WORLD WILDLIFE DAY

03 MARCH

The Conference of the Parties (CoP) to the Convention on International Trade

in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES1), during its 16th meeting
in Bangkok, Thailand in March 2013, issued Resolution Conf. 16.1 declaring
March 3 of each year as World Wildlife Day, and invites the United Nations
General Assembly to consider declaring 3 March as World Wildlife Day.
The United Nations General Assembly, at its 68th session on 20 December
2013, proclaimed 3 March, the day of the adoption of the CITES, as World
Wildlife Day.
The World Wildlife Day would provide an opportunity to celebrate the many
beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora; raise awareness of the
multitude of benefits that wildlife provides to people; and, raise awareness of
the urgent need to step up the fight against wildlife crime, which has wideranging economic, environmental and social impacts.
In pursuit of the cited Resolution Conf. and our commitment as a Party to the
CITES, the Philippines through the DENR-BMB joins the rest of the CITESmember nations as well as non-government organizations worldwide in
celebrating the World Wildlife Day.

CITES is an international agreement between governments which aim is to ensure that international trade in
specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. It entered into force on 1 July 1975. The
Philippines is a member country to CITES since 16 November 1981. Presently, the Convention has 180
member-States.