1 DE AGOSTO DE 2016 73

any State member thereof or observers thereto not party to the Convention, may be represented at sessions of

the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to this Agreement as observers. Any body or

agency, whether national or international, governmental or non-governmental, which is qualified in matters

covered by this Agreement and which has informed the secretariat of its wish to be represented at a session of

the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to this Agreement as an observer, may be

so admitted unless at least one third of the Parties present object. The admission and participation of observers

shall be subject to the rules of procedure referred to in paragraph 5 of this Article.

Article 17

1. The secretariat established by Article 8 of the Convention shall serve as the secretariat of this Agreement.

2. Article 8, paragraph 2, of the Convention on the functions of the secretariat, and Article 8, paragraph 3, of

the Convention, on the arrangements made for the functioning of the secretariat, shall apply mutatis mutandis to

this Agreement. The secretariat shall, in addition, exercise the functions assigned to it under this Agreement and

by the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to this Agreement.

Article 18

1. The Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation

established by Articles 9 and 10 of the Convention shall serve, respectively, as the Subsidiary Body for Scientific

and Technological Advice and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation of this Agreement. The provisions of the

Convention relating to the functioning of these two bodies shall apply mutatis mutandis to this Agreement.

Sessions of the meetings of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice and the Subsidiary Body

for Implementation of this Agreement shall be held in conjunction with the meetings of, respectively, the

Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation of the

Convention.

2. Parties to the Convention that are not Parties to this Agreement may participate as observers in the

proceedings of any session of the subsidiary bodies. When the subsidiary¶bodies serve as the subsidiary bodies

of this Agreement, decisions under this Agreement shall be taken only by those that are Parties to this Agreement.

3. When the subsidiary bodies established by Articles 9 and 10 of the Convention exercise their functions

with regard to matters concerning this Agreement, any member of the bureaux of those subsidiary bodies

representing a Party to the Convention but, at that time, not a Party to this Agreement, shall be replaced by an

additional member to be elected by and from amongst the Parties to this Agreement.

Article 19

1. Subsidiary bodies or other institutional arrangements established by or under the Convention, other than

those referred to in this Agreement, shall serve this Agreement upon a decision of the Conference of the Parties

serving as the meeting of the Parties to this Agreement. The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting

of the Parties to this Agreement shall specify the functions to be exercised by such subsidiary bodies or

arrangements.

2. The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to this Agreement may provide further

guidance to such subsidiary bodies and institutional arrangements.

Article 20

1. This Agreement shall be open for signature and subject to ratification, acceptance or approval by States

and regional economic integration organizations that are Parties to the Convention. It shall be open for signature

at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 22 April 2016 to 21 April 2017. Thereafter, this Agreement

shall be open for accession from the day following the date on which it is closed for signature. Instruments of

ratification, acceptance, approval or accession shall be deposited with the Depositary.

2. Any regional economic integration organization that becomes a Party to this Agreement without any of its