Recommendation 5.7: National Committees

5th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties
Kushiro, Japan
9-16 June 1993

WELCOMING all efforts made by Contracting Parties to coordinate implementation of the Convention at national level;

NOTING that a number of Contracting Parties or organizations within them have sought to achieve such coordination by the voluntary establishment of "national Ramsar committees";

RECOGNIZING that such committees can take a variety of forms according to local need;

CONSIDERING, nevertheless, that all have in common at least the provision of a permanent national focus for matters concerning the Convention;

CONSIDERING that national committees can provide a useful means within individual Contracting Parties, inter alia of facilitating liaison between interested persons, making expert input to national reports, coordinating applications to and use of the Wetland Conservation Fund [now called the Ramsar Small Grants Fund], and reviewing the implementation of the "Monitoring Procedure" [now called the Ramsar Advisory Mission] and "Montreux Record" and of resolutions and recommendations adopted by the Conference of the Contracting Parties;

THE CONFERENCE OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES

ENCOURAGES Contracting Parties to establish, or recognize the establishment of, national committees according to the needs of each Contracting Party, to provide a focus at national level for implementation of the Convention;

URGES that, where this is done, the opportunity be provided for an input from both governmental and relevant non-governmental organizations and/or individuals;

REQUESTS that national committees send the Bureau summary information concerning their establishment, updated with reference to their work in subsequent national reports; and

REQUESTS the Bureau to maintain information on national committees, and to respond, to the extent possible, to reasonable requests for advice on the subject.