69th General Assembly of the International Council
for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC)

20-23 April 2023

Paris, France
Pullmann Paris Montparnasse

Theme

Biodiversity 2030

Restore - Rewild - Remind

Building a roadmap to 2030.
Making use of innovative best practices, laid upon our roots and foundations.

The world is in crisis. Biodiversity and ecosystems are severely threatened. We need new approaches in order to create a truly diverse natural world for the future.

Welcome

Dr. Philip Harmer

Welcome from the President of the CIC

In 1930, Paris was the cradle of the CIC. It is where our forefathers first envisioned a need for an international organisation working for the interests of hunters, conservation and biodiversity.

Almost 100 years have passed since then, and the world has most certainly changed. The natural world is facing a crisis. Now more than ever, there is a need for the CIC to act as a leading figure in global conservation efforts.

Last year’s General Assembly in Riga focused on communications. Conserve – Convene – Communicate was the motto, which sought to explore how to best communicate the work and successes of the CIC, while further increasing its convening power.

A take home message from the event was that in order to communicate effectively, an organisation needs to be aligned in its identity and foundational roots.

Adopting the new CIC Statutes in Riga was a first step in this direction by placing greater emphasis on our work related to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and the UN One Health Agenda. This has furthered the CIC’s contribution to global 2030 sustainable development goals and to the recently adopted 2030 Global Biodiversity Framework.

This brings us to the 69th General Assembly in Paris, which will be held under the theme of Biodiversity 2030.

To have success going forwards, there will be a distinct need to think of new ways to conserve what we have at hand, and to bring back what we have lost. All while remembering the core values of the CIC.

That is why we have chosen the motto, Restore – Rewild – Remind.

This is what we hope to explore with you in Paris. In addition, this General Assembly will be particularly important, as we will elect the new Executive Committee and lay the foundations of the CIC Programme for 2030. Your attendance will be essential in shaping the CIC’s agenda for this decade.

Hunters are already providing essential services for the benefit of wider society. We must now define how, where and when we can best assist in global conservation efforts.

I look forward to seeing all of you in Paris.

Emmanuel Michau &
Prince Alexandre Poniatowski

Welcome from the CIC French Delegation

It is a great honour for us to welcome all of you to Paris for this upcoming General Assembly.

While the CIC was originally founded in this iconic city under the name Conseil International de la Chasse, our commitment to the protection of wildlife still remains the same.

With Biodiversity 2030 serving as the theme for the 69th General Assembly, it is important for us to recognise the importance of exchanging ideas now for the benefit of our future selves.

There are a number of proposals and initiatives that lie ahead of us that have the potential to greatly impact the resilience of the planet.

I therefore hope that you can make time in your calendar to delve into a number of prevailing conservation issues with us, along with a host of exciting speakers that we will be sharing with you in the coming months.

Of course, the General Assembly will also serve as a great opportunity for friends and partners of the CIC to meet and gather in person.

The Gala Dinner - and the conference portion of the event - will be hosted in the Hotel Pullman Montparnasse, which will serve as the perfect location to round off two days of deliberations and panel discussions.

Furthermore, the program includes a visit to an iconic and historic venue in the Automobile Club, an opportunity that should not be missed!

Most notably, however, we have a number of special and unique excursions lined up for all of you. The first of these excursions is a trip to Chambord, which will include a private tour of the Château de Chambord and an organised lunch.

There will also be a chance to visit the Maison de la Chasse et de la Nature, or the Museum of Hunting and Nature, a private museum dedicated to showcasing the relationships between humans and the natural environment through hunting traditions and practices.

We would encourage all of you to sign up for at least one of these outings; more information and details can be found on the registration page.

As a well-respected entity within the conservation world, the CIC should look to forge new paths towards global restoration efforts. This will be a challenging task, considering that mankind is largely the cause of the wildlife issues we see today.

We welcome you to be a part of this event in April later this year. We hope you will be able to attend and share the experience with all of us.

Program

Day 0

20th of April, Thursday

9:00 - 18:00 - Registration (Pullman Paris Montparnasse)

13:00 - 14:30 - Executive Committee Meeting (Senate, Palais du Luxembourg)

14:30 - Coffee break

14:45 - 16:30 - Council Meeting (Senate, Palais du Luxembourg)

16:45 - 18:15 - CIC Working Meetings (State members, Young Opinion, Artemis, Divisions - Senate, Palais du Luxembourg)

18:30 - Reception & Council Dinner (by invitation only - Senate, Palais du Luxembourg “Salons de Boffrand” (Dress Code: “Hunters elegant”))

Day 1

21st of April, Friday

7:30 - 20:00 - Registration (Pullman Paris Montparnasse)

9:00 - 9:45 - Opening Ceremony – 69th CIC General Assembly (Pullman Paris Montparnasse)

Philipp Harmer, President of the CIC

Bérangère Couillard, Secretary of State for Ecology, Ministry for the Ecological Transition (TBC)

Willy Schraen, President of the French National Hunters Federation

9:45 - Coffee Break

10:00 - 11:30 - Biodiversity 2030 - A Global Perspective

Audrey Azoulay Director-General UNESCO (TBC)

Razan Al Mubarak, IUCN President (TBC)

Dr. Musonda Mumba, Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Dr. Jacques Trouvilliez, Executive Secretary AEWA

Moderator: Shane Mahoney, President Policy & Law, CIC

11:30 - 12:30 - Biodiversity 2030 – A French Perspective

Speakers named by French CIC Delegation and French National Hunters Federation

12:30 - Lunch Break

14:00 - 15:00 - Biodiversity 2030: A Stakeholder Perspective

Dr. Kirsten Shuijt, Director General of WWF International (TBC)

Panel discussion:

Dr. Rodgers Lubilo, Chairperson Community Leaders Network (TBC)

Peter Bakker, President and CEO, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (TBC)

Jürgen Tack, Director General, European Landowners Orgnisation (ELO)

CIC Young Opinion Representative

CIC Artemis Representative

Moderator: Patrick Greenfield, Reporter for the Guardian

15:00 - 15:30 - Biodiversity 2030: A Communication Perspective
Report back on the International Journalism Symposium
Nature Keepers

15:30 - Coffee Break

16:00 - 17:00 - Biodiversity 2030: A One Health Perspective
Dr. Monique Eloit, Director General World Organisation for Animal Health (TBC)
Panel Discussion:
Sir David Nunes Nabarro, Special Envoy on Covid-19 for the World Health Organization (TBC)
Reinhardt Schniedrig, BAFU, Switzerland (CIC State Member)
Dr. Antje Kathrin Bednarek, German Veterinarian (TBC)

19:00 - Presidential reception (Bus departs at 18:30)

19:15 - Bus departs for Welcome Dinner

20:00 - Welcome Dinner (Automobile Club, Place de la Concorde)

Day 2

22nd of April, Saturday

9:30 - 10:30 - Reflecting on Day 1 Outcomes: Towards the CIC 2030 Program

Shane Mahoney, President of Policy and Law Division – Policy implications

Prof. Dr. Klaus Hackländer, President of Applied Science Division – Science Implications

10:30 - Coffee Break

11:00 - 11:30 - Reflecting on CIC Resolutions and Priorities – Shaping the CIC 2030 Program

Dr. Philipp Harmer, President of the CIC

Sebastian Winkler