[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 48 (Monday, March 12, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10736-10737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-04919]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-HQ-IA-2017-0079; FF09A30000-189-FXIA16710900000]
Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; 18th Regular
Meeting; Request for Information and Recommendations on Resolutions,
Decisions, and Agenda Items for Consideration
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: To implement the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES, or the Convention),
the Parties to the Convention meet periodically to review which species
in international trade should be regulated and other aspects of the
implementation of CITES. The 18th regular meeting of the Conference of
the Parties to CITES (CoP18) is scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka from
May 23, 2019, through June 3, 2019. With this notice, we invite the
public to provide us with information and recommendations on
resolutions, decisions, and agenda items that the United States might
consider submitting for discussion at CoP18. In addition, with this
notice we provide preliminary information on how to request approved
observer status for nongovernmental organizations that wish to attend
the meeting.
DATES: We will consider all information and comments we receive on or
before May 11, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by one of the following methods:
Internet: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2017-0079.
Hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to Public
Comments Processing; Attn: Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2017-0079; U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS: BPHC; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls
Church, VA 22041-3803.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information pertaining to
resolutions, decisions, and agenda items, contact Laura Noguchi, Chief,
Wildlife Trade and Conservation Branch, Division of Management
Authority, at 703-358-2095 (phone); or managementauthority@fws.gov
(email). If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD),
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 800-877-8339. For information
pertaining to species proposals, contact Rosemarie Gnam, Chief,
Division of Scientific Authority, 703-358-1708 (phone); or
scientificauthority@fws.gov (email).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora (CITES, or the Convention) is an international treaty
designed to regulate international trade in certain animal and plant
species that are now, or potentially may become, threatened with
extinction. These species are included in the Appendices to CITES,
which are available on the CITES Secretariat's website at http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/species.php.
Currently there are 183 Parties to CITES--182 countries, including
the United States, and one regional economic integration organization,
the European Union. The Convention calls for regular meetings of the
Conference of the Parties (Conference, or CoP) every 2-3 years, unless
the Conference decides otherwise. At these meetings, the Parties review
the implementation of CITES, make provisions enabling the CITES
Secretariat in Switzerland to carry out its functions, consider
amendments to the lists of species in Appendices I and II, consider
reports presented by the Secretariat, and make recommendations for the
improved effectiveness of CITES. Any Party to CITES may propose
amendments to Appendices I and II, resolutions, decisions, and agenda
items for consideration by all the Parties at the meeting.
This is our second in a series of Federal Register notices that,
together with a public meeting (time and place to be announced in a
future Federal Register notice), provide you with an opportunity to
participate in the development of the U.S. submissions to, and
negotiating positions for, the 18th regular meeting of the Conference
of the Parties to CITES (CoP18), which is scheduled to be held in Sri
Lanka from May 23, 2019, through June 3, 2019. We published our first
CoP18-related Federal Register notice on January 23, 2018 (83 FR 3179).
In that notice, we requested information and recommendations on species
proposals for the United States to consider submitting for discussion
at CoP18, and we also described the U.S. approach to preparations for
CoP18. We intend to announce tentative species proposals that the
United States is considering submitting for CoP18 and solicit further
information and comments on them
[[Page 10737]]
when we publish our third CoP18-related Federal Register notice. You
may obtain information on species proposals by contacting the Division
of Scientific Authority at the telephone number or email address
provided in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Our regulations governing
this public process are found at 50 CFR 23.87.
Request for Information and Recommendations on Resolutions, Decisions,
and Agenda Items
Although we have not yet received formal notice of the provisional
agenda for CoP18, we invite your input on possible agenda items that
the United States could recommend for inclusion, or on possible
resolutions and decisions of the Conference of the Parties that the
United States could submit for consideration. Copies of the agenda and
the results of the most recent, or 17th, meeting of the Conference of
the Parties (CoP17) in Johannesburg, South Africa, which took place
from September 24, 2016, through October 5, 2016, as well as copies of
all resolutions and decisions of the Conference of the Parties
currently in effect, are available on the CITES Secretariat's website
(http://www.cites.org/).
Observers
Article XI, paragraph 7 of CITES provides: ``Any body or agency
technically qualified in protection, conservation or management of wild
fauna and flora, in the following categories, which has informed the
Secretariat of its desire to be represented 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
nongovernmental, and national governmental agencies and bodies; and
(b) national nongovernmental agencies or bodies which have been
approved for this purpose by the State in which they are located.
Once admitted, these observers shall have the right to participate
but not to vote.''
National agencies or organizations within the United States must
obtain our approval to participate in CoP18, whereas international
agencies or organizations must obtain approval directly from the CITES
Secretariat. We will publish information in a future Federal Register
notice on how to request approved observer status. A factsheet on the
process is posted on our website, at https://www.fws.gov/international/pdf/factsheet-become-observer-to-cites-meeting.pdf.
Future Actions
As stated above, the next regular meeting of the Conference of the
Parties (CoP18) is scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka from May 23, 2019,
through June 3, 2019. The United States must submit any proposals to
amend Appendix I or II, or any draft resolutions, decisions, or agenda
items for discussion at CoP18, to the CITES Secretariat no later than
150 days (tentatively December 24, 2018) prior to the start of the
meeting. In order to meet this deadline and to prepare for CoP18, we
have developed a tentative U.S. schedule. Approximately 12 months prior
to CoP18, we plan to publish our next CoP18-related Federal Register
notice announcing tentative species proposals that the United States is
considering submitting for CoP18 and soliciting further information and
comments on them. Following publication of that notice and
approximately 10 months prior to CoP18, we plan to publish a Federal
Register notice announcing draft resolutions, draft decisions, and
agenda items the United States is considering submitting for CoP18 and
soliciting further information and comments on them. Approximately 5
months prior to CoP18, we will post on our website an announcement of
the species proposals, draft resolutions, draft decisions, and agenda
items submitted by the United States to the CITES Secretariat for
consideration at CoP18.
Through a series of additional notices and website postings in
advance of CoP18, we will inform you about preliminary negotiating
positions on resolutions, decisions, agenda items, and amendments to
the Appendices proposed by other Parties for consideration at CoP18,
and about how to obtain observer status from us. We will also publish
an announcement of a public meeting tentatively to be held
approximately 3 months prior to CoP18. That meeting will enable us to
receive public input on our positions regarding CoP18 issues. The
procedures for developing U.S. documents and negotiating positions for
a meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES are outlined in 50
CFR 23.87. As noted in paragraph (c) of that section, we may modify or
suspend the procedures outlined there if they would interfere with the
timely or appropriate development of documents for submission to the
CoP and of U.S. negotiating positions.
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. If you submit
a hardcopy comment that includes personal identifying information, you
may request at the top of your document that we withhold this
information from public review; however, we cannot guarantee that we
will be able to do so.
Author
The primary author of this notice is Clifton A. Horton, Division of
Management Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Authority
The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act of
1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Gregory J. Sheehan,
Principal Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. 2018-04919 Filed 3-9-18; 8:45 am]
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