Burma acceded to the Convention on 13 June 1997. The aim of the Convention is "...to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival...CITES is an international agreement to which States (countries) adhere voluntarily. States that have agreed to be bound by the Convention (?joined? CITES) are known as Parties. Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties - in other words they have to implement the Convention - it does not take the place of national laws. Rather it provides a framework to be respected by each Party, which has to adopt its own domestic legislation to make sure that CITES is implemented at the national level..." Click on Home etc. on the CITES page for more information.