Preparing for the CO P

1. 1
Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
Preparing for Meetings of the
Conference of the Parties

2. 2
Overview
• Meetings of the Conference of the Parties
• How the meetings operate
• Preparing for a CoP
• Rules of Procedure
• Documents at the CoP
• Proposals to amend the Appendices
• Other proposals and documents
• Sponsored Delegates Project

3. 3
Meetings of the Conference of the Parties
• The Parties (member States) to CITES are collectively
referred to as the Conference of the Parties
• Every two to three years, the Conference of the Parties
meets to review the implementation of the Convention
• These meetings last for about two weeks and
are usually hosted by one of the Parties
• The meetings are often referred to as CoPs

4. 4
Meetings of the Conference of the Parties
• They provide the occasion for the Parties to:
– review progress in the conservation of species included in the
Appendices;
– consider (and where appropriate adopt) proposals to amend
the lists of species in Appendices I and II;
– consider discussion documents and reports from the
Secretariat, Parties, permanent committees or other working
groups;
– recommend measures to improve the effectiveness of the
Convention; and
– make provisions (including the adoption of a budget) necessary
to allow the Secretariat to function effectively

5. 5
Meetings of the Conference of the Parties
• On a more informal level, the meetings provide an
opportunity for participants to make or renew
relationships and to discuss problems and successes

6. 6
Meetings of the Conference of the Parties
• Meetings of the Conference of the Parties are attended
not only by delegations representing CITES Parties but
also by observers:
– Representatives of States that are not party to CITES, of United
Nations agencies and of other international Conventions
– Non-governmental organizations involved in conservation or trade
are also allowed to participate at the discretion of the Parties
– Members of the public
(although they are not
able to participate in
the discussions)

7. 7
How the CoP operates
• Meetings of the CoP are conducted in full Plenary
sessions and in two smaller Committees
• The agenda is too lengthy and diverse to carry out
the entire meeting in plenary
– At CoP14 there were 70 agenda
items
– One of these items
included the consideration
of 37 proposals to amend
the Appendices
Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department © 2007

8. 8
How the CoP operates
• Full plenary sessions are usually at the beginning and
the end
• In between, two committees run simultaneously
– Committee I is the forum for discussion and decision
on all proposed amendments to Appendices I and II
– Committee II reviews the implementation of the
Convention and discusses means to improve its
effectiveness

9. 9
How the CoP operates
• Other meetings are also held before and during the
CoP and outside of regular sessions
– Meetings of the Bureau (overseeing the conduct of the
meeting)
– Meetings of the Credentials Committee (verifying voting
credentials)
– Regional meetings of the Parties (official and non-official)
– Meetings of working groups established by the Committees
(including the Budget Working Group)
– African elephant dialogue (before the CoP, if there are
elephant proposals)
– Standing Committee (before the CoP)

10. 10
Rules of Procedure
• The Rules of Procedure of meetings of the
Conference of the Parties provide a way of ensuring
that debates are conducted in an orderly and
constructive way
• They give the Presiding Officer powers to direct
discussion and control the proceedings
• The Presiding Officer may, for example, limit the
number of speakers on a particular issue, set time
limits for individual speakers or remind speakers to
stick to the subject in order to address issues at hand
in an expeditious and efficient manner

11. 11
Rules of Procedure
• The Rules of Procedure define the structure for the
conduct of meetings of the Conference of the Parties,
and the process for making decisions
• While the Rules do not promote any particular
outcome, they can often impact on the outcome of
specific votes
• An effective set of rules provides for a balance
between full and open discussion of all issues and
efficient decision-making
• Participants must know the Rules of Procedure!

12. 12
Decision-making at the CoP
• Strategic vision of CITES
• Changes to the Appendices
• Interpretation of the Convention (Resolutions)
• Decisions of the
Conference of the
Parties
These are legally
binding

13. 13
Decision-making at the CoP
• Agreeing to amending the Appendices:
• Rule 23 .1 The Conference shall as far as
possible decide on proposals for amendment of
Appendices I and II by consensus
• Rule 23.2 Whenever the Conference does not
reach a consensus on the adoption or rejection
of a proposal for amendment of Appendices I
and II, the Presiding Officer shall propose that
the decision on the amendment be put to a vote

14. 14
Decision-making at the CoP
• Voting
– Show of hands (now done electronically)
– Roll call (no longer relevant due to electronic voting)
– Secret ballot
• Voting on procedural matters is decided by a simple
majority
• All other matters (such as species proposals) are
decided by a two-thirds majority of Parties present
and voting

15. 15
Preparing for a CoP
• A CITES CoP is above all a working meeting, and
participants must constantly refer to documents --
official documentation for the meeting can be
considerable

16. 16
Preparing for a CoP
• Documents to consider:
– Amendments to the Rules of
Procedure
– Reports of the Chairs of the
Standing Committee,
Animals and Plants
Committees
– Budget and financial reports
– Work plan of the Secretariat
– Committee elections
– Review of Resolutions and
Decisions
– Proposed Resolutions and
Decisions
– Report on enforcement
matters
– Report of the national
legislation project
– Documents on new subjects
– Reports from Working
Groups
– Proposals to amend the
Appendices
– Information documents (Inf)
– NGO documents

17. 17
Proposals to amend the Appendices
• Format
• Submission deadlines
• Review and analysis
• Before the CoP
• At the CoP

18. 18
Other proposals and documents
• Format
• Submission deadlines
• Review and analysis
• Before the CoP
• At the CoP

19. 19
Reviews and analyses
• Comments on proposals received from Parties and
intergovernmental bodies are provided to the Parties
• Provisional assessments of proposals are provided by
the Secretariat, and after all comments have been
received, the Secretariat provides its recommendations
See CoP14 Doc. 68 Annex 2 for examples
• IUCN usually publishes its analyses of amendment
proposals prior to the CoP
• Other analyses and recommendations are usually
provided by various advocacy groups/NGOs

20. 20
A word on sponsored delegates
• Since CoP6 (1989) the Secretariat has sought funds
to support the participation of delegates to meetings
of the CoP (travel and subsistence)
• The Secretariat generally seeks to support up to two
delegates from each country eligible for assistance,
and only those Parties with the least available
resources should receive assistance
• Usually only Parties from least developed countries,
developing countries and countries with economies in
transition may receive assistance, and only if
requests for assistance are received according to
deadlines communicated to the Parties

21. 21
A word on sponsored delegates
• Observing deadlines is important, as advance
bookings are necessary to obtain less expensive
flights and distribute funds to the highest number of
requesting Parties
• Funds received are allocated to Parties having made
requests by the deadline, so few if any funds are
available for requests received after the deadline
• Approximately $500,000-$700,000 has been raised in
advance of recent meetings of the CoP, allowing
support for some 150 delegates from 100 Parties
• No funds are as yet available for CoP15

22. 22
Summary
• Meetings of the Conference of the Parties are
important CITES events, where decisions are taken
that affect all Parties
• Preparing for attending the CoP is important, as
delegates must be well prepared to fully participate
and contribute
• Knowledge of the Rules of Procedure is essential
• Knowledge of the documentation is also essential
• Requests for support from the Sponsored Delegates
Project must be received by the deadline
communicated to the Parties

23. 23
CITES Secretariat
Geneva