Who was where, 2009?

A collection of travel news about Ramsar Secretariat staff, in reverse chronological order, drawn from the Who's Where? feature of the Ramsar Bulletin Board.

For more old Ramsar Secretariat travel news, see also 'Who Was Where', 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008

Anada Tiega, Secretary General, is in Copenhagen, Denmark, 13-18 December 2009, to participate in the COP15 of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. [12/12/09]

The Ad Hoc Working Group on Administrative Reform is having its 3rd meeting in the Secretariat's facilities at IUCN in Gland, Switzerland, 02 December 2009. [02/12/09]

Anada Tiéga, Secretary General, is in Geneva, 1 December 2009, to participate in the 10th anniversary celebration of the Geneva Environment Network (GEN) at Environment House.  [01/12/09]

Anada Tiéga, Secretary General, is in Deauville, France, 25-28 November 2009, to participate in the annual Global Conference of Planet Workshops. This is the third Conference bringing together a wide range of organizations from governments, civil society, including business companies, NGOs, farmers, international organizations, including Environmental Conventions. The Conference will discuss development and environment issues. [25/11/09]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, is visiting UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France, 23-25 November 2009, to participate in and facilitate a first meeting of the UNEP initiative to “Design a methodology to review the effectiveness of multilateral agreements (MEAs)”. [23/11/09]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Regional Advisor for Europe, at Tour du Valat Foundation in the Camargue Ramsar site, France, 24-25 November 2009, participating in a preparatory meeting to prepare the planning for the 10th meeting of the Mediterranean Wetland Committee (MedWet/Com, providing guidance to another Ramsar regional initiative), to be held on 31 May-3 June 2010 in Bastia, Corsica, and for the “Grado+20 Conference”, to be held in Grado, Italy, in early February 2011 to celebrate progress since the Mediterranean Wetland Conference of 5-8 February 1991 in Grado (which triggered the MedWet Initiative) and the 40th anniversary of the Ramsar Convention. [23/11/09]

Nathalie Rizzotti, Project Officer, is in Thailand, 23 November to 3 December 2009, to assess the Evian "Water Protection Institutes" project "Raising awareness for improved management of Beung Kong Long Ramsar site". [20/11/09]

Lew Young, Senior Regional Advisor for Asia/Oceania, is attending the first Steering Committee Meeting of the Ramsar Regional Centre – East Asia, which is being held in Changwon City, Republic of Korea on 17 November 2009, and then the Changwon Declaration Meeting which will be held at the same venue from 18–19 November. He will then be travelling to the Philippines to give a presentation at the East Asian Seas Congress 2009 which will be held in Manila from 23-27 November. During this time, he will also be visiting the Naujan Lake Ramsar site. [17/11/09]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is participating in a meeting of the Carpathian Wetland Initiative (a Ramsar regional initiative) in Tatranska Strba, Slovakia, 16-18 November 2009, focusing on the development of this initiative under the Ramsar and Carpathian Conventions and on the ecology and management of fens in the Carpathian region. [16/11/09]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, is participating, 13 November 2009, in a meeting of the 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership (BIP) GEF project Steering Committee. [12/11/09]

Workshop on wetlands and carbon offsets. Some 42 experts on wetland restoration, socio-economic valuation, carbon measurement and carbon markets are meeting at the Secretariat under the auspices of the Danone Fund for Nature, 9-11 November 2009, to develop mechanisms for crediting delivery of carbon offsets in mangroves and other wetlands, through wetland restoration projects that are in line with the principles and practices of the Ramsar Convention. [10/11/09]

Alexia Dufour, Regional Affairs Officer, is in Burkina Faso to assess a Ramsar Small Grants Project, 10-15 November 2009, and will be in Senegal next week to assess a Swiss Grant for Africa project. [10/11/09]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is participating, 10-13 November 2009, in the first Austrian Ramsar conference on the “significance of wetlands for drinking water, climate and biodiversity”, organised by the Lebensministerium in Eisenstadt, near lake Neusiedl, where also the formal designation of the transboundary Ramsar site Neudsiedlersee-Fertö-Hansag (based on 3 existing Ramsar sites in Austria and Hungary) will be celebrated. [05/11/09]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is participating in the international conference “Towards a shared vision for the integrated management of the Sava river” in Zagreb (Croatia), organised by IUCN and Wageningen UR with financial support from the EU Life-Programme and the Swiss Government, 3-5 November 2009. [05/11/09]

Mr Nejib Benessaiah, Interim MedWet Coordinator, is representing the Ramsar Convention and MedWet at the 16th Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention held in Marrakesh, Morocco 2-4 November 2009. The urgent adaptation measures to Climate Change are the key issue of this meeting, attended by a large number of Ministries of Environment of the Mediterranean. [04/11/09]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, is in Montreal 2-5 November 2009 for meetings at the CBD Secretariat offices, including as a member of the Scientific Review Panel of the third edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook. [03/11/09]

Lew Young, Senior Regional Advisor for Asia/Oceania, is attending the first China Wetlands Culture Festival in Hangzhou City from 2nd  to 3rd November, where the theme will be ‘Wetlands and Culture’. The event will be attended by one of the State Leaders, the Forestry Minster, the Governor of the province and up to 350 other invited guests. Activities of the festival will include: 1) Opening ceremony and Closing ceremony, 2) a forum, 3) Opening ceremony of the State Wetlands Museum (located in the Xixi Wetlands Ramsar site), 4) a Photographic exhibition, 5) presentation of the Ramsar Certificate to the recently designated Xixi Wetlands Ramsar site, and 6) award presentation to winners of a game on wetlands through literature which was held through the Internet. [02/11/09]

María Rivera, Senior Advisor for the Americas, is participating in the workshop "Preparing Highly Effective Conservation Professionals for the Future” in Montelimar, Nicaragua, organized by the International Division of the Fish and Wildlife Service of the United States. [02/11/09]

Sandra Hails, CEPA Programme Officer, will be attending the ASEAN Wetland Management course from 24-26th October 2009 at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Singapore, and presenting a session on Communicating about wetlands. From the 28th October- 1st November she will be attending the Wetland Link International - Oceania meeting at the Hunter Wetlands Centre, Newcastle, Australia, and making a presentation on CEPA Action Planning in the Ramsar Convention as well as key results of the World Wetlands Day assessment. [20/10/09]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is participating in the “Jornadas internacionales sobre herramientas de gestión de los humedales mediterráneos” organized by the new Spanish wetland centre CEHUM, Gandia near Valencia, Spain, 26-29 October 2009.

Secretary General Anada Tiéga will be attending the 5th Biennial GEF International Waters Conference from the 24th October, in Cairns, Australia, following which he will be meeting with the Australian Department for Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (the Ramsar Administrative Authority) and over five days visiting Australian Ramsar sites and meeting with key wetland stakeholders. From there, he will travel to Samoa to sign the updated Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ramsar Convention and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme. [16/10/09]

Lew Young, Senior Regional Advisor for Asia/Oceania, will be assisting on ASEAN Wetland Management Training Course to be held at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Singapore, from 19 – 27 October 2009. During that time, he will also be attending the ASEAN Conference on Biodiversity 2009, Singapore (21-23 October), and will be setting up a ‘Ramsar booth’ in the conference hall. In between all this, Lew will be making a one-day visit to the Sungai Pulai Ramsar site in Malaysia. [16/10/09]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, Alexia Dufour, Regional Affairs Officer, and Monica Zavagli, Scientific and Technical Support Officer, are in Cambridge, UK from 19-21 October 2009 for an STRP task group meeting hosted by UNEP-WCMC to further develop assessment of the Convention’s indicators of the effectiveness of the implementation of the Convention. [16/10/09]

Anada Tiéga, Secretary General, and Maria Rivera, Senior Advisor for the Americas, are participating in the meeting of the Plata River Basin Wetlands Initiative in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 15 October 2009, and then visiting the new Ramsar site Vinciguerra in Tierra del Fuego for the designation ceremony, 16-18 October. From 19 to 22 October they will be visiting the Ramsar authorities in Uruguay and visiting the Ramsar site Bañados del Este. [14/10/09]

Tobias Salathe, Senior Advisor for Europe, is participating in the "high level expert forum on how to feed the world in 2050" at the UN Food & Agriculture Organization headquarters in Rome, Italy, 12-13 October 2009. [13/10/09]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, Alexia Dufour, Regional Affairs Officer, and Nathalie Rizzotti, Project Officer, are in Evian, France, 7-8 October 2009, for the first seminar for Ramsar site managers in France, including high-level participation by French national authorities. [07/10/09]

Anada Tiega, Secretary General, Tobias Salathe, Senior Advisor for Europe, and Project Officer Nathalie Rizzotti are in Paris, France, 2 October 2009, to participate in the Steering Committee meeting of the Ramsar/Danone Fund for Water partnership. [02/10/09]

Anada Tiega, the Secretary General, and Heather MacKay, Chair of the STRP, will be in Nairobi, Kenya, beginning on 3 October to attend the 2nd  Intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder meeting on the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services ( IPBES). Whilst in Nairobi they will also have a meeting with UN-HABITAT for further discussions on a joint activity between Ramsar and UN-HABITAT to address some of the challenges related to wetlands and urbanization. [02/10/09]

Heather MacKay, Chair of the STRP, is also representing the Ramsar Convention in the  the Third meeting of the Chairs of the Scientific Advisory Bodies of Biodiversity-related Conventions (CSAB) on 3rd October and in the pre-meeting of IPBES on 4 October. [02/10/09]

María Rivera, Senior Advisor for the Americas, is in Canada, 2-8 October 2009, for discussions with the  Canadian Wildlife Service (the Ramsar Administrative Authority in Canada), a visit to the Mer Bleue Ramsar site, and participation in the Training Course for Canadian Ramsar Sites Managers at the Creston Valley Ramsar site.
[02/10/09]

Abou Bamba, Senior Advisor for Africa, is representing the Ramsar Secretariat in the UNCCD COP9. The 9th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 9) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 21 September-2 October 2009. In addition to the work of the COP, parties are also convening the 8th session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 8) and the 9th session of the Committee on Science and Technology (CST 9). The UNCCD First Scientific Conference is meeting from 22-24 September, in conjunction with CST 9, to consider the theme “biophysical and socio-economic monitoring and assessment of desertification and land degradation, to support decision-making in land and water management.” [30/09/09]

Heather MacKay, Chair of the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP), is visiting the Secretariat today, 29 September 2009, for discussions on a range of STRP matters and preparations with the Secretary General for the IPBES meeting in Nairobi later this week. [29/09/09]

Sandra Hails, CEPA Programme Officer, is attending a workshop for CEPA National Focal Points in West Asia, jointly organized by the Ramsar Secretariat and the Ramsar Regional Centre for Central & West Asia, which is being held at the Centre in Ramsar, Iran, 29 September - 1 October 2009. [28/09/09]

Anada Tiega, Secretary General, Tobias Salathe, Senior Advisor for Europe, and Sandra Hails, CEPA Programme Officer, are visiting Bucharest, Romania, 24-25 September 2009, for discussions with authorities in the Ministry of Environment about the preparations for Ramsar COP11 in 2012. [23/09/09]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, is in Chexbres, Switzerland, 22-24 September 2009, for the UNEP Workshop on Knowledge Management and Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). [22/09/09]

The Secretariat's Americas team, María Rivera and Nadia Castro, are in La Paz, Bolivia, 21-24 September 2009, to participate in the VI meeting of the High Andean Regional Initiative. [19/09/09]

Abou Bamba, Senior Advisor for Africa, is participating in a meeting on EC ACP Countries MEAs Programme & Ethiopia’s accession, 15-18 September 2009, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (15/09/09)

Anada Tiega, Secretary General, is participating in the high-level segment of the 3rd World Conference on Climate Change in Geneva, Switzerland, 3 and 4 September 2009. [03/09/09]

Abou Bamba, Senior Advisor for Africa, is in Maputo and Beira, Mozambique, 16-21 August 2009, to conduct a Ramsar Advisory Mission with Ramsar consultants to the Marromeu Complex Ramsar site. [15/08/09]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, is in Stockholm, Sweden, 14-18 August 2009, to participate in numerous activities and seminars of the World Water Week. [13/08/09]

Anada Tiéga, the Secretary General, will be in Changwon, Republic of Korea, 20 July 2009, to meet with the mayor of Changwon and the CEO of the Gyeongnam Environmental Foundation. On 21 July he will attend the inauguration ceremony of the Regional Ramsar Center for East Asia, and will meet with the Governor of Gyeongnam Province. [17/07/09]

Lew Young, Senior Advisor for Asia-Oceania, will be in Changwon and Seoul, Republic of Korea, from 19-30 July 2009. In Changwon, he will be attending the opening of the Ramsar Regional Centre – East Asia, as well as participating in a workshop on the ‘Wise use of Internationally Important Nakdong River Estuary’ and visiting the Suncheon Bay Ramsar site, which may be impacted by the construction of an expressway to the north of the site. In Seoul, he will be presenting a paper at the 3rd International Congress on Environmental Planning and Management, and visiting Song Do, Incheon City. From 1-12 August, he will be in Hong Kong, P.R. China, to discuss the management and wise use of the Mai Po Inner Deep Bay Ramsar site with the Hong Kong SAR government, and will also be visiting some of the internationally important wetlands in South China. [17/07/09]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, has been in Reading, UK, helping to facilitate a CBD expert workshop on progress and indicators towards the 2010 biodiversity target and developing the post-2010 target and indicators, and is present visiting UNEP-WCMC (Cambridge, UK) for a meeting to progress STRP's work on the Ramsar indicators of convention effectiveness. [14/07/09]

Alexia Dufour, Regional Affairs Officer, was in Klagenfurt, Austria, 23-26 June, to represent the Ramsar Secretariat at the Advisory Board of the Master "management of protected areas" programme and to take part to the Klagenfurt Days of Protected Areas.

Nadezhda Alexeeva, Assistant Advisor for Europe, is participating in the International Course on Ecohydrological Approach to (Revitalisation and Conservation of) Wetlands that was held in Trebon, Czech Republic on 15 – 20 June 2009; the course is organised by the Czech UNESCO/ MAB National Committee, Czech Ramsar Committee and Enki.

Nadezhda Alexeeva, Assistant Advisor for Europe, participated in the study trip “Management Planning Process in Practice, Case Pihlajavesi Natura 2000–area” that was held in Savonlinna, Finland on 9 – 10 June 2009; it was organised by Metsähallitus for experts dealing with PAs in regional administrations in NW Russia, within the framework of the Finnish-Russian project “Development of regional protected Areas in NW Russia”.

Sandra Hails, CEPA Programme Officer, is participating in a meeting from 29-30th May at the Foce Dell’Isonzo Nature Reserve, Trieste, Italy, of representatives from a number of European wetland centres to discuss the setting up of a European network of wetland centres as part of the global Wetland Link International network. [28/05/09]

María Rivera, Senior Advisor for the Americas, is in Brasilia, Brazil, from 26-30 May participating in the meeting of the Ramsar National Committee, meeting with the Ramsar Administrative Authority, and visiting and handing over the certificate of the new Ramsar site Reserva del Patrimonio Natural Fazenda Rio Negro. [25/05/09]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, is participating in a UK "thematic review of recent developments in global biodiversity mechanisms and future evidence needs" and chairing a session on ecosystem services, London, 20 May; and then a meeting of Wetlands International's Global Waterbird Advisory Group (WIG-WAG) also in UK, on 21 May 2009. [20/05/09]

Lew Young, SRA Asia/Oceania, is in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 21–28 May 2009, to attend the meeting of the Inter-State Sustainable Development Commission. In addition, he will be making a presentation at the celebrations for International Biodiversity Day on 22 May, and will also be visiting the Aydar Arnasay Lakes System Ramsar site which was designated in October 2008. [20/05/09]

Anada Tiega, Secretary Genera, is in Nairobi, Kenya, 19-23 May 2009, to progress the Secretariat's collaboration with UN-HABITAT and the Administrative Authority, the Kenya Wildlife Service, particularly concerning Lake Victoria. This will be followed up through joint actions bringing together Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. He will also pay a visit to the Ramsar sites visit Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha. [18/05/09]

Nadezhda Alexeeva, Assistant Advisor for Europe, participated in the International Workshop on Transboundary Water Resources Management in South-Eastern Europe held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina on 18-20 May 2009; it was organized by Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in cooperation with the Global Water Partnership Mediterranean and the International Sava River Basin Commission, and with the financial assistance of the Governments of Sweden and Switzerland. The workshop was organized within the framework of the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (UNECE Water Convention) and it was a determinant step in the preparations of the second Assessment of transboundary waters under the UNECE Water Convention, that currently being prepared.

The Ramsar Standing Committee is visiting the Secretariat's facilities at IUCN in Switzerland throughout the week of 11 to 15 May 2009. [12/05/09]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, is in Rome, 28-30 April 2009, to participate in a meeting of the GEF Scientific & Technical Advisor Panel (GEF-STAP) hosted by FAO, which will be reviewing GEF implementation science and the emerging GEF-5 strategies. [27/04/09]

Anada Tiega, Secretary General, and Abou Bamba, Senior Advisor for Africa, are in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 27-30 April 2009, to attend a workshop on capacity building for Magistrates on Environmental Law, jointly convened by the Ramsar Secretariat, UNEP, and the Institut de l’Energie et de l’Environnement de la Francophonie (IEPF). Four other conventions and six agencies, including the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law, are co-organizers. Twelve environmental conventions are expected to attend the workshop and explain their principles, objectives and strategic approaches. [24/04/09]

María Rivera, Senior Advisor for the Americas, is participating in the general meeting of the International Coral Reefs Initiative (ICRI) in Phuket, Thailand, 20-23 April. [20/04/09]

Anada Tiega, Secretary General, is in Paris, France, 23 April 2009, to address the general assembly of shareholders of the Danone Group on the progress of the Danone / Ramsar partnership. [23/04/09]

Abou Bamba, Senior Advisor for Africa, is in Libreville, Gabon, 21-23 April 2009, to participate in celebrations of three recently-designated Ramsar sites and the launch of a documentary film on wetlands and oil activities produced by Ramsar, UNEP, and the government of Gabon. [21/04/09]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is participating in the meeting of the Austrian Ramsar Committee, focusing on transboundary aspects of wetland cooperation, especially in the area of Lake Constance (Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland), 20-21 April 2009. [14/04/09]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, is in Hanoi, Vietnam,15-17 April 2009, to contribute to and facilitate with UNEP-WCMC a "Harmonisation of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) reporting" workshop for ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) countries organised by the ASEAN centre for biodiversity. [14/04/09]

María Rivera, Senior Advisor for the Americas, is participating in CREHO's Board of Directors meeting in Panama, 14-15 April 2009, and will be attending the general meeting of the International Coral Reefs Initiative (ICRI) in Phuket, Thailand, 20-23 April. [14/04/09]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is in Ulcini, Montenegro,14-17 April 2009, to participate in the Adriatic Flyway Conference, organized by Euronatur and others, focusing on wetlands in southeastern Europe, especially along the Adriatic Sea. [14/04/09]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, and Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, are participating in a workshop in the IUCN/Secretariat facilities on wetland carbon offsets, 7 April 2009, with partners from IUCN and the Danone Group and experts in this field. This is part of a project sponsored by the Danone Fund for Nature. [06/04/09]

Mr Anada Tiéga, Secretary General, is in Paris, France, 6-9 April 2009, for a meeting organized by the French Minister of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Landscape Management other ministers, parliamentarians, NGOs and the civil society at large to enhance the importance of wetlands in the country; a meeting for MEA secretariats on an Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), organized by UNEP; a meeting organized by the Environment Management Group (EMG) on the 2010 biodiversity targets and beyond; and finally a meeting of the Biodiversity Liaison Group, involving the CBD Secretariat, CMS, CITES, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, the Ramsar Convention, and the World Heritage Convention. [06/04/09]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Regional Advisor for Europe, is participating in a donors' meeting and celebration of the new Ramsar site Livanjsko Polje in Livno, Bosnia, and meeting with the Bosnian Administrative Authority, and local authorities, and IOPs (Dinaric Arc Initiative), 2-5 April 2009. [02/04/09]

About 40 wetland experts, both members and observers, are attending the 15th meeting of the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP), 30 March to 3 April 2009, at the Secretariat's facilities in Gland, Switzerland. The principal objective of the week's sessions will be the development of a work plan for the Panel's efforts in the next triennium, which will be presented to the Standing Committee for its advice and approval in May. The tentative list of participants is here. [30/03/09]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, is visiting the Station Biologique de la Tour du Valat (France), 25 March 2009, for a European Space Agency "GlobWetland-II" user consultation meeting, for a project being designed to follow-up on the successful GlobWetland-I project discussed at COP10. [25/03/09]

The "Ad Hoc Working Group on Administrative Reform" is meeting in the Secretariat offices in Gland, Switzerland, 24 March 2009. [24/03/09]

Anada Tiéga, Secretary General, is attending the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul, 17-22 March 2009, and participating in the following events, amongst others: - High Level Panel for Topic 3.3 on “Preserving Natural Ecosystems: Ecosystems for Water and Life”; - Ministerial Roundtable: “Freshwater-Coastal waters”; - High Level Roundtable on World Water Day: this year’s focus is on transboundary waters; - Launch of the “Southern Africa Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment Report” published by IUCN Freshwater Biodiversity Unit, based in Cambridge; - and will also attend the following events: Launch of Water and Nature Toolkits by IUCN Water Programme; European Regional Session: the way forward in the 21 century; Basin management and Transboundary Cooperation; Transboundary Aquifers Management and Protection; Discussion on “Flows for the environment and human well-being”. 

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, is in Istanbul, 18-22 March 2009, to participate in a a number of 5th World Water Forum events, including convening on 21 March a session on "Acting locally, thinking globally" for ecosystems and people in water management. [18/03/09]

Abou Bamba, Senior Regional Advisor for the Africa, is in Libreville, Gabon, 13-18 March 2009, to participate in the government's launch of the Ramsar/UNEP documentary on wetlands and extractive industries, inquire about dam construction on a Ramsar site, and celebrate the three newly-designated Ramsar sites in that country. [03/03/09]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is in Copenhagen, Denmark, 15-16 March 2009, to meet with the Administrative Authority of Denmark and Greenland to discuss industrial development at the Heden Ramsar site in Greenland and to prepare a Ramsar Advisory Mission for summer 2009. [16/03/09]

Sandra Hails, CEPA Programme Officer, is in Istanbul, 16-18 March 2009, to participate in a meeting of the Advisory Board on Capacity Building for the Ramsar Convention, in the peripheries of the 5th World Water Forum. [16/03/09]

Anada Tiéga, the Secretary General, and Abou Bamba,Senior Regional Advisor for Africa, are visiting Victoria, Seychelles, for a meeting with the president of the republic and the launching of a Ramsar project on wetlands and ecotourism in Seychelles, 6-11 March 2009. [08/03/09]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, is in Ede, The Netherlands, at the new offices of Wetlands International, 9-12 March 2009, for a project workshop on options for follow-up of the Wings Over Wetlands (WOW) initiative and talks with Wetlands International about the Ramsar Sites Information Service. [09/03/09]

Lew Young, Senior Regional Advisor for the Asia/Oceania, is in Nadi, Fiji, 4-18 March 2009, to assist on a "Regional Capacity Development Workshop on Wetland Management". On his return, he will be stopping in Bangkok, Thailand, to visit the IUCN Asia Regional Office and UNEP-Regional Office Asia Pacific. [03/03/09]

Nick Davidson, the Deputy Secretary General, and Alexia Dufour, Regional Affairs Officer, are visiting UNEP-WCMC in Cambridge, UK, 2-5 March 2009, for STRP discussions on the development of effectiveness indicators for the Convention. [02/03/09]

Nick Davidson, the Deputy Secretary General, is participating in the International Conference on Implementing Environmental Water Allocations (IEWA), 20-26 February 2009, in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and speaking on Ramsar's recent approaches and guidance on river basin management.

María Rivera, Senior Regional Advisor for the Americas, will be in Santa Maria, Colombia, 23-27 February 2009, attending WHSRN and meeting with the Colombian Administrative Authority to follow up on the status of the Ciénaga de Santa Maria Ramsar Site.

Lew Young, Senior Regional Advisor for Asia/Oceania, will be in Bahrain from 23-27 February attending a joint workshop on global marine World Heritage site selection and meeting with the Ramsar Administrative Authority in Bahrain and UNEP-Regional Office West Asia.

Anada Tiéga, the Secretary General,will be in Nairobi, Kenya, 16-21 February 2009, attending the UNEP Governing Council Meeting, meeting with UN-Habitat Executive Secretary and a UNITAR senior officer, and taking time also to visit the Kenyan Administrative Authority as well as the IUCN and WWF International offices. [13/02/09]

Alexia Dufour, Regional Affairs Officer, will be in Clermont-Ferrand,France, for a seminar on "Land Use and Natural Resources Conflicts", at the invitation of ENITA Clermont engineering school. Alexia will present the Convention and the case of Lake Natron.

Abou Bamba, Senior Advisor for Africa, is attending the High-Level Intersessional Meeting of the Commission on Sustainable Development, from 9-10 February 2009, Windoek, Namibia.

Lew Young, Senior Advisor for Asia/Oceania, is in the Republic of Korea where an all-day event has been organized that will debate key wetland issues, deliver a guest lecture for students by a distinguished speaker, and deliberate the developing National CEPA Wetland Action Plan. [02/02/09]

Anada Tiéga, the Secretary General, is at the Doñana Ramsar site in southwestern Spain where he and the Director General of WWF International, Jim Leape, are celebrating World Wetlands Day and the anniversary of WWF's 40 years of working in the Doñana wetland. [02/02/09]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is celebrating World Wetlands Day in Willstätt on the German/French border to mark the recently designated Transboundary Ramsar Site Oberrhein/ Rhin supérieur. [02/02/09]

Lew Young, Senior Advisor for Asia/Oceania, is in the Republic of Korea where an all-day event has been organized that will debate key wetland issues, deliver a guest lecture for students by a distinguished speaker, and deliberate the developing National CEPA Wetland Action Plan. [02/02/09]

A number of Ramsar staff spent Sunday, 1 February, in atrocious weather running the Ramsar stand for the Ramsar Secretariat at the annual WWD festivities organized by the State of Geneva beside Lake Geneva in the heart of the city, amongst and there will also be many stands run by local and neighbouring French NGOs.

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is in Athens, Greece, 12-14 January 2009, to participate in the annual performance appraisal of the MedWet coordinator (together with the MedWet Chair from Italy, and Th. Papayannis representing its Governing Board) and in subsequent meetings of the MedWet Governing Board and Steering Group, composed of representatives from Italy (Europe), Algeria (Africa), Lebanon (Asia), WWF (IOPs) and Tour du Valat (Mediterranean wetland centres). [09/01/09]

Sandra Hails, CEPA Programme Officer, is attending the National Wetlands Conference in Dumaguete City, Philippines, 12-15 January 2009. [09/01/09]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, and Alexia Dufour, Regional Affairs Officer, are in Cambridge, UK on 7/8 January 2009 for a meeting at UNEP-WCMC to further develop aspects of the STRP's work on indicators of the effectiveness of the Convention. [07/01/09]