ABSTRACT
The importance to compliance systems of national reporting and verification, preferably through independent review by experts of the information submitted by parties, cannot be over-emphasized. The more reliable and usable the data, submitted regularly and on time, the more able is the regime to monitor and improve implementation and compliance. Yet, while most MEAs are reliant on self-reporting by parties on the implementation of their commitments, reporting rates vary widely and are often low, sometimes under 50%, 2 while the information is variable in quality and not always reliable. A few of the MEA regimes, in particular the Montreal Protocol, the UNFCCC, the Kyoto Protocol and the Ramsar Convention, have developed methods to improve the quality and/or timeliness of reporting, which provide lessons for CITES. In addition, under the UNFCCC, a system of in-depth review of national data by independent experts has been developed, which will be extended to the Kyoto Protocol when it enters into force. Lessons on reporting and review may also be drawn from the International Labour Organization (discussed below), particularly the usefulness of NGO observations on national reports and the procedure for review by experts followed by public scrutiny.
