Standing Committee 24 -- The Photo Gallery

The 24th meeting of the Ramsar Convention Standing Committee, 29 November - 2 December 1999, produced lots of good work and was, by all accounts, lots of fun!  That's worth mentioning, because it may not be apparent in these photographs. Nearly all of which were shot by Valerie Higgins and Alexander Belokurov of the Ramsar Bureau. If the photos should sufficiently whet your appetite for more of SC24, here are the minutes of the meeting (recommended only for readers who've recently had their annual medical check-ups).

SC24 begins, Togo intent, Algeria tentative, secretariat seat vacant.

Stephen Hunter, Chair of the Standing Committee for 1999-2002, breaks the ice with a few amusing anecdotes.

Maritta von Biberstein Koch-Weser, Director General of IUCN-The World Conservation Union, welcomes the delegates and describes the severity of the problems facing the world.

The delegates furiously take their notes and (upper right) the interpreters strive to give them some more.

Everybody's favorite Treaty Officer, Mr John O'Sullivan, welcomes the delegates and expresses the hopes of BirdLife International for the outcomes of this meeting.

Ms Robin Schaap, head of Wetlands International's coordination unit, emphasizes some of the key goals of the SC24 meeting.

At the head table, from left: the rapporteur, Bill Phillips and Delmar Blasco from the secretariat, and Stephen Hunter from Australia, the chairperson.

Chris Tydeman of WWF International, calling for renewed commitments.

The ghostly half-light of the plenary, with the ethereal interpreters overlooking all.

Ms Gordana Beltram (Slovenia) and Mr Finn Kateras (Norway), during a break in the proceedings.

Two of Ramsar's friends from Austria, Dr Gerhard Sigmund, Ms Irene Oberleitner, from the federal government.

Behind the Scenes at SC24: Tobias Salathé (Ramsar) and Denis Landenbergue (WWF International) checking the baseball scores.

Karen Jenderedjian (Armenia), Chair of the Subgroup on Finance, listens to Dr Josef Chytil (Czech Republic)'s views on the relative guitar-playing merits of Carlos Santana vs. Mark Knopfler vs. Eric Clapton vs. Ry Cooder vs. Poncho Sampedro vs. Michael Timmins vs. J. J. Cale vs. Jimi Hendrix, and they're unable to come to a consensus decision, not suprisingly.

Lots of people (4) trying as hard as they can to keep up with the fast-paced and spirited goings-on, probably wishing they were anywhere else at that moment.