Ramsar's CEPA Oversight Panel

Through Resolution IX.18 adopted at COP9 in November 2005, the Parties instructed the Standing Committee at its 34th meeting to establisha CEPA Oversight Panel to monitor and report on the implementation of the Convention's Communication, Education, Participation and Awareness (CEPA) Programme established by Resolution VIII.31, and to examine and set priorities for communication, education and capacity building in collaboration with the Wetlands International CEPA Specialist Group and the Advisory Board on Capacity Building for the Ramsar Convention.

Although the Resolution noted that the CEPA Panel should meet mostly through electronic means, at Standing Committee's 34th meeting it was agreed that the first meeting should take place face-to-face on the 29th May, 2006, in Gland.

Report of the 1st Meeting, 29 May, 2006
Report of the 2nd Meeting, 20-21 June, 2007
Report of the 3rd Meeting, 29 and 31 October, 2008
Report of the 4th Meeting, 1-2 May, 2010
Report to Standing Committee 36, February 2008
Report to Standing Committee 40, May 2009
Report to Standing Committee 42, May 2011
Report to Standing Committee 43, October 2011
Advisory Document on CEPA Resolutions, Nov 2010

Members of the 1st CEPA Panel 2009-2012
Top row: Sandra Hails (ex-officio), Yasaman Rajabkhah, Amy Lecciones, Nick Davidson (ex-officio), Rafael Gonzalez.
Bottom row: Melissa Marín, Esther Koopmanschap, Chris Prietto, Cecilia Gichuki. Missing: András Bohm, Rebecca D’Cruz, Tunde Ojei, Tiina Niikkonen.

Membership of the CEPA Panel

The composition of the CEPA Panel for the period 2009-2012, as established by SC40, includes:

Vice Chair of SC [Chair of the Oversight Panel]: Mr Rafael Gonzalez (Paraguay)
Chair of the SC Subgroup on Finance: Ms Tiina Niikkonen (Finland)
Vice-Chair of the STRP: Rebecca D'Cruz
STRP CEPA Expert: Chris Prietto
CEPA Government NFP: Mr András Bohm (Hungary)
CEPA Government NFP: Ms Cecilia Gichuki (Kenya)
CEPA NGO NFP: Ms Melissa Marín (Costa Rica)
CEPA NGO NFP: Ms Amy Lecciones (Philippines)
IOPs representative:Tunde Ojei (Wetlands International)
Additional expert: Ms Esther Koopmanschap (Participatory skills expert)
Regional Ramsar Centre representative: Ms Yasaman Rajabkhah - Ramsar Regional Centre for West and Central Asia
Ramsar Advisory Board on Capacity Building representative:To be decided

Ex officio: John Bowleg (Chair of the Panel in the previous triennium), Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General; Sandra Hails, CEPA Programme Officer;

Major tasks of the CEPA Panel

As agreed by SC40, the key tasks of the Panel for the triennium include:

• Develop a short advisory document which shows the relationships between Resolutions VII.9 and VIII.31 and Resolution X.8 in order to assist CEPA Focal Points in the ongoing implementation of the CEPA Programme (this is a priority for the Panel as identified Resolution X.8 para. 10).
  
  
• Review CEPA implementation demonstrated through the National Reports submitted to COP10. The Panel discussed the need to consider whether the National Reports submitted triennially by Parties are an appropriate mechanism for assessing the level and scope of CEPA implementation. An assessment of this, using the COP10 National Reports, should be made by the Panel.
  
  
• Review Ramsar regional initiative reports to clarify the role they play in delivering objectives under the CEPA programme.
  
  
• Identify changing priorities and associated issues for the Ramsar CEPA Programme, using the two reviews above in conjunction with the priorities identified by the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP).
  
  
• Continue work with the Advisory Board on Capacity Building for the Ramsar Convention on identifying priorities for capacity building for wetland management.
  
  
• Advise the Convention on the development of some general guidance on CEPA for site managers that could be easily incorporated into site manager training programmes.
  
  
• Advise the Convention on improving the performance of the CEPA NFPs, including the need for training workshops in using the new CEPA planning tool launched at the COP.
  
  
• Advise the Secretariat on how regular Convention meetings and Ramsar-related meetings can be used to help raise the profile of the Convention and the performance of the Secretariat, e.g. Georgia’s offer to host a Standing Committee meeting.
  
  
• Identify what the Secretariat does well that can be shared with Parties, e.g. using the Secretariat experience with Danone/Evian to share knowledge and know-how on working with the private sector. Perhaps successful experiences from the IOPs in working with the private sector could be identified.

Resolution IX.18 Establishment of an Oversight Panel for the CEPA activities of the Convention

Standing Committee DOC. SC34-11 Establishment of an Oversight Panel for CEPA activities and adoption of a modus operandi

DOC. SC34-14 Report on training activities and capacity building from the Ramsar Advisory Board on Capacity Building

Resolution VIII.31The Convention's Programme on communication, education and public awareness (CEPA) 2003-2008

Note: following a decision at COP10, Resolution X.8 below now supersedes Resolution VIII.31

Resolution X.8 The Convention's Programme on communication, education, participation and awareness (CEPA) 2009-2015