For the efficient exercise of its functions, the RPOA-IUU Coordination Committee adopts, and amends as required, these Rules of Procedure for the conduct of its meetings, including meetings of any subsidiary bodies that the Coordination Committee may decide to establish from time to time. In these Rules, unless otherwise stated, the term annual ‘Coordination Committee meeting’ means the annual meeting of the RPOA-IUU as agreed by RPOA-IUU participating Countries.

ADVISORY BODIES

In accordance with the intent of Paragraph 4, Page 4, of the RPOA-IUU, and Paragraph 9 of the Joint Ministerial Statement, the RPOA-IUU Secretariat may, with the approval of all RPOA participating Countries, invite regional and multilateral organisations to attend annual RPOA-IUU Coordination Committee meetings as Advisory Bodies and whose work supports fisheries conservation and management, capacity building, data and information sharing and strengthening networks to enhance implementation of conservation and management measures.
Terms of reference for Advisory Bodies:

To provide assistance in technical support and development of guidelines for conservation and fisheries management, capacity building and the sharing of data and information on fisheries and trade in fishery products
To strengthen networks for the purpose of ensuring implementation of conservation and management measures in the region
To provide advice on strategic directions for fostering collaborations with the RPOA-IUU in line with the objectives and priorities of the RPOA-IUU
To share technical expertise on capacity building towards achieving the objectives and priorities of the RPOA-IUU
To work with the Coordination Committee in good faith and to exercise the rights as recognised in these Rules of Procedure in a manner that does not constitute an abuse of those rights.

All representatives of the Advisory Bodies are required to engage in open and honest discussions.
Interventions, recommendations, and attributed statements made by Advisory Bodies may be reflected in the meeting report, with the agreement of RPOA-IUU participants. Written submissions provided by such bodies shall be distributed by the Secretariat to all RPOA-IUU participants.
A representative from an Advisory Body shall not:

participate in actual decision-making by RPOA-IUU participants
block consensus by RPOA-IUU participants on any topic, though concerns of the Advisory Body/Partner can be incorporated into the meeting report, upon agreement by RPOA-IUU participants.

OBSERVERS

Observer status may be granted from time to time by consensus of the RPOA-IUU participants to entities/organisations, such as non-governmental organisations, conservation entities etc, with a vision and objectives aligned with the vision and objectives of the RPOA-IUU.
Any non-governmental organisation may express an interest in sending an observer(s) to attend a Coordination Committee meeting by submitting an official request to the RPOA-IUU Secretariat with information explaining the organisation’s vision and objectives as well as the organisation’s competence to contribute to the attainment of the vision and objectives of the RPOA-IUU. Such a request shall be made no later than 60 days before the annual Coordination Committee meeting.
Terms of reference for Observers:

To share management and technical programs, including relevant data and information for strengthening fisheries management and marine conservation in the region
To share technical and capacity building programs towards better achieving the objectives and priorities of the RPOA-IUU
To contribute positively towards the enhancement of fisheries conservation and management measures in the region
To strengthen networking in the region in line with the objectives and priorities of the RPOA-IUU
To work with the Coordination Committee in good faith and to exercise the rights as recognised in these Rules of Procedure in a manner that does not constitute an abuse of those rights.

All Observer representatives are required to engage in open and honest discussions and interventions should not have any elements of a policy or political advocacy nature. Accordingly, Observers may submit papers through the RPOA-IUU Secretariat for consideration by RPOA-IUU participants.

Criteria for Observer participation in Coordination Committee meetings

Participation criteria are:

Requests to attend the annual Coordination Committee meeting shall meet the requirements in Appendix A.
No more than two participants from any Observer organisation shall attend an annual Coordination Committee meeting
All expenses to attend the Coordination Committee meeting shall be borne by the Observer organisation.
On invitation from the Chairman, an Observer may address the Coordination Committee meeting, unless an RPOA participant objects
If the content of the intervention by the Observer is deemed inappropriate by any RPOA-IUU participant, the Chairman will ask the Observer to cease the intervention.
Interventions, recommendations and attributed statements by Observers can only be reflected in the meeting report upon consensus by RPOA participants.
At any time during a Coordination Committee meeting, any RPOA-IUU participant may request, anonymously or otherwise, through the Chairman or RPOA Secretariat that the Observer leave the meeting room for any part of an agenda item or session. Requests of this nature will not be recorded in the report of the meeting.

A representative from an Observer organisation shall not:

participate in actual decision-making by RPOA-IUU participants
attend or participate in any CC meeting session deemed a closed session, unless otherwise decided by RPOA participants
attempt to block consensus by RPOA-IUU participants on any topic, however concerns of the Observer organisation can be incorporated into the meeting report, upon agreement by RPOA-IUU participants.

Confidentiality of Coordination Committee meetings

Data confidentiality, including deliberations outside of that reflected in Coordination Committee meeting reports, must be fully respected, and meeting deliberations are not to be made public by any mechanism unless already on the public record. If there are any instances of breaches in confidentiality by the representative(s) of the Observer in terms of, but not limited to, proprietary information or dissemination of discussion content held during the course of, or in the margins of, the Coordination Committee meeting, the Observer organization will be barred from attending future Coordination Committee meetings. There is no avenue to appeal such a decision.
An Observer representative must not transmit any social media messages relevant to RPOA-IUU matters during the course of a Coordination Committee meeting. Any breaches of this requirement will result in the Observer organization being barred from attending future Coordination Committee meetings.

Appendix A

REQUESTS TO ATTEND A RPOA-IUU COORDINATION COMMITTEE MEETING AS AN OBSERVER

An official request from an organisation/entity, seeking to attend an RPOA-IUU Coordination Committee meeting as an Observer, can be submitted to the RPOA Secretariat no later than 60 days before the next Coordination Committee Meeting.
Requests will be circulated by email within 5 business days upon receipt of the request by the RPOA-IUU Secretariat to all RPOA-IUU participants for consideration and response if necessary.
All RPOA participants should submit their due consideration to the RPOA-IUU Secretariat no later than 30 days before the next Coordination Committee meeting. If a response is not received from any RPOA participant 30 days before the start of the next Coordination Committee meeting, their response will be taken as having agreed to the request by the Observer. If, at the close of business 30 days before the beginning of the next Coordination Committee meeting, the RPOA-IUU Secretariat has not received any objections, the Secretariat shall issue an invitation to the Observer applicant.
Official requests made within 60 days of the start of the next Coordination Committee meeting will be considered at the next Coordination Committee meeting and a decision will be taken for the applicant, if agreed to by RPOA-IUU participants, to attend the following Coordination Committee meeting.
In either case, the request must specify:

the Observer organisation’s full name and street address
the name of the representative(s) from the Observer organisation
a summary of the vision and objectives of the Observer organisation, particularly in relation to how they relate to, and can contribute to, the vision and objectives of the RPOA-IUU
the specific topic(s) in which the Observer is interested
any papers and/or presentations to be tabled for the forthcoming Coordination Committee meeting.

Participation by Observer organisations, and by the individuals representing such organisations, in all cases must be agreed by consensus of RPOA-IUU participants.
An invitation to an Observer to attend a Coordination Committee meeting shall be on an annual basis only and should not be regarded as an invitation for longer term participation status.
An Observer may request to table a paper and/or make a presentation at the Coordination Committee meeting. All interventions, tabled papers, and presentations by Observers will be strictly of a collaborative nature for information and/or discussion, as appropriate, by RPOA-IUU participants.

Papers/presentations/interventions shall not have any elements of a policy or political advocacy nature. RPOA-IUU participants will determine if the papers, presentations or interventions form part of the record of the meeting.