Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP12)

The Twelfth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP12) is being held in Manila, the Philippines, from 23 to 28 October 2017 – the first time that the COP will ever have been held in Asia. The COP will be preceded by a High Level Panel (22 October) which will be moderated by a leading international broadcast journalist and will involve dignitaries and celebrities including executives of international organizations and prominent goodwill ambassadors. On the eve of COP, an Award ceremony under the Migratory Species Champion Programme (Champion Night) will be held (22 October). Several governments, organizations and companies will be recognized as Migratory Species Champions for their long-term support to initiatives that benefit migratory species.

The slogan for the Conference is “Their Future is Our Future – Sustainable Development for Wildlife & People”, links to the Sustainable Development Goals agreed by the world’s governments in 2015 to end poverty and hunger, improve health and education, combat climate change and protect oceans and forests.  The CMS COP will place particular emphasis on the fact that migratory animals provide vital services that satisfy people’s everyday needs – as a source of food and medicine, as pollinators and seed dispersers, and as a means of pest control. Migratory species can also fire our imagination with their majestic presence and beauty and inspire us with their intrepid journeys across deserts and oceans. COP12 presents an opportunity to place the cause of nature conservation centre stage in the wider debate about the future of the planet and the fate of its residents – human and animal.  Delegates will be able to highlight the fact that global efforts to reach SDG will and must be beneficial for people and wildlife