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THE HAGUE— At 12.00 on 3
June 2007 at the World Forum Convention Centre, Born Free Foundation
and the Species Survival Network, globally recognized wildlife
conservation leaders, will distribute fully-equipped laptop computers
to government delegates from 30 countries to ensure full participation
in the meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
“Some of the most imperiled
wildlife species on the planet are native to the poorest countries and
we must do all we can to ensure that lack of resources does not prevent
these delegates from fully participating in the debate and decisions
that could effect the levels of protection afforded threatened and
endangered animals and plants. We are extremely grateful to our friends
at the Dell computer company in England for helping make this project a
reality” said Will Travers, CEO of Born Free USA and Chairman
of the Species Survival Network.
The delegates, from countries spread
widely across Africa and Asia, will receive new, multi-media laptop
computers with wireless internet capability. SSN’s dedicated
IT team have personalized each machine in the language of the recipient
and downloaded all official documents necessary to participate actively
in the weighty CITES deliberations.
Travers added: “Our single
goal is to prevent the disenfranchisement of delegates from countries
at the bottom of the United Nations Human Development Index. In fact,
some nations with policies directly opposed to our own will receive
these machines. Born Free and SSN welcome informed, intelligent debate,
and with this modest donation of computer equipment, we advance that
important dialogue.”
Over the next 2 weeks (June 3rd -
15th) CITES Parties will consider proposals affecting the global
protection of African elephants, Asian big cats, great whales, North
American bobcats, leopards, rhinos, sharks, coral, slow lorises, and a
variety of plant and tree species.
Delegates from the following
countries are slated to receive the computers: Niger, Sierra Leone,
Mali, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Burundi,
Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Zambia, Ivory Coast, Benin,
Guinea, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Mauritania, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Yemen,
Djibouti, Togo, Cameroon, Madagascar, Republic of Congo, Ghana, Bhutan,
Lao PDR, and Cambodia. “We sincerely hope that we will be
able to continue building capacity in developing countries for years to
come and that other organizations, governments, and Treaty support
bodies, will follow suit,” Travers concluded.
For more information contact:
Adam Roberts, Press Officer,
Born Free USA / SSN In The Hague: 06-5213 6798 E-mail: press@ssn.org
Globally: 1-202-445-3572
WORLD
FORUM CONVENTION CENTRE
10, Churchillplein NL-2508 THE HAGUE
www.bornfree.org.uk
www.ssn.org
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