Article 17, paragraph 1, of the Convention stipulates that "the Conference of the Parties may, at any ordinary session, adopt protocols to the Convention". Article 17, paragraph 2, provides that "the text of any proposed protocol shall be communicated to the Parties by the secretariat at least six months before such a session". In accordance with these provisions, the Ambassador for Global Environmental Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, by a letter dated 24 April 2009, transmitted to the secretariat the text of a proposed protocol to be adopted at the fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties. Consequently, on X May 2009, the secretariat sent a note verbale containing this text to all Permanent Missions to the United Nations as well as to all National Focal Points under the Convention, in accordance with the requirements of Article 17, paragraph 2, of the Convention. The Conference of the Parties is invited to consider this proposal for a protocol at its fifteenth session