The Standing Committee is responsible for providing general policy and operational direction to the Secretariat regarding implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and it coordinates and advises the Animals and Plants Committees, as appropriate. It also carries out any activities assigned to it between meetings of the Conference of the Parties and is responsible for overseeing the development and execution of the Secretariat’s budget. The Standing Committee comprises representatives from each of the six CITES geographical regions. The Standing Committee meets annually, as well as immediately prior to and after a meeting of the Conference of the Parties.

For more information on the Standing Committee, visit the CITES website.
To read more on all three CITES committees, view CITES resolution Conf. 11.1 (Rev. CoP17) on Establishment of Committees.

Become an Observer

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) wishing to attend the 70th Meeting of the CITES Standing Committee (SC70), which will be held October 1-5, 2018, in Sochi, Russian Federation, must obtain approval from the CITES Secretariat to attend the meeting. 

In accordance with Rule 6 of the Standing Committee Rules of Procedure , any person or body wishing to participate in a meeting of the Committee as an observer must submit the registration form to the Secretariat at least 30 days before the meeting (for SC70, that date is September 1, 2018). For more information on SC70, please see Notification to the Parties No. 2018/059.  Visit the CITES website for the meeting agenda and links to the working documents for the meeting.

In addition to following the procedures for registering for the meeting, contained in Notification to the Parties No. 2018/059, prospective observers must provide relevant information with regard to their technical qualifications and proof of approval of the State in which the organization or individual is located.  Organizations seeking observer approval that are located in the United States should submit their request for observer approval to our office no later than August 1, 2018. Observer requests may be sent via mail, fax, or email to:

Division of Management Authority
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
5275 Leesburg Pike, MS:IA
Falls Church, VA 22041-3803

Fax: 703-358-2298
Email: managementauthority@fws.gov 

Additionally, all participants will be required to present official credentials to attend the meeting. The Secretariat requests that credentials be submitted to it at least one week before the start of the meeting.