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)
As an environmental treaty under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme, CMS provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats. CMS brings together the States through which migratory animals pass, the Range States, and lays the legal foundation for internationally coordinated conservation measures throughout a migratory range.
As the only global convention specializing in the conservation of migratory species, their habitats and migration routes, CMS complements and co-operates with a number of other international organizations, NGOs and partners in the media as well as in the corporate sector.