Washington, D.C. - (ARAB NEWSWIRE) - Young people across the world are encouraged to get creative for this year's World Wildlife Day youth art contest. The fifth annual international youth art contest is being hosted by IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The 2023 WWD theme of 'Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation' highlights people making a difference for wildlife-whether at the local, national, or global scale.

The art contest focuses on species that have benefited from people working together to protect and conserve them. These partnerships can range from community members working together to protect wildlife around them, to scientists working together to understand and correct critical threats to survival, to wildlife groups and governments working with others to protect and improve habitat for species to thrive.

Open to artists from the ages of four-18, entrants will choose a species that has benefited from these partnerships, and then illustrate it as an individual animal or in its native habitat. The contest taps into the immense creativity of the world's youth through artwork and builds upon the growing success from previous contests - with more than 1500 entries received last year from nearly 60 countries across the globe.

Entry opened on January 9th, 2023, and artists must submit their artwork electronically by 11:59 p.m. GMT on February 6th, 2023. All entries must be original and created by hand using markers, crayons, colored pencils and/or paint. Twelve semi-finalists from different age groups and one separate grand prize winner will be selected by a prestigious international panel of judges.

The 2022 winner was 13-year-old Yanjun Mao of China with his piece entitled 'Return Home'. Previous winners have hailed from Hong Kong, Australia and the United States. The 2023

winner will be announced at the annual UN-hosted World Wildlife Day event. World Wildlife Day is celebrated annually on March 3rd and in 2023 falls on the 50th anniversary of CITES.

For more information about this year's World Wildlife Day and virtual event, visit https://wildlifeday.org.

ENDS

Press contact:

IFAW - Kinda Jabi / kjabi@ifaw.org / +971 55 626 1017

CITES - David Whitbourn / david.whitbourn@un.org / +41 79 552 1507 UNDP - Sangita Khadka / sangita.khadka@undp.org / +212 906 5043

About IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare):

IFAW is a global non-profit helping animals and people thrive together. We are experts and everyday people, working across seas, oceans, and in more than 40 countries around the world. We rescue, rehabilitate, and release animals, and we restore and protect their natural habitats. The problems we're up against are urgent and complicated. To solve them, we match fresh thinking with bold action. We partner with local communities, governments, non-governmental organizations, and businesses. Together, we pioneer new and innovative ways to help all species flourish. See how at ifaw.org.

About CITES

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was signed into being on 3 March 1973 and entered into force on 1 July 1975. With 184 Parties (183 countries + the European Union) it remains one of the world's most powerful tools for wildlife conservation through the regulation of international trade in over 38,000 species of wild animals and plants. CITES-listed species are used by people around the world in their daily lives for food, health care, furniture, housing, tourist souvenirs, cosmetics or fashion. CITES seeks to ensure that international trade in such species is sustainable, legal and traceable and contributes to both the livelihoods of the communities that live closest to them and to national economies for a healthy planet and the prosperity of the people, in support to UN Sustainable Development Goals.

About UNDP

UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in nearly 170 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations.

About the United Nations' World Wildlife Day

On 20 December 2013, the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 3 March as World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of the world's wild fauna and flora. The date

is the day of the signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973. World Wildlife Day has quickly become the most prominent global annual event dedicated to wildlife. It is an opportunity to celebrate the many beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora and to raise awareness of the various challenges faced by these species. More than a million species are currently at risk of extinction. The day also reminds us of the urgent need to step up the fight against wildlife crime, which has wide-ranging economic, environmental and social impacts.

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