No. 899                                   Geneva, 28 February 1996


CONCERNING:


                          Annual Reports


1.Article VIII, paragraph 7, of the Convention requires each Party
  to  transmit  to the Secretariat an annual report  containing  a
  record of trade in species included in Appendices I, II and III.

2.At  its second meeting (Costa Rica, 1979) the Conference of  the
  Parties to CITES decided that the deadline for the submission of
  annual reports is 31 October of the year following the year  for
  which  a  report is due. This decision has been  recorded  in  a
  number of Resolutions, most recently Resolution Conf. 9.4  (Fort
  Lauderdale, 1994).

3.Resolution  Conf.  9.4  records the following  decision  of  the
  Conference of the Parties:

     a)   that failure to submit an annual report by 31 October of
     the  year  following the year for which the  report  was  due
     constitutes  a major problem with the implementation  of  the
     Convention, which the Secretariat shall refer to the Standing
     Committee  for  a  solution  in  accordance  with  Resolution
     Conf. 7.5; and

     b)   that the Secretariat may approve a valid request from  a
     Party  for  a reasonable extension of time to the 31  October
     deadline  for  the submission of annual reports provided  the
     Party   submits   to  the  Secretariat  a  written   request,
     containing adequate justification, before that deadline.

4.The  Secretariat has received the annual reports for 1994 of  55
  Parties  that submitted reports before the deadline. This  makes
  44  per  cent  of  the Parties for which reports  were  due  and
  indicates  a  marked deterioration in the submission  of  annual
  reports.  Of the reports for 1993, 55 per cent were received  by
  the  deadline. This information was reported at the 36th meeting
  of  the  Standing  Committee, held in Geneva, Switzerland,  from
  30 January to 2 February 1996.

5.The  Secretariat urges all Parties that have not  yet  submitted
  all  annual  reports that are due, to submit  them  as  soon  as
  possible.

6.The  Parties  are reminded that Notification to the Parties  No.
  788  contains  Guidelines for the Preparation and Submission  of
  Annual Reports.

7.Parties that have difficulties in preparing their annual reports
  are   invited  to  inform  the  Secretariat  and  to  seek   its
  assistance.