Joint Bern Convention/CMS Taskforce
The annual meeting of the joint Network of Special Focal Points on Eradication of Illegal Killing, Trapping and Trade in Wild Birds (Bern SFPs Network) and the CMS Intergovernmental Task Force on the Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds in the Mediterranean (MIKT) was held, online, in June, and IAF attended this virtual meeting. Opportunities were given for government entities and NGOs to report on progress against illegal killing and trade and IAF made the following report, detailing the work of the IAF.
"IAF held a workshop on the Prevention of Illegal Killing in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East in Abu Dhabi in August 2019, with the support of the UAE Government, the Emirates Falconry Club, and the International Houbara Fund. It included representatives of five governments, and from the CMS, the Raptors MoU, from BirdLife partners in the region and from other NGOs, and a declaration was agreed and published online, calling for implementation of all existing IUCN and CMS recommendations and resolutions on IKB, in the languages of the countries concerned.
As a result of that workshop the IAF began a workplan, with the priority of increasing language capacity. We now have a capacity to translate documents, presentations and social media into all the languages of the region, using native speakers familiar with specialized vocabulary. This has added bonuses in that our IAF Translations Group has also translated documents for the IUCN. Joining our Translations Group has proved a good way to include young people in conservation and to encourage them to take an active role.
In March 2020 the IAF met with the Egyptian government and stakeholders, in Cairo, to develop a positive plan to enforce legislation against markets where illegal trade is carried out, and to unite the stake-holding falconry clubs in a federation to be led by the government, with IAF in advisory capacity. This work is on-going. The key to our workplan is to involve the falconers, by encouraging formally constituted clubs, to be recognised by their governments and by the IAF, to develop codes of conduct. This reduces the government funding required for other methods of preventing illegal trade and makes policing easier, which is important since most governments in this region have limited funds.
During those meetings in Cairo the Pandemic hit, and the IAF work-plan had to be put on hold, because further implementation required face-to-face meetings. As soon as international travel is allowed, this work plan will continue and will include other countries where it is needed, such as Tunisia. We are scheduled to meet again to kick-start plans in Abu Dhabi, the first week of October when we hope we shall all be allowed to travel again."
We made several other interventions during the three-day meeting, including one opposing the holding of closed online meetings of small "groups of experts" within the MIKT task force, which would have led to transparency being compromised. Again and again, we have proved that it is necessary for IAF to attend all the meetings of the various conventions and agencies concerned with conservation, in order to prevent adverse regulations from being accepted by consensus. If we are not there the falconers' voice is not heard.
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