05-12

MISC
GUIDELINES AND CRITERIA FOR GRANTINGOBSERVER STATUS AT ICCAT MEETINGS

1

In exercising the responsibilities in respect to invitation to observers to ICCAT Meetings as provided for inArticle XI of the Convention and in Article 2 of the FAO/ICCAT Agreement, the Executive Secretary,acting on behalf of the Commission, shall invite:--FAO.

--

Intergovernmental economic integration organizations constituted by States that have transferred to itcompetence over the matters governed by the ICCAT Convention, including the competence to enter
into treaties in respect of those matters.

--Intergovernmental organizations that have regular contacts with ICCAT as regards fisheries matters or
whose work is of interest to ICCAT or vice versa.

--Non-Contracting countries with coastlines bordering the Convention Area as defined in Article I of theConvention, or those non-contracting parties, entities or fishing entities identified as harvesting tunas or
tuna-like species in the Convention Area.

2All non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which support the objectives of ICCAT and with ademonstrated interest in the species under the purview of ICCAT should be eligible to participate as anobserver in all meetings of the organization and its subsidiary bodies, except extraordinary meetings held inexecutive sessions or meetings of Heads of Delegations.

3Any NGO desiring to participate as an observer in a meeting of the organization or its subsidiary bodies
shall notify the Secretariat of its desire to participate at least 50 days in advance of the meeting. Thisapplication must include:-- Name, address, telephone and fax number of the organization;-- Address of all its national/regional offices;-- Aims and purposes of the organization and an indication as to how they relate to the objectives ofICCAT;-- A brief history of the organization and a description of its activities;-- Any papers produced by or for the organization on the conservation, management or science of tunas or
tuna-like species;-- A history of ICCAT observer status granted/revoked;-- Information or input that the organization proposes to present at the meeting in question;

4

The Executive Secretary shall review applications received within the prescribed time, and, at least 45 days
before the meeting for which the application was received, shall notify the Contracting Parties of the names
and qualifications of NGOs determined to meet the criteria for participation stipulated in paragraph 2 above.
Such applications will then be considered as accepted unless one-third of Contracting Parties object inwriting at least 30 days prior to the meeting, or within 60 days of receipt of applications, if such date falls
earlier than 30 days prior to the meeting.

5

Any eligible NGO admitted to a meeting may:
-----

6

Attend meetings, as set forth above, but may not vote;
Make oral statements during the meeting upon the invitation of the presiding officer;
Distribute documents at meetings through the secretariat; andEngage in other activities, as appropriate and as approved by the presiding officer;

Observers will be required to pay a fee for their participation at the meetings of the Organization, which
will contribute to the additional expenses generated by their participation, as determined annually by theExecutive Secretary.

7The Executive Secretary will determine whether, due to conference room capacity, seating limitations
require that a limited number of observers per NGO may be present at any meetings. The Executive
Secretary will transmit any such determination in the conditions of participation.

8All observers admitted to a meeting shall be sent or otherwise receive the same documentation generally
available to Contracting Parties and their delegations, except those documents deemed confidential by theParties.

9All observers admitted to a meeting shall comply with all rules and procedures applicable to otherparticipants in the meeting. Failure to conform to these rules or any other rules that ICCAT may adopt forthe conduct of observers will result in withdrawal of accreditation by the Chairman of the Commission.
(Adopted by the Commission at its 11th Special Meeting, Santiago de Compostela - November 16 to 23, 1998,and subsequently amended by the Commission at its 19th Regular meeting, Seville, November14-20 2005.)