The United Nations, its specialized agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as any State not a Contracting Party to the Treaty may be represented as observers and participate without the right to vote in sessions of the Governing Body.

   For the Third Session of the Governing Body in June 2009, names and full contact details of the representatives, designated to participate in the session, must be submitted to the Secretariat of the Treaty by 30 April 2009.

   International Institutions that have signed agreements with the Governing Body under Article 15 of the Treaty may participate as observers without the right to vote in sessions of the Governing Body on matters of direct concern to them.

   For the Third Session of the Governing Body in June 2009, names and full contact details of the representatives, designated to participate in the session, must be submitted to the Secretariat of the Treaty by 30 April 2009.

   As established under Article 19 of the Treaty, any body or agency, whether governmental or non-governmental, qualified in fields relating to conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, which has informed the Secretary of the Treaty of its wish to be represented as an observer at a session of the Governing Body, may be admitted unless at least one third of the Contracting Parties present object.

   Bodies or agencies requesting to attend a session of the Governing Body for the first time, need to provide to the Secretariat of the Treaty a brief description of their organization, including the organization's full name and contact details, its main objectives and activities, indicating the organization's qualification in fields relating to the subject-matter of the Treaty. This description should not be longer than five hundred words.

   To attend the Third Session of the Governing Body in June 2009, organizations are requested to submit the names and full contact details of their representatives, designated to participate in the session, not later than 30 April 2009 to the Secretariat of the Treaty.

   Subject to the approval of the Governing Body at the beginning of the session, they may then participate as observers without the right to vote at the Third Session of the Governing Body on matters of direct concern to the body or agency they represent.

   The decision on the participation of bodies and agencies as observers will not be made by the Treaty Secretariat, but by the Governing Body of the Treaty at the beginning of the session. Consequently the Secretariat is not able to guarantee the admission of any organization as observer.

   Expenses incurred by observers shall be borne by their respective organization.