Conf. 11.17 (Rev. CoP13)*

National reports

RECALLING Resolution Conf. 9.4 (Rev.), adopted by the Conference of the Parties at its ninth meeting (Fort Lauderdale, 1994) and amended at its 10th meeting (Harare, 1997), relating to annual reports and monitoring of trade;

CONSIDERING the obligation of Parties to submit periodic reports under the provisions of Article VIII, paragraph 7, of the Convention;

RECOGNIZING the importance of the annual reports and biennial reports as the only available means of monitoring the implementation of the Convention and the level of international trade in specimens of species included in the Appendices;

ACKNOWLEDGING the necessity for the annual reports and biennial reports of the Parties to be as complete as possible and to be comparable;

CONSIDERING that the provisions of Article XII, paragraph 2 (d), of the Convention require the Secretariat to study the periodic reports of Parties;

APPRECIATING the valuable assistance in meeting this responsibility provided by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre under contract to the Secretariat;

NOTING that the use of computers can help to ensure that trade statistics and information on Convention implementation are dealt with more effectively;

CONCERNED that many Parties have not followed the recommendations of the Conference of the Parties and of the Secretariat that the annual reports be submitted by 31 October following the year for which they are due and following the guidelines for the preparation of such reports;

FURTHER CONCERNED that many Parties have not regularly submitted biennial reports;

THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION

URGES all Parties to submit their annual reports required under the provisions of Article VIII, paragraph 7 (a), in accordance with the Guidelines for the preparation and submission of CITES annual reports distributed by the Secretariat with Notification to the Parties No. 2002/022 dated 9 April 2002, as may be amended by the Secretariat from time to time with the concurrence of the Standing Committee;

URGES all Parties to submit their biennial reports required under the provisions of Article VIII, paragraph 7 (b), by 31 October following the year for which they are due and in accordance with the Biennial report format distributed by the Secretariat, as may be amended by the Secretariat from time to time with the concurrence of the Standing Committee;

ALSO URGES all Parties to submit biennial reports covering the same two-year periods beginning with the period from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2004;

FURTHER URGES Parties with multiple Management Authorities to submit a coordinated annual and biennial report to the extent possible;

ACKNOWLEDGES that the Conference of the Parties may request that Parties provide special reports not required by the Convention, if additional information is needed that cannot be sought via the annual or biennial report;

RECOMMENDS that each Party to the Convention, if a member of a regional trade agreement within the meaning of Article XIV, paragraph 3, of the Convention, include in its annual reports information on trade in specimens of species included in Appendices I, II and III with other member States of that regional trade agreement, unless the record-keeping and reporting duties of Article VIII are in direct and irreconcilable conflict with the provisions of the regional trade agreement;

URGES every Party to consider whether the preparation of its statistical and implementation reports could be computerized and the submission of such reports made in electronic format;

FURTHER URGES Parties experiencing problems with the regular preparation and submission of annual or biennial reports to seek assistance from the Secretariat to produce those reports;

RECOMMENDS that Parties studying or developing computer programmes for licensing and reporting trade as well as managing other information under the Convention consult with each other, and with the Secretariat, in order to ensure optimal harmonization and compatibility of systems;

DECIDES that:

a) 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. 11.3 (Rev. CoP13); and

b) 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 or biennial reports provided the Party submits to the Secretariat a written request, containing adequate justification, before that deadline;

INSTRUCTS the Standing Committee to determine, on the basis of reports presented by the Secretariat, which Parties have failed, for three consecutive years and without having provided adequate justification, to provide the annual reports required under Article VIII, paragraph 7 (a), of the Convention within the deadline (or any extended deadline) provided in the present Resolution;

RECOMMENDS that Parties not authorize trade in specimens of CITES-listed species with any Party that the Standing Committee has determined has failed, for three consecutive years and without having provided adequate justification, to provide the annual reports required under Article VIII, paragraph 7 (a), of the Convention within the deadline (or any extended deadline) provided in the present Resolution;

APPEALS to all Parties, and to non-governmental organizations interested in furthering the objectives of the Convention, to make financial contributions to the Secretariat to support the trade and other monitoring work of the Secretariat and that of the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre undertaken under contract to the Secretariat; and

REPEALS Resolution Conf. 9.4 (Rev.) (Fort Lauderdale, 1994, as amended at Harare, 1997) – Annual reports and monitoring of trade.

 

* Amended at the 12th and 13th meetings of the Conference of the Parties.