Notification to the Parties

CONCERNING:

Fourteenth meeting of the Plants Committee

1. The Secretariat hereby informs all Parties that the 14th meeting of the Plants Committee will be held in Windhoek, Namibia, from 16 to 20 February 2004.

2. Information about the venue will be provided at a later date. It will also be posted on the CITES website as soon as it becomes available.

3. Parties interested in knowing more about the subjects for discussion are invited to contact either the Secretariat or the Chairman directly at the following address:

Prof. Dra. Margarita Clemente Muñoz
Jardín Botánico de Córdoba
Avda. de Linneo s/n
E-14004 CORDOBA
Spain

Tel: +34 (957) 20 00 77
Fax: +34 (957) 29 53 33
Email: cr1clmum@uco.es.

4. Parties are invited to participate as observers. The Registration form attached should be returned to the Secretariat no later than 30 January 2004.

5. Observers from non-governmental organizations may participate in this meeting at the invitation of the Chairman. Requests should be sent to the Chairman at the address indicated in paragraph 2 above at least 30 days before the meeting, that is by 17 January 2004. However, organizations are urged not to wait until the last minute to send their request to the Chairman. However, organizations are urged to send their request as soon as possible and not wait until the deadline.

6. Simultaneous interpretation in the three working languages of the Convention (English, French and Spanish) will be provided for the duration of the meeting.

7. Details of hotels will be provided to those who return the Registration form attached to the present Notification. This information will also be posted on the CITES website as soon as it becomes available.

8. The Secretariat reminds participants that they may need visas to travel to Namibia. In order to facilitate the issuance of visas, they may wish to submit a copy of this Notification together with their visa application. Details of the visa requirements for Namibia will be provided at a later date. This information will also be posted on the CITES website as soon as it becomes available.

9. Documents to be considered at this meeting should normally be provided to the Secretariat at least 60 days before the meeting, that is by 18 December 2003. However, the Chairman has agreed exceptionally to accept documents until 2 January 2004. Documents received after this date will not be translated and will be distributed at the meeting as information documents in the language in which they were received. As for meetings of the Conference of the Parties, documents submitted should not be longer than 12 pages.

10. Documents for the meeting will be placed on the CITES website as they become available. Printed copies of all documents available will be sent to members and alternate members of the Plants Committee by 16 January 2004. The Secretariat will also provide copies by post or by email to any pre-registered participant who requests them. However, in order to make savings on printing costs, the Secretariat will not distribute sets of documents at the meeting. Consequently, all participants are requested to bring their own set.

11. A copy of the Rules of Procedure of the Plants Committee adopted at its 13th meeting is provided with this Notification.