Decisions of the Conference of the Parties to CITES in effect after the 17th meeting

At each of its meetings, the Conference of the Parties to CITES considers means of improving the implementation of the Convention and its effectiveness. The results of its deliberations are in the form of recommendations (Article XI, paragraph 3) that are recorded either in Resolutions or in Decisions of the Conference of the Parties. Resolutions are generally intended to provide long-standing guidance. Decisions, are more short term in nature. This means that they are to be implemented, often by a specified time, and then become redundant by the next Conference of the Parties and are deleted. Typically they contain instructions to a specific Committee or to the Secretariat.

A document containing all valid Decisions is compiled by the Secretariat after each meeting of the Conference of the Parties. Decisions that are in effect after the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties are available below.

Download all valid Decisions:

Administrative and financial matters

17.1 to 17.9 Rules of Procedure
17.10 to 17.16 Access to funding
17.17 Sponsored Delegates Project

Strategic matters

17.18 to 17.21 CITES Strategic Vision
17.22 to 17.25 Appendix-I listed species
16.9 (Rev. CoP17) to 16.10 (Rev. CoP17) Potential conflict of interest in the Animals and Plants Committees
17.26 to 17.27 Youth engagement
17.28 to 17.30 Rural communities
17.31 to 17.35 Capacity building
17.36 to 17.40 Livelihoods
17.41 to 17.43 Food security and livelihoods
17.44 to 17.48 Demand reduction
17.49 World Wildlife Day
Cooperation with organizations and Multilateral Environmental Agreements
17.50 to 17.51 Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
16.13 (Rev. CoP17) to 16.16 (Rev. CoP17) Intergovernmental sciencepolicy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
17.52 International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC)
17.53 to 17.54 Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC)
17.55 to 17.56 Cooperation with other biodiversity-related conventions

Interpretation and implementation matters

Compliance and enforcement
17.58 to 17.64 National laws for implementation of the Convention
17.65 to 17.69 Compliance matters
17.70 to 17.82 National ivory action plans process
17.83 to 17.85 Enforcement matters
17.86 Community awareness on wildlife trafficking
17.87 to 17.88 Domestic markets for frequently illegally traded specimens
17.89 to 17.91 Specimens produced from synthetic or cultured DNA
17.92 to 17.96 and 15.57 Combating wildlife cybercrime
17.97 to 17.100 Wildlife crime enforcement support in West and Central Africa
17.101 to 17.107 and 14.69 Captive-bred and ranched specimens
17.108 to 17.111 Review of Significant Trade
14.73 (Rev. CoP17) to 14.74 (Rev. CoP17) and 17.112 to 17.113 Bushmeat
17.114 to 17.117 Quotas for leopard hunting trophies
17.118 to 17.119 Disposal of confiscated specimens
17.120 to 17.123 Reporting requirements
17.124 to 17.130 Illegal trade in cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)
17.131 to 17.132 Illegal trade in Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii)
17.133 to 17.144 Rhinoceroses (Rhinocerotidae spp.)
17.145 to 17.151 Totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi)
Review of Resolutions and Decisions
14.19 (Rev. CoP17) & 17.57 Resolutions and Decisions
Trade control and traceability
16.53 Non-detriment findings
17.152 to 17.155 Traceability
17.156 to 17.159 Electronic systems and information technologies
17.160 to 17.161 Identification materials
17.162 to 17.163 Identification (ivory)
17.164 to 17.165 Identification (tiger skins)
17.166 to 17.169 Identification (timber)
16.58 (Rev. CoP17) Physical inspection of timber shipments
17.170 Stocks and stockpiles (specimens of CITES-listed species)
17.171 to 17.172 Stocks and stockpiles (elephant ivory)
14.54 (Rev CoP17) Purpose codes on CITES permits and certificates
17.173 to 17.174 Simplified procedure for permits and certificates
17.175 to 17.177, 16.156 (Rev. CoP17) Definition of the term ‘artificially propagated’
17.178 to 17.180 Definition of the term 'appropriate and acceptable destinations'
17.181, 16.48 (Rev. CoP17) to 16.51 (Rev. CoP17) Introduction from the sea

Species specific matters

14.81 Great whales
16.136 (Rev. CoP17) to 16.138 (Rev. CoP17) and 17.182 to 17.185 Sturgeons and paddlefish (Acipenseriformes spp.)
17.186 to 17.189 Eels (Anguilla spp.)
17.190 to 17.193 Precious corals (Order Antipatharia and family Coralliidae)
16.157 (Rec. CoP17) & 17.194 to 17.200 Agarwood-producing taxa (Aquilaria spp. and Gyrinops spp.)
17.201 to 17.202 and 16.139 (Rev. CoP17) to 16.140 (Rev. CoP17), 15.87 (Rev. CoP17) Humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus)
17.203 to 17.208 Malagasy ebonies (Diospyros spp.) and palisanders and rosewoods (Dalbergia spp.)
17.209 to 17.216 Sharks and rays (Elasmobranchii spp.)
17.217 to 17.218 Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)
17.219 17.221 Bread palms (Encephalartos spp.)
17.222 to 17.223 Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and other marine turtles (Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae)
17.224 to 17.231 Asian big cats (Felidae spp.)
17.232 to 17.233 Great apes (Hominidae spp.)
17.234 Rosewood timber species [Leguminosae (Fabaceae)]
17.235 to 17.238 African wild dog (Lycaon pictus)
17.239 to 17.240 Pangolins (Manis spp.)
16.153 (Rev. CoP17) to 16.154 (Rev. CoP17) East African sandalwood (Osyris lanceolata)
17.241 to 17.245 African lion (Panthera leo)
17.246 to 17.249 Freshwater stingrays (Potamotrygonidae spp.)
17.250 to 17.252 African cherry (Prunus africana)
17.253 to 17.258 African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus)
17.259 to 17.263 Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni)
17.264 to 17.266 Helmeted hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil)
17.267 to 17.274 Saiga antelope (Saiga spp.)
17.275 to 17.284 Snakes (Serpentes spp.)
17.285 to 17.290 Queen conch (Strombus gigas)
17.291 to 17.298 Tortoises and freshwater turtles (Testudines spp.)
17.299 to 17.301 Black Sea bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus ponticus)
17.302 African tree species
16.159 (Rev. CoP17) Neotropical tree species

Amendment and maintenance of the Appendices

17.303 to 17.305 Appendix-III listings
17.306 to 17.308 Nomenclature (Identification of CITES-listed corals in trade)
17.309 to 17.310 Nomenclature (Use of time-specific versions of online databases as standard nomenclature references)
17.311 to 17.312 Nomenclature (Bird family and order names)
17.313 Nomenclature [African lion (Panthera leo)]
17.314 to 17.317 Nomenclature (Cactaceae checklist)
16.162 (Rev. CoP17) to 16.163 (Rev. CoP17) Annotations
17.318 to 17.319 Annotations for Appendix II orchids
16.160 (Rev. CoP17) Review of Resolution Conf. 10.9 on Consideration of proposals for the transfer of African elephant populations from Appendix I to Appendix II