Biodiversity Meeting Rules.pdf

Purposes and Definitions

These rules apply to meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Definitions include: Convention, Parties, Conference of the Parties, Meeting, Regional economic integration organization, President, Secretariat, and Subsidiary bodies.

Meeting Arrangements

Meetings take place at the seat of the Secretariat, unless decided otherwise.
Ordinary meetings are held every two years, with the date and duration of the next meeting decided at each ordinary meeting.
Extraordinary meetings are convened as necessary or at the written request of a Party, supported by at least one-third of the Parties.

Notification and Observers

The Secretariat notifies all Parties of meeting dates and venues at least two months in advance.
Observers from the UN, its specialized agencies, and non-governmental organizations may participate without voting rights, unless objected to by at least one-third of the Parties present.

Agenda

The Secretariat prepares the provisional agenda in agreement with the President.
The provisional agenda includes items arising from the Convention, previous meeting decisions, and proposals from Parties.
The agenda is distributed to Parties at least six weeks before the meeting, with supplementary items added as necessary.

Representation and Credentials

Each Party is represented by a delegation with a head of delegation and accredited representatives, alternate representatives, and advisers.
Credentials are submitted to the Executive Secretary or their representative, with any changes submitted promptly.
* The Bureau examines credentials and submits a report to the Conference of the Parties for decision.