Notification to the Parties

CONCERNING:

FIJI

Temporary withdrawal of the recommendation to suspend trade

1. In Notification to the Parties No. 2002/003 (14 January 2002) the Secretariat informed Parties that, pursuant to Decision 11.16, the Conference of the Parties recommended that, with immediate effect, all Parties should refuse any import from and export or re-export to Fiji of specimens of CITES-listed species until further notice.

2. At its 46th meeting (Geneva, 12-15 March 2002) the Standing Committee agreed to withdraw temporarily the recommendation to suspend trade, in light of the commitment of the Government of Fiji to enact national legislation for the implementation of the Convention before the end of 2002. Simultaneously, Fiji agreed to implement an action plan to address concerns over the unsustainable levels of trade in corals from Fiji that existed before the Standing Committee recommended the suspension of trade.

3. The Secretariat reported at the 47th meeting of the Standing Committee (Santiago, 1-2 November 2002) that Fiji had developed a draft Endangered and Protected Species Bill 2002 that would be tabled in Parliament during November 2002, but that adoption was unlikely before early 2003. The Secretariat further reported that it had been unable to verify Fiji’s full compliance with the action plan and accordingly had not issued a Notification to the Parties temporarily withdrawing the recommendation to suspend trade.

4. On December 2002, Fiji provided the Secretariat with additional coral trade information which enabled the Secretariat to verify Fiji’s compliance with the agreed action plan.

5. Accordingly, the Secretariat informs the Parties that the recommendation to suspend trade contained in Notification to the Parties No. 2002/003 is temporarily withdrawn with immediate effect.

6. The Standing Committee will review Fiji’s legislative progress at its 49th meeting and determine whether the recommendation to suspend trade should be re-imposed or definitively withdrawn.