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Article VII of the IOTC Agreement (OBSERVERS) provides a mechanism for the participation of non-members at IOTC meetings.
At the 2012 Commission meeting (16th Session), Contracting Parties (Members) agreed that meetings of the Commission and its subsidiary bodies should be open to participation by observers from all those who have attended the current and/or previous sessions of the Commission. Applications by new Observers should continue to follow the procedure as outlined in Rule XIV of the IOTC Rules of Procedure (note: new Rules were adopted at S18).
Rule XIV of the IOTC Rules of Procedure (2023) provides a mechanism by which observers may be admitted to IOTC meetings.
Meetings of all of the subsidiary bodies of the Commission are open to observers under the same rules as the Commission. Attendance by Observers to particular meetings of the Commission or its subsidiary bodies are recorded in the relevant meeting report for transparency purposes.
The list of current, pre-approved observers who may attend IOTC meetings are as follows:
Intergovernmental organizations:
Non-governmental organizations
Invited experts
If you want to ‘Observe’ IOTC meetings but are not on the above list, then please follow one (1) of the four (4) processes detailed below:
Any Member or Associate Member of FAO that is not a Member of the Commission may, upon its request, be invited to be represented by an observer at sessions of the Commission. It may submit memoranda and participate without vote in the discussions.
Process: Send an email to the IOTC Secretariat ([email protected]) with a letter addressed to the Chairperson of the Commission. In the letter, provide details on your organisations interest in attending IOTC meetings. Include background on how your organisations attendance will benefit IOTC processes. If the Commission agrees, a letter of invitation will be issued accordingly.
States which are not Members of the Commission, nor Members of the Organization, but that are Members of the United Nations, any of its Specialized Agencies or the International Atomic Energy Agency, may, upon request and subject to the concurrence of the Commission through its chairperson and to the principles relating to the granting of observer status to Nations adopted by the Conference, be invited to attend Sessions of the Commission in an observer capacity.
Process: Send an email to the IOTC Secretariat ([email protected]) with a letter addressed to the Chairperson of the Commission. In the letter, provide details on your organisations interest in attending IOTC meetings. Include background on how your organisations attendance will benefit IOTC processes. If the Commission agrees, a letter of invitation will be issued accordingly.
The Commission may, on their request, invite intergovernmental organizations having special competence in the field of activity of the Commission, to attend such of its meetings as the Commission may specify.
Process: Send an email to the IOTC Secretariat ([email protected]) with a letter addressed to the Chairperson of the Commission. In the letter, provide details on your organisations interest in attending IOTC meetings. Include background on how your organisations attendance will benefit IOTC processes. If the Commission agrees, a letter of invitation will be issued accordingly.
The Commission may invite, upon request, non-governmental organizations having special competence in the field of activity of the Commission to attend such of its meetings as the Commission may specify. The list of the NGOs wishing to be invited will be submitted beforehand by the Executive Secretary to the Members of the Commission, no later than 60 days before the Session. If one of the Members of the Commission objects giving in writing its reasons within 30 days, the matter will then be subject to decision of the Commission out of Session by written procedure.
Process: Send an email to the IOTC Secretariat ([email protected]) with a letter addressed to the Chairperson of the Commission. In the letter, provide details on your organisations interest in attending IOTC meetings. Include background on how your organisations attendance will benefit IOTC processes. The letter should be submitted no later than 60 days prior to the commencement of the first meeting you wish to attend. If the Commission agrees, a letter of invitation will be issued accordingly following the 30 day review period.