Registration of observers at meetings of the Conference of the Parties

Directed to the Secretariat

11.125

Any body or agency that informs the Secretariat of its desire to be represented at a meeting of the Conference of the Parties and that wishes to be considered as an international agency or body in accordance with Article XI, paragraph 7 (a), should be registered by the Secretariat only if it demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the Secretariat that it is: a) qualified in protection, conservation or management of wild fauna and flora: and b) an organization in its own right, with a legal persona and an international character, remit and programme of activities.

11.126

Rule 3, paragraph 5, of the Rules of the Procedure for meetings of the Conference of the Parties should be interpreted by the Secretariat such that it may not accept any additional names of observers of bodies and agencies (other than the United Nations and its Specialized Agencies) after the one-month deadline, and that it may not accept any changes in the names after this deadline except where a body or agency has registered no more than two observers before the deadline and the Secretariat is satisfied that the person whose name is to be replaced is prevented from attending through force majeure.