From 24 November to 5 December 2025, governments from around the world will gather in Samarkand, Uzbekistan for the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP20) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). This meeting comes at a moment of great consequence for some of the world's most threatened species - elephants, rhinos, pangolins, Asian big cats and the critically endangered vaquita porpoise. What happens in the negotiating halls of CoP20 will determine whether decades of progress in curbing poaching and illegal wildlife trade are strengthened or rolled back. EIA campaigners will be in Samarkand to ensure that the voices of wildlife, communities and frontline defenders are heard and here we give a brief overview of some of the key issues. CoP20 presents a golden opportunity to secure positive futures for threatened species by implementing robust protection policies and banning trade in their specimens.