Decision directed to Standing Committee
The Standing Committee shall re-establish the working group on annotations, in close collaboration with the Animals and Plants Committees, recognizing that the Animals and Plants Committees are an important source of expertise and advice to Parties on such scientific and technical issues. The group shall include, but not be limited to, members from the Standing Committee, Animals Committee, Plants Committee, observer Parties, CITES Management and Scientific Authorities, enforcement authorities, including customs, and industry representatives. The Standing Committee shall particularly endeavour to ensure balanced representation of importing and exporting Parties. The terms of reference for the working group shall be:
a) in close collaboration with ongoing efforts in the Plants Committee, to continue reviewing the appropriateness and practical challenges resulting from the implementation of the annotations to the Appendices, including but not limited to those on the tree species, of the agarwood-producing taxa (Aquilaria spp. and Gyrinops spp.), Aniba rosaeodora, Bulnesia sarmientoi and orchids, and to identify options to streamline these annotations taking into account the guidance provided by Resolution Conf. 11.21 (Rev. CoP19) on Use of annotations in Appendices I and II;
b) to develop or refine definitions of terms used in current annotations as appropriate, and submit them for adoption by the Conference of the Parties and subsequent inclusion in the Interpretation section of the Appendices;
c) to review and update the definitions of wood and wood products currently located in paragraph 1 c) of Resolution Conf. 10.13 (Rev. CoP18) on Implementation of the Convention for tree species, for logs, sawn wood, veneer sheets, and plywood;
d) to conduct any work related to annotations directed to it by the Conference of the Parties, the Standing, Animals or Plants Committee; and
e) to prepare reports on progress made in addressing the issues tasked to it and submit them for consideration at the 77th and 78th meetings of the Standing Committee.