17 September 2012: The UNFCCC Secretariat has released a note on admission of organizations as observers (FCCC/CP/2012/2), which contains in an annex a list of six intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and 78 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) willing to be admitted as observers at the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 18) to be held in Doha, Qatar, from 26 November- 7 December 2012.

The list, prepared by the Secretariat, includes new applicant IGOs and NGOs that satisfy the requirements set out in the Convention, draft rules of procedure and established practice to be represented in sessions of the COP and the subsidiary bodies as observers. The note indicates that, for the case of three Qatari organizations that encountered difficulties to prove the requirement of possessing a juridical personality, parties may wish to consider their admittance only for COP 18 to ensure representation of Qatari NGOs, but will need to reapply if they want to be admitted to future sessions.

The admission of IGOs and NGOs as observers at sessions of the COP is governed by Article 7, paragraph 6, of the Convention, which provides, inter alia, that “Any body or agency, whether national or international, governmental or non-governmental, which is qualified in matters covered by the Convention, and which has informed the Secretariat of its wish to be represented at a session of the COP as an observer, may be so admitted unless at least one third of the Parties present object.” [Publication: Note on Admission of Observers: Organizations Applying for Admission as Observers]