Wetland City Accreditation of the Ramsar Convention

Transcription

1 CBD-COP13 5 TH GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY SUMMIT FOR CITIES AND SUBNATIONAL GOVERNMENTS Parallel Session 6D on optimal utilization of ecosystem services through landscape scale biodiversity management strategies Wetland City Accreditation of the Ramsar Convention

2 The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Signed in 1971 in the city of Ramsar, Iran Currently 169 Contracting Parties (more coming soon) Mission : conservation and wise use of all wetlands, through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development globally

3 Wetlands as defined by the Convention Lakes and rivers, underground aquifers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands, peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, mangroves and other coastal areas, coral reefs, and all human-made sites such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs and salt pans

4 Three pillars of the Convention 1) Work towards the wise use of all wetlands; 2) Designation of Wetlands of International Importance (or Ramsar Sites ) and their effective management; (2245 Ramsar Sites globally designated so far, covering over 215 million ha) 3) Cooperate internationally on transboundary wetlands, shared wetland systems and shared species.

5 Ghar-el-Melh Lagoon, Tunisia

6 Town of Ghar-el-Melh, Tunisia

7 Resolution XII.10 : Ramsar Wetland City Acccreditation Draft Resolution developed and submitted jointly by Tunisia and the Republic of Korea Adopted in June by Ramsar COP12, Punta del Este, Uruguay

8 Resolution XII.10 : Wetland City Acccreditation APPROVES the establishment of a voluntary Wetland City Accreditation system INVITES Contracting Parties to propose for accreditation as a «Wetland City» those cities in their territory which are located close to Ramsar Sites and/or other signification wetlands, based on 6 particular criteria

9 Resolution XII.10 (ct d) INSTRUCTS the Ramsar Secretariat to develop a global online network of cities which have obtained the Wetland City accreditation of the Ramsar Convention. INVITES the International Organization Partners and others partners to promote the Ramsar Convention s branding through the Wetland City accreditation, and promote local efforts to gain and maintain this branding

10 Independent Advisory Committee, composed of following representatives : 1 of UN-HABITAT (United Nations Human Settlements Programme) 1 of ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) 1 of the Ramsar IOPs (International Organization Partners) 6 of the Ramsar Standing Committee (1 per Region) 1 of the Ramsar Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) 1 of the Ramsar Communication, Education, Participation and Awareness Panel (CEPA) 1 of UNEP/Global Waster Water Initiative, the Ramsar Secretary General, the Ramsar Senior Advisor for the concerned region (rapporteur) the coordinator of the Regional Initiative concerned (when applicable)

11 Steps towards implementation of the Wetland City Accreditation December 2016 : finalisation of the TORs for the Independent Advisory Committee (IAC). January 2017 : Ramsar Secretariat issues a call for applications February to September 2017 : Secretariat receives applications, transmitted by each Country s Ramsar National Focal Points

12 Steps towards implementation of the Wetland City Accreditation (ct d) September to December 2017: the Independent Assessment Committee (IAC) receives all submitted applications, reviews them and select the best fitting one with the Wetland City Accreditation criteria, prior to submit to the 53th Ramsar Standing Committee January-February 2018 : 54th Ramsar Standing Committee reviews the report of the IAC, and decide on the list of accredited cities be announced at Ramsar COP13 October 2018 : Official presentation and celebration of the first accredited cities at Ramsar COP13 in Dubaï, UAE

13 Wetland City Accreditation For more information on how to proceed : ramsar@ramsar.org Ramsar Resolution XII.10 on Wetland City Accreditation (and others) available on