Gaborone amendment of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

At the end of Article XXI, paragraphs (1) to (5) shall be added:

"1. This Convention shall be open for accession by regional economic integration organisations constituted by sovereign States which have competence in respect of the negotiation, conclusion and implementation of international agreements in matters transferred to them by their Member States and covered by this Convention.

2. In their instruments of accession, such organisation shall declare the extent of their competence with respect to the matters governed by the Convention. These organisations shall also inform the Depository Government of any substantial modification in the extent of their competence. Notifications by regional economic integration organisations concerning their competence with respect to matters governed by this Convention and modifications thereto shall be distributed to the Parties by the Depository Government.

3. In matters within their competence, such regional economic integration organisations shall exercise the rights and fulfil the obligations which this Convention attributes to their Member States, which are Parties to the Convention. In such cases the Member States of the organisations shall not be entitled to exercise such rights individually.

4. In the fields of their competence, regional economic integration organisations shall exercise their right to vote with a number of votes equal to the number of their Member States which are Parties to the Convention. Such organisations shall not exercise their right to vote if their Member States exercise theirs, and vice versa.

5. Any reference to "Party" in the sense used in Article 1(h) of this Convention, to "State"/"States" or to "State Party"/State Parties" to the Convention shall be construed as including a reference to any regional economic integration organisation having competence in respect of the negotiation, conclusion and application of international agreements in matters covered by this Convention."