The admission of intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as observers at sessions of the Conference of the Parties (COP) is governed by Article 7, paragraph 6, of the Convention, which provides, inter alia, that "[a]ny body or agency, whether national or international, governmental or nongovernmental, which is qualified in matters covered by the Convention, and which has informed the secretariat of its wish to be represented at a session of the Conference of the Parties as an observer, may be so admitted unless at least one third of the Parties present object". At its first session, the COP agreed that the secretariat should invite to its future sessions, and to sessions of its subsidiary bodies, all IGOs and NGOs admitted at that session and at future sessions, unless an objection was raised to any particular organization in accordance with the Convention and the draft rules of procedure being applied. Consequently, all organizations admitted to previous sessions of the COP (with the exception of those admitted for a single session only) have been notified of the nineteenth session of the COP by the secretariat in accordance with rule 8 of the draft rules of procedure being applied, without prejudice to decisions which may be taken by the COP. Only new applicants need to undergo the procedure for admission to the session. The secretariat has prepared, for consideration by the COP, a list of new applicant IGOs and NGOs that satisfy the requirements set out in the Convention, the draft rules of procedure being applied and established practice, and that have expressed a wish to be represented at sessions of the COP and its subsidiary bodies as observers (see the annex)