2019 NAMM Show CITES and Musical Instruments Presentation
Exemption proposed for musical instruments, musical instrument parts, and accessories containing dalbergia species
An international working group comprised of musical instrument industry representatives achieved a major victory at the recent meeting of the CITES Standing Committee in Sochi, Russia; recommending a modification to the annotation covering the listing of all dalbergia species. The proposed modification would exempt all finished musical instruments, finished musical instrument parts and finished musical instrument accessories containing dalbergia species from the necessity to obtain an export permit to ship these products internationally, whether for commercial or non-commercial use.
The proposal will be put in the form of a resolution to be presented to the 18th Conference of the Parties in Sri Lanka in May 2019. The same industry working group which worked in Sochi will now work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and similar governmental agencies in other countries to draft appropriate language. If adopted at CoP18, the change would go into effect sometime in mid-summer 2019.
The on-site industry working group in Sochi was headed by Heather Noonan, Vice President for Advocacy for the League of American Orchestras and was supported by NAMM.
Music Industry Working Group Statements: