U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

The Process for Becoming

an Observer at a CITES

Meeting

What is CITES, and how is it

administered?

The Convention on International Trade in

Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and

Flora (CITES) is an international treaty

aimed at regulating the international

trade in protected species. CITES was

put into effect July 1, 1975, with the

United States one of the original 10 Party

countries. Today, over 160 countries are

Parties to CITES.

CITES, administered through the

United Nations Environment

Programme (UNEP), is headquartered

in Geneva, Switzerland. The original

documents are held there, with texts in

five languages: Chinese, English, French,

Russian, and Spanish. English, French,

and Spanish are the official working

languages of CITES.

CITES is one of the few conservation

treaties with a permanent Secretariat.

The Secretariat provides Parties with

trade information and technical support,

interfaces among Parties, contracts

trade studies, informs governments and

the public about CITES wildlife trade

developments, and organizes meetings of

the Conference of the Parties (COP). The

Secretariat also investigates possible

CITES violations and trade threats to

wildlife.

When are conferences held?

The CITES Parties meet approximately

every 2 years at a COP. During this

2-week long meeting, they review and

vote on proposed resolutions and

decisions to improve how CITES works,

review and vote on proposed

amendments to the listings of CITES

protected species, and resolve policy

issues.

Each COP is hosted by a Party. The

United States hosted the plenipotentiary

meeting in 1973 when the CITES treaty

first was negotiated, and COP9 in 1994.

Attending each COP are delegations of

the Parties, representatives of the

CITES Secretariat and UNEP, and

representatives of approved national and

international non-governmental

organizations (NGOs), who attend as

observers.

What is the role of observers?

Observers at a COP may attend all

plenary and committee sessions, and

comment in these sessions on any of the

issues. However, they are not permitted

to vote on proposals. The U.S.

USFWS
Government’s delegation provides daily

briefings at each COP for U.S. observers

(both national and international NGOs

based in the United States).

How do I apply for observer status?

Article XI, Paragraph 7, of CITES

outlines the technical qualifications

necessary to attend a COP as an

observer. CITES requires an NGO to be

technically qualified in protection,

conservation, or management of wild

fauna and flora. An NGO applying for

observer status should provide materials

with its application that detail how it

meets these technical requirements. It

should also include copies of its charter

and bylaws, as well as a list of

representatives it intends to send to the

COP. Individuals that are not affiliated

with an NGO do not qualify for approval

as observers.

An NGO may apply for observer status

in one of the following ways:

1. International NGOs with offices in

more than one country should apply to

the CITES Secretariat at the following

address:

CITES Secretariat

International Environment House

Chemin des Anémones

CH-1219 Châtelaine-Geneva

Switzerland

tel: (+4122) 917-8139

fax: (+4122) 797-3417

E-mail: cites@unep.ch

2. NGOs based in a country other than

the United States should apply to the

CITES Management Authority of that

country.

3. NGOs based in the United States

should apply to the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, Division of Management

Authority (DMA), at the address shown

on this fact sheet or e-mail the request to

managementauthority@fws.gov.

How long before observer status is

approved?

The Secretariat’s heavy logistical

workload preparing for a COP—

including its preparation of observer

registration forms—means that

applications for observer status usually

are not approved more than 4 or 5

months before a COP.

However, U.S.-based NGOs can expect

that once DMA receives their application,

it will be reviewed and processed, and the

NGO promptly notified of the Service’s

decision.

Any NGO that has attended a previous

COP and is applying to DMA for

observer status needs to do only the

following:

1. Send DMA a letter requesting

observer status.

2. Provide a list of representatives it

intends to send to the COP.

Since its technical qualifications have

been previously reviewed by the Service,

the NGO may expect approval of its

observer status to be automatic in most

cases.

How will I know?

Once the Service approves an NGO, the

NGO will receive a formal approval

letter. Enclosed with this letter will be:

1. A COP registration form (copies of

which DMA receives from the

Secretariat 4 to 5 months prior to the

COP).

2. A hotel booking form.

3. Other information regarding

attendance.

The NGO must fill out the registration

form and submit it, along with a copy of

DMA’s approval letter, to the CITES

Secretariat. The Secretariat’s deadline

for observer registration is one month

prior to the opening of the COP.

The Secretariat charges each approved

observer a registration fee, which may

vary from COP to COP (the registration

fee for COP12 was set at a minimum of

$600 for the initial NGO representative

and a minimum of $300 for each additional

representative). The registration fee

includes one set of all necessary COP

documents. The Secretariat usually

accepts the registration fee either by

check to the CITES Secretariat or at the

time of registration at the COP. For any

given COP, the NGO observer should

consult with the Secretariat about paying

the registration fee.

Each observer approved by the Service

will be added automatically to DMA’s

mailing list and, on a periodic basis,

receive notification of the latest CITESrelated information leading up to the

COP.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

International Affairs

Division of Management Authority

4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 700

Arlington, VA 22203

703/358-2104 or 800/358-2104

Fax 703/358-2281

e-mail: managementauthority@fws.gov

http://international.fws.gov

http://permits.fws.gov

Summer 2003