African fisheries workshop to strengthen legal frameworks
Regional gathering in Addis Ababa will focus on aligning national fisheries law with CITES requirements for marine species
A regional workshop is planned for the end of September to assist African States implement national legal frameworks on implementing CITES.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Secretariat and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) have invited parties and observers to a regional workshop on implementing CITES through national fisheries legal frameworks for countries in Africa.
The workshop will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 29 September to 1 October 2026, with the exact venue still to be confirmed, and is funded with financial support from Switzerland.
Background and objectives
The workshop follows decisions adopted at the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties and builds on earlier workshops attended by CITES management authorities and national fisheries authorities from 31 countries across the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Objectives include strengthening the understanding of CITES requirements for marine species in Africa; sharing relevant CITES and FAO tools and guidance; exchanging national experience on making legal acquisition findings for marine species, and promoting cooperation between CITES and fisheries authorities.
Nominations and funding
Eligible parties and regional organisations, including regional fisheries bodies and regional seas programmes, may each nominate two participants: one from the CITES management authority and one from the national fisheries authority. Nominees should ideally have experience in CITES implementation or in fisheries law, management and trade in wildlife, including sharks.
Funding is available to cover travel, accommodation and subsistence costs for nominated and confirmed participants from 15 to 18 parties, selected against criteria set out in the notification.
Funding is available to cover travel, accommodation and subsistence costs for nominated and confirmed participants from 15 to 18 parties, selected against criteria set out in the notification. These include being a coastal African state, a developing country, and being engaged in international trade in CITES-listed marine species. Gender balance will also be taken into account during selection.
Registration must be completed by 31 July 2026, once nominations have been confirmed. The workshop's working languages will be English and French, with simultaneous interpretation. Notification No. 2026/100, issued from Geneva on 3 July 2026, asks interested parties and regional organisations to submit nominations by 20 July 2026. Nominations should be emailed to info@cites.org and julia.nakamura@fao.org, with a copy to salma.sahnoun@fao.org, deleuil@cites.org and stavros.antoniadis@cites.org.
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