On 20 December 2013, the Sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly decided to proclaim 3 March, the day of the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as World Wildlife Day.

The General Assembly requested the CITES Secretariat, in collaboration with relevant organizations of the United Nations system, to facilitate the implementation of World Wildlife Day.

This day provides the ideal opportunity to, inter alia;

• Celebrate the many beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora;
• Recall the privileged interactions between wildlife and populations across the globe, and
• Raise awareness of the urgent need to step up the fight against wildlife crime, which has wide-ranging economic, environmental and social impacts.

The Resolution (A/RES/68/205) and the notification to CITES Parties can be found below:

• United Nations General Assembly resolution: PDF documents in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Chinese.
• Notification to the Parties to CITES. PDF