Namibia Threatens to Withdraw Cites Membership
Environment and tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta has come out strongly against CITES' decision to ban ivory from being sold on international markets.
Livingstone — Environment and tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta has come out strongly against CITES' decision to ban ivory from being sold on international markets.
In an interview with New Era on the sidelines of the just-ended KAZA summit in Livingstone, he said if the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) refuses member states to sell off ivory stockpiles, they will withdraw their membership.
"If CITES refuses, we have some alternatives and plans. We can go for arbitration. This arbitration is provided for by the World Trade Organisaton, which international law allows especially when we are unnecessarily or unreasonably refused or restrained from exercising our rights as member states. Or, we have to look at other alternatives to completely withdraw from CITES," he threatened.
Shifeta said Namibia is ahead of many countries when it comes to community-based natural resources' management programmes' which are well-planned. Equally, he lauded Namibia for having more well-managed conservancies.
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