Ivonne Higuero is a Panamanian environmental economist who has been the Secretary General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 2018[update].

Higuero holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Missouri and a Masters’ of Environmental Management Degree in Natural Resource Economics and Policy from Duke University.

For 24 years, Higuero worked in a number of positions at the UN relating to environmental economics.

[1] In 2018, Higuero was appointed to the position of Secretary General of CITES, the first woman to lead the convention.

[2] During the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, she noted that preventing illegal wildlife trade not only helps conserving habitats, but these habitats create a safety barrier for humans that can prevent pathogens from animals passing themselves on to people.