The Ramsar Convention Manual.pdf

More documents

Recommendations

Info

the basis of the scale approved by the UN General Assembly, but with a minimum contribution of 1,000 Swiss francs for those Parties whose calculated shares would be less than that amount. The core budget for the triennium 2003-2005 is Swiss francs 3,678,564 (ca. US$ 2.8 million or €2.4 million at June 2003 exchange rates), 3,825,707, and 3,978,735 for each of the three years. In addition to the annual dues paid by member countries to cover the core budget, the Ramsar Secretariat receives voluntary contributions from Contracting Parties, NGOs, and other donors to implement special projects or carry out contractual agreements. Examples include contributions to defray the costs of Ramsar Advisory Missions (§4.1.6); to support projects through the Ramsar Small Grants Fund, Wetlands for the Future initiative (§4.4.6), and the Swiss Grant for Africa; to carry out additional communications activities; and to organize regional and other meetings and training workshops. 3.7 The Ramsar regions The Convention's system of regionalization came into effect with the adoption of Resolution 3.3 (1987) on the establishment of a Standing Committee to oversee the implementation of the Convention between triennial meetings of the Conference of the Parties. Regionalization is a significant factor in the operation of the Convention, in terms of the structure of the Standing Committee, the organization of Secretariat staff and duties, and the ways in which Contracting Parties cooperate through regional representation and meetings. This system was reviewed at COP7 (1999), so that now, for technical and administrative purposes, the Ramsar Convention has established six regions: □ Africa □ Asia □ Europe □ Neotropics (South and Central America and the Caribbean area) □ North America (Canada, Mexico, and the United States) □ Oceania The full list of countries under each region (both those that are Parties and countries which have not yet joined) has been determined by Resolution VII. 1 (1999). At the Ramsar Secretariat, there are four "Regional Advisory Teams", each consisting of a Senior Advisor and an Intern/Assistant Advisor, for the following regions: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Americas (Neotropics and North America). Regional meetings Since 1991, the Ramsar Secretariat has organized regional and subregional meetings, usually in preparation for meetings of the Conference of the Parties. These meetings give Parties from the regions and subregions an opportunity to network and discuss common problems and solutions and to prepare common region-specific responses, when appropriate, to the issues and documents to be considered at the COP. Funding to cover the meeting costs, especially for travel and subsistence expenses, is sought by the Secretariat on a case-by-case basis from voluntary contributions by the Parties, development assistance agencies, and interested NGOs. Reports of these meetings can be found on the Ramsar Web site, http://ramsar.org/cop8_regionalmeetings_schedule.htm.
A Guide to the Convention on Wetlands, (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) Ramsar Regional and Subregional Meetings in preparation for COP8 Region/subregion Dates Location Africa Southern Africa/East Africa 12-14 November 2001 Lusaka, Zambia Central and North Africa 20-22 March 2002 Algiers, Algeria West Africa, Comoros, & Madagascar 5-7 June 2002 Cotonou, Benin Americas South America 10-12 September 2001 Buenos Aires, Argentina Central America/Caribbean & North America 26-28 September 2001 San Pedro Sula, Honduras Pan-American - Neotropics & North America 1-5 July 2002 Guayaquil, Ecuador Asia East Asia 1-3 October 2001 Bangkok, Thailand West and Central Asia 3-5 February 2002 Teheran, Iran Middle East 7-9 October 2002 Beirut, Lebanan Europe Pan-European 13-18 October 2001 Bled, Slovenia Oceania Oceania °'f$ May 2002 Apia, Samoo 3.8 National Ramsar Committees Recommendation 5.7 of the COP and the Strategic Plan encourage Contracting Parties to establish National Ramsar Committees (or National Wetland Committees) which can: □ provide a broader focus at national level for the implementation of the Convention, involving relevant government agencies, scientific and technical institutions, regional and local authorities, local communities, NGOs, and the private sector, to deal with such issues as: ■ national wetland policies ■ management of Ramsar Sites ■ application of the Montreux Record and Ramsar Advisory Mission mechanisms (§4.1.5 and 6) ■ inclusion of new sites in the Ramsar List ■ submissions to the Ramsar Small Grants Fund (§4.4.6) In addition, National Committees may: □ provide expert input to National Reports for meetings of the Conference of the Contracting Parties □ review implementation of Resolutions and Recommendations adopted by the Conference of the Contracting Parties. A considerable number of Contracting Parties have already established National Ramsar Committees, though they vary considerably in form from one country to another. For example, some committees consist of representatives of government agencies and relevant non-governmental organizations, sometimes also including individuals with relevant expertise, whilst others may be organized as governmental committees (including regional governments in federal States), or as essentially nongovernmental bodies. Ideally, National Committees should include as many sectors of government and representatives of stakeholders as possible. Information about existing National Committees and contact details can be obtained from the Ramsar Secretariat. 3.9 Cooperation with other organizations The Ramsar Convention, through the Secretariat and its other bodies, maintains close working links with other international, intergovernmental, and non-governmental organizations to achieve a strategic alliance for wetland conservation. The links with other environment-related conventions are reviewed in §1.12. 29
Page 1 and 2: The Ramsar Convention Manua A Guide
Page 3 and 4: A Guide to the Convention on Wetlan
Page 13 and 14: (§4.1.7), Parties are expected to
Page 15 and 16: UNESCO World Heritage Convention A
Page 17 and 18: 2. A brief history of the Ramsar Co
Page 19 and 20: January 1988 The Ramsar Secretariat
Page 21 and 22: October 1998 The Standing Committee
Page 27: A Guide to the Convention on Wetlan
Page 31 and 32: □ the International Association f
Page 49 and 50: 4.4.7 Project support and external
Page 65 and 66: 7 th Meeting of the Conference of t
Page 67 and 68: The Ramsar Convention Manual, 3" 1
Page 69 and 70: The Ramsar Convention Manual, 3" ed
Page 71 and 72: The Ramsar Convention Manual, 3 rd
Page 73 and 74: The Ramsar Convention Manual, 3" ed

The Ramsar Convention Manual.pdf

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?