143 



7. Any body or agency technically qualified in protection, conserva- 

 tion or manaoement of wild fauna and flora, in the following cate- 

 gories, which has informed the Secretariat of its desire to be repre- 

 sented at meetings of the Conference by observers, shall be admitted 

 unless at least one-third of the Parties present object : 



(a) international agencies or bodies, either governmental or 

 non-governmental, and national governmental agencies and bod- 

 ies; and 



(h) national non-governmental agencies or bodies Avhich have 

 been approved for this purpose by the State in which they are 

 located. Once admitted, these observers shall have the rio-ht to 

 participate but not to vote. 



Article XII 



THE SECRETARIAT 



1. I'pon entry into force of the present Convention, a Secretariat 

 shall be provided by the Executive Director of the United Xations 

 Environment Programme. To the extent and in the manner he con- 

 siders appropriate, he may be assisted by suitable inter-governmental 

 or non-governmental international or national agencies and bodies 

 technically qualified in protection, conservation and management of 

 wild fauna and flora. 



2. The functions of the Secretariat shall be : 



(a) to arrange for and service meetings of the Parties; 

 (h) to perform the functions entrusted to it under the provi- 

 sions of Articles XV and XVI of the present Convention; 



(c) to undertake scientific and technical studies in accordance 

 with programmes authorized by the Conference of the Parties as 

 will contribute to the implementation of the present Convention, 

 including studies concerning standards for appropriate prepara- 

 tion and shipment of living specimens and the means of identify- 

 ing specimens; 



(d) to study the reports of Parties and to request from Parties 

 such further information with respect thereto as it deems neces- 

 sary to ensure implementation of the present Convention; 



(e) to invite the attention of the Parties to any matter pertain- 

 ing to the aims of the present Convention ; 



(/) to publish periodically and distribute to the Parties current 

 editions of Appendices I, II and III together with any informa- 

 tion which will facilitate identification of specimens of species in- 

 cluded in those Appendices. 



(g) to prepare annual reports to the Parties on its work and on 

 the implementation of the present Convention and such other re- 

 ports as meetings of the Parties may request ; 



(h) to make recommendations for the implementation of the 

 aims and provisions of the present Convention, including the ex- 

 change of information of a scientific or technical nature ; 



(^) to perform any other function as may be entrusted to it by 

 the Parties. 



