Procedures for Non-Governmental Organisation observers

CONTENTS

Admission to Commission Meetings	Admission to Commission meetings
Admission to SC Meetings	Admission to the Scientific Committee
Opening Statements	Details for submission of Opening Statements
Fees	Registration fees
Credentials	Credentials of all participants and observers
Code of Conduct	Code of Conduct for NGOs (pdf)
Registration	Observer registration for the 2009 Meeting
Back to Meetings page	Return to previous section

[Note that the rules governing the accreditation and admission of NGOs to IWC meetings were amended at the 59th Annual Meeting in Anchorage in 2007. Inter alia, these changes eliminated the requirement for NGOs to maintain international offices, relaxed the restrictions on total attendees from each NGO and adjusted the fee structure for equitability. The Commission agreed to review the effectiveness of the new rules after a 2-year operating trial (i.e. at IWC/62).]

ACCREDITATION AND ADMISSION TO COMMISSION MEETINGS

Any non-governmental organisation which expresses an interest in matters covered by the Convention, may be accredited as an observer. Requests for accreditation must be submitted in writing to the Commission 60 days prior to the start of the meeting and the Commission may issue an invitation with respect to such request. Such submissions shall include the standard application form for non-governmental organisations which will be provided by the Secretariat. These applications shall remain available for review by Contracting Governments.

Once a non-governmental organisation has been accredited through the application process above, it will remain accredited until the Commission decides otherwise.

Observers from each non-governmental organisation will be allowed seating in the meeting. However, seating limitations may require that the number of observers from each non-governmental organisation be limited. The Secretariat will notify accredited non-governmental organisations of any seating limitations in advance of the meeting.

The Commission shall levy a registration fee and determine rules of conduct, and may define other conditions for the attendance of such observers.

ADMISSION TO THE SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

Any international* non-Governmental organisation (NGO) sending an accredited observer to a meeting of the Commission may nominate a scientifically qualified observer to be present at meetings of the Scientific Committee**. Any such nomination must reach the Secretary not less than 60 days before the start of the meeting in question and must specify the scientific qualifications and relevant experience of the nominee. The Chair of the Scientific Committee shall decide upon the acceptability of any nomination but may reject it only after consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Commission. Observers admitted under this rule shall not participate in discussions but the papers and documents of the Scientific Committee shall be made available to them at the same time as to members of the Committee.

*Note that when the Commission Rules of Procedure were amended at IWC/59, it overlooked the need to also amend the Scientific Committee Rule of Procedure A.5, i.e. removal of the requirement for NGOs to be ‘international’. This oversight will be dealt with at IWC/61.

**Meetings of the Scientific Committee as used in these rules include all meetings of subgroups of the Committee, e.g. sub-committees, working groups, workshops, etc.

OPENING STATEMENTS

The conditions for Opening Statements are as follows:

Opening Statements should be no more than three pages in length, contain no graphics (although use of logos is acceptable) or photographs and be suitable for photocopying in black and white. They may not be in the format of glossy-type brochures or booklets.
The content of Opening Statements shall be relevant to matters under consideration by the Commission, and shall be in the form of views and comments made to the Commission in general rather than directed to any individual or group of Contracting Governments. (There is no intention that the Secretariat should conduct ex-ante reviews of such statements.)
Opening Statements should be submitted as an electronic or good paper copy. Electronic submission on diskette, CD or by email is the preferred option.
Opening Statements must be submitted to the Secretariat no later than 17.00 on the first day of the plenary meeting. The Secretariat will allocate document numbers. The ‘statements’ will be collated and copied together, rather than copying and distributing them individually.
Documents not conforming to these conditions will not be included as Opening Statements in the formal meeting documentation.

Please note that it is no longer possible to submit Opening Statements in the format of glossy-type brochures or booklets. However, as usual, such material may be made available for delegates to collect if they wish from tables provided for this purpose.

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FEES

Please note that the Commission charges a fee for the attendance of observers at its meetings. At IWC/59, the Commission agreed changes to the procedure governing accreditation and participation of NGOs in IWC meetings. Inter alia, these changes eliminated the requirement for NGOs to maintain international offices, relaxed the restriction of allowing only a single observer (plus interpreter as appropriate) into the meeting room at any one time, and adjusted the fee structure for equitability with fees being set per individual observer rather than per organisation as in the past.

For 2009, the Commission has set the fee for accredited non-governmental organisations as follows:

£500 GBP for the first observer per organisation; and
£250 GBP for each additional observer.

These are at the same level as fees for 2008.

There will be no charge for interpreters, but those NGOs wishing to nominate an interpreter must provide justification to the Secretariat and information on the qualifications and/or language abilities of the interpreter nominated. Each NGO will normally be restricted to the designation of one interpreter per organisation. Please note that there will be simultaneous interpretation provided during the meeting for French and Spanish speakers.

Instructions for payment

Fees should be remitted by cheque, bank transfer or credit card payment instruction to the IWC Secretariat Office in Cambridge, to arrive by 6 April 2009. The Commission is unable to accept payment by Eurocheque. Details of (a) the Secretariat address for cheques or Banker’s Drafts, (b) the Commission bank account for electronic transfers and (c) Credit Card Payment Instructions, can be found HERE. (Please contact the Secretariat if you would like a version of the “Payment Instructions” in either French or Spanish). Please note that any payments made by Credit Card will be deducted in sterling and charged to your credit card account in your local currency.

An invoice will be issued on receiving information regarding your nominated observer(s).

Please ensure that your organisation’s fee is paid in good time.

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CREDENTIALS REQUIREMENTS, BADGES AND MEETING ACCESS

Proper credentials with original signatures or seals must be forwarded to the Secretariat in advance of or presented at the Annual Meeting as set out in Rule of Procedure D (as amended by the Commission at the 55th Annual Meeting):

D. Credentials

1.(a) The names of all representatives of member and non-member governments and observer organisations to any meeting of the Commission or committees, as specified in the Rules of Procedure of the Commission, Technical and Scientific Committees, shall be notified to the Secretary in writing before their participation and/or attendance at each meeting. For member governments, the notification shall indicate the Commissioner, his/her alternate(s) and advisers, and the head of the national delegation to the Scientific Committee and any alternate(s) as appropriate.
The written notification shall be made by governments or the heads of organisations as the case may be. In this context, ‘governments’ means the Head of State, the Head of Government, the Minister of Foreign Affairs (including: on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs), the Minister responsible for whaling or whale conservation (including: on behalf of this Minister), the Head of the Diplomatic Mission accredited to the seat of the Commission or to the host country of the meeting in question, or the Commissioner appointed under Rule A.1.
……
(d) The Secretary, or his/her representative, shall report on the received notifications at the beginning of a meeting.
(e) In case of any doubt as to the authenticity of notification or in case of apparent delay in their delivery, the Chair of the meeting shall convene an ad hoc group of no more than one representative from any Contracting Government present to decide upon the question of participation in the meeting.

Fax or email notifications (or photocopies) will not be accepted as the formal credentials, although advance notification by these means is helpful.

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OBSERVER REGISTRATION

PLEASE NOTE that NGOs that have not previously attended an IWC Annual Meeting must first apply for accreditation and receive an invitation from the Commission via the Secretariat before registering.

Please ensure that you have read and understood the Code of Conduct for NGOs at IWC Meetings.

At the meeting registration you must bring with you a valid photo ID (eg. passport) before you will be issued with a badge.

To register for IWC/61 in Madeira please click HERE.