Notification to the Parties

CONCERNING:

Sponsored Delegates Project for the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties

1. The 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties will be held in Santiago, Chile, from 3 to 15 November 2002.

2. Currently, 154 States are Parties to CITES. The majority of these are developing countries or countries with economies in transition.

3. To ensure that the Convention’s objectives are pursued in the best interest of all the Parties, the CITES Secretariat wishes to ensure that as many Parties as possible are represented at meetings of the Conference of the Parties, where a great many decisions are made. The Secretariat therefore needs to secure the necessary funds in order to support and ensure the participation from those Parties that would otherwise be unable to attend.

4. The Secretariat hereby requests all States and organizations that might be able to provide financial support for the participation of representatives of developing countries at the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to inform it as soon as possible of their intention to contribute to the Sponsored Delegates Project.

5. The final list of countries to be supported will be dependent upon the funds raised.