Ramsar at the H2O Partnership Initiative in Cairns

Global H2O Partnership Initiative
Cairns (Australia) - 11-14 May 2004

The H2O Partnership is a Johannesburg type II initiative aimed to raise public awareness and build capacity around the issue of integrated water and coastal management (H2O = Hilltops to Oceans).

Ramsar's activities at the H2O Partnership Initiative included a presentation by Peter Bridgewater on Ramsar's role in some the key questions being addressed by the conference (partnership implementation, framework for partnership, marine and coastal pollution and its management, multi-stakeholders partnerships, integrated approach financing). The presentation was followed by a panel discussion. A second presentation, specifically on capacity building, using Ramsar examples and background was made in the closing session.

A suggestion was made that a partnership should be developed with the GPA, perhaps through a Joint work programme, or common platform of actions, in the context of the regional seas programme, and this was included in the final communiqué.

-- report and photos by Sebastià Semene Guitart.