Acting Asst. Sec. Judith Garber Travels to South Africa

Office of the Spokesperson
Department of State
Washington, DC
September 26, 2016

Acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Judith Garber will travel to Pretoria and Johannesburg, South Africa, September 26–30, to meet with South African government officials, officials from other governments, and representatives from non-governmental organizations, and participate in the 17th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

On September 27 in Pretoria, Acting Assistant Secretary Garber will meet with the CEO of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and then participate in a presentation on its Cmore platform and U.S.-funded initiative for Joint Wildlife Crime Investigation and Analysis. During the presentation, she will learn how the Cmore platform can help reduce wildlife trafficking by improving data collection, sharing, and analysis.

Additionally, she will travel to Johannesburg on September 27 to speak at a reception co-hosted by the U.S. Mission to South Africa and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, along with partners, Discovery Communications and the U.S. Wildlife Trafficking Alliance, to celebrate CITES COP 17 and discuss the role of the private sector in combating illegal wildlife trade. Acting Assistant Secretary Garber will highlight U.S. assistance and cooperation with South Africa to combat wildlife trafficking and help launch a U.S. Fish and Wildlife public service announcement with Discovery Communications.

September 28-29, the Acting Assistant Secretary will speak at the Second Global Meeting of the Wildlife Enforcement Networks. She will emphasize the importance of Wildlife Enforcement Networks and the key role they play in helping combat wildlife trafficking, and the benefits the United States sees in linking together a “network of Networks.” She will also meet with government officials and representatives from non-governmental organizations in this timeframe.

Follow the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs on Twitter @StateDeptOES for updates on Acting Assistant Secretary Garber’s trip.