52nd CIC General Assembly Closes with Important Decisions in Abu Dhabi
CIC Puts Focus on Cultural Value of Hunting and Takes Important Decisions for the Organisation’s Future
Abu Dhabi, 16 March 2005
Communiqué de presse en français / Pressemitteilung auf deutsch
Read the Resolutions and Recommendations of the 52nd CIC GA
With the re-election of President Dieter Schramm for another three years' term, the move of the organisation’s legal seat from Paris to Vienna and the taking up of the Addis Ababa Principles and Guidelines for the Sustainable Use of Biodiversity (co-developed by CIC and adopted by 188 states) as basis for its policy, the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) has set the course for the future.
Globally accepted as a prerequisite for conservation, the sustainable use of wildlife and all derived economic, cultural and social benefits were strongly promoted by the CIC in Abu Dhabi from 12 to 16 March. Over 350 members of the organization, including scientists, government representatives and envoys of the United Nations met to hold the 52nd CIC General Assembly with the theme “Falconry: A World Heritage”.
In Abu Dhabi, a Chinese government delegation participated for the second time in a CIC General Assembly, and signed an agreement with the CIC for a close collaboration on wildlife conservation in the Peoples Republic of China. Other government representatives came e.g. from Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, and Tunisia.
H.H. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Education welcomed the delegates in the United Arab Emirates on behalf of Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. “Conservation is a critical issue that links our present with our future”, he stated and added that Sheikh Hamdan hoped that this “meeting will encourage creative thinking and stimulate concern around the world for game and wildlife conservation.” Pointing at the UAE’s relation with CIC, Sheikh Nahyan stated: “We always look to organizations like CIC to improve international dialogue and enhance international cooperation.”
At the Opening Ceremony, further addresses were given by representatives of nature and wildlife conservation agencies and organizations like Robert Hepworth, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), Stephen Nash, Chief of Capacity Building Unit of CITES, and Robert Kenward of the Sustainable Use Specialist Group of IUCN – The World Conservation Union. CIC Legal Advisor Dr. Wolfgang Burhenne gave an introduction to the sustainable use rules of the Islamic world.
The CIC also received encouraging support for its international work from the Austrian Minister for Health and Women, Maria Rauch-Kallat. In her speech, she congratulated the CIC for the achievements of the last year, particularly the adoption of the Addis Ababa Principles and Guidelines for the Sustainable Use of Biodiversity – a document signed by the 188 contracting states of the Biodiversity Convention, CITES and IUCN, and now adopted as basis for CIC’s sustainable use policy. Minister Rauch-Kallat encouraged the CIC to promote further close co-operation with other international organizations, the United Nations and environmental conventions. CIC’s work is being carried out for the benefit of wildlife, the promotion of sustainable hunting and the safeguard of an important cultural heritage.
"Here in the UAE" said CIC President Dieter Schramm, “we find a fascinating symbiosis of traditional and modern lifestyles – a fact, which the world will appreciate more and more. Here, we see living proof of how the open-minded development of urban life goes hand in hand with a great opportunity for a deep-felt understanding of the countryside – a clear reminder to some societies in other parts of the world. Falconry, the motto of this year's General Assembly, is a model.”
The 52nd General Assembly was clearly a breakthrough for the CIC: with overwhelming majority, the delegates voted for the move of the organisation’s legal seat from Paris to Vienna, hereby welcoming the decision of the Austrian Government to grant the CIC the status of an international non-governmental organization working in the public interest.
The triennial election of officers also took place in Abu Dhabi: the old President is the new one! Dieter Schramm was reelected for another term with vast majority and an unprecedented standing ovation. The Vice-Presidents elected represent various regions of the world, including Europe and Western Asia.
The global character of the CIC was underlined by the fact that after Abu Dhabi the CIC will set as its highest priority to communicate both to the general public and to politicians the fundamental shift in conservation policy – sustainable use today is realised around the globe as the vital basis for conservation. The CIC’s further role is clearly shown by the subjects of its Resolutions and Recommendations adopted by the General Assembly.
The 53rd General Assembly of the CIC will take place in Cyprus in May 2006.
