Adopts the following amendments to the IUCN Statutes, the Rules of Procedure of the World Conservation Congress and the Regulations:

(i) Amend Article 4 of the IUCN Statutes as follows: (existing text, if any, to be removed in strike through; proposed new text in bold)

Categories

The Members of IUCN shall be:

Category A: (a) States, and government agencies and subnational governments;

                         (b) political and/or economic integration organisations;

Category B: (c) national non-governmental organisations;

                         (d) international non-governmental organisations;

Category C: (e) indigenous peoples’ organisations; and

Category D: (f) affiliates.

 

(ii) Amend Article 5 of the IUCN Statutes by inserting a new paragraph (c) as follows and renumber all subsequent paragraphs accordingly: (existing text, if any, to be removed in strike through; proposed new text in bold)

In these Statutes:

(a) States shall be those which are Members of the United Nations or any of its Specialized Agencies, or of the International Atomic Energy Agency, or parties to the Statute of the International Court of Justice;

(b) government agencies shall be organisations, institutions and, when applicable, government departments, which form part of the machinery of government in a State, including those agencies of the components of federal States or of States having an analogous structure;

(c) subnational governments are governmental entities at the state, provincial, local, territories or regional level that have been elected and have:

       (i) competences to adhere to the Statutes of IUCN; 

       (ii) effective decision-making authority in the field of conservation of nature; and/or

      (iii) competences to provide for the equitable and ecologically sustainable use of natural resources;

(c)(d) political and/or economic integration organisations shall be organisations constituted solely by States to which those States have conferred legal competence in respect of matters within the objectives of IUCN;

(d)(e) national non-governmental organisations shall be institutions and associations incorporated within a State;

(e)(f) international non-governmental organisations shall be institutions and associations organized in two or more States;

(f)(g) indigenous peoples’ organisations shall be institutions and associations established by indigenous peoples for the advancement of indigenous communities; and

(g)(h) Affiliate Members shall be government agencies, national and international non-governmental organisations, which are not in Categories A, B or C.

 

(iii) Amend Article 7 of the IUCN Statutes as follows : (existing text, if any, to be removed in strike through; proposed new text in bold)

Government agencies, subnational governments, national and international non-governmental organisations, indigenous peoples’ organisations and affiliates shall become Members of IUCN when the Council has determined that:

          (a) the applicant shares and supports the objectives of IUCN;

          (b) the applicant has as one of its central purposes the achievement of IUCN’s objectives and a substantial record of activity in the conservation of nature and natural resources;

          (c) the objectives and track record of the applicant embody to a substantial extent:

                          (i) the conservation of the integrity and diversity of nature; and, either or both:

                          (ii) the aim to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable;

                          (iii) dedication to influencing, encouraging and assisting societies to meet the objectives of IUCN;

          (d) the applicant does not pursue objectives or carry out activities that conflict with the objectives or activities of IUCN; and

          (e) the applicant meets the other qualifications for membership as prescribed in the Regulations.

 

(iv) Amend Article 34 of the IUCN Statutes as follows: (existing text, if any, to be removed in strike through; proposed new text in bold)

Part V – The World Conservation Congress

Voting

Governmental Members shall have voting rights as follows:

(a) Each State Member shall have three votes, one of which shall be exercised collectively by the Government Agency Members, if any, of that State;

(b) Government Agency Members of IUCN within a State which is not a State Member of IUCN shall collectively have one vote;

(c) Subnational Government Members within a State shall collectively have one vote, regardless of whether or not they are from a State which is a State Member.

(c)(d) Where one or more member States of a political and/or economic integration organisation, and that organisation itself are Members of IUCN, the organisation and its member States shall decide on the mode of exercising their voting rights which shall not in total exceed those of the State Members of IUCN belonging to that organisation.

 

(v) Amend Rule 66bis of the Rules of Procedure as follows: (existing text, if any, to be removed in strike through; proposed new text in bold)

Part VIII – Methods of Voting

Methods of Voting on Motions

Rule 66bis of the Rules of Procedure

A Government Agency Member holding the collective vote for the Government Agency Members in a country shall obtain the agreement of the other Government Agencies before giving proxy to another IUCN Member except that during Congress the agreement of only those other Government Agencies of the country concerned present at the Congress shall be obtained.

 

(vi) Amend Article 4 of the Regulations as follows: (existing text, if any, to be removed in strike through; proposed new text in bold)

Part III - Members

Admission

Government Agencies and Subnational Governments

A government agency or subnational government seeking membership of IUCN shall submit an application for admission to the Director General supported by a statement by the head of the agency or subnational government, setting forth its competence to adhere to the Statutes.

 

(vii) Amend Article 94 of the Regulations as follows: (existing text, if any, to be removed in strike through; proposed new text in bold)

Part X – Electronic Ballot

Where a mail ballot is required under the Statutes, an electronic ballot shall be carried out in accordance with the following procedure:

[…]

(e) The Government Agency Member that cast the Government Agencies’ collective vote at the previous IUCN Congress shall cast the vote for the electronic ballot, unless the Government Agency Members duly notify the Secretariat in writing, at the latest one week before the date/time of the opening of the electronic ballot, of their agreement to designate a different Member to cast their collective vote. The Agency casting the collective vote during an electronic ballot will cast the collective vote at every subsequent electronic vote unless the Secretariat receives a notification of a different agreement among the Members concerned;

(f)(e) The IUCN Legal Adviser shall monitor and ensure the accuracy of the electronic voting process; and

(g)(f) Consistent with the requirement under Rule of Procedure 71bis, the complete voting record of each IUCN Member shall be made available to all IUCN Members within two weeks following the close of the electronic ballot. Consistent with the requirement under Rule of Procedure 72, this voting record shall also include the written statements of any Members explaining their vote, which the Secretariat shall have received by electronic communication before the closing date/time of the electronic ballot.