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COP10 news - CEPA side events and more (20/10/08)

Dear Everyone:

It’s almost time for the Secretariat to break camp and head for the Republic of Korea for COP10, so maybe it is good moment for a little more news of the COP. The core business of the COP is, of course, to deliberate and decide upon a number of draft Resolutions (some of them with annexed guidelines). These are all available on our web site here caxref:1253#dr. Immediately above these you will find Information Papers, many of them supporting the draft Resolutions. There are many Resolutions and Info papers of interest - on Biofuels, Rice Paddies, Climate Change, River basin management - and more. Look here caxref:1253. Of course given my slight bias, most interesting of all is the new draft CEPA Resolution (COP10 DR8)!

As usual with this kind of meeting, there are also a large number of side events where NGOs, governments, research institutions etc all have a chance to showcase their work. According to the latest information, there will be 71 side events. Information on these is available here http://www.ramsar.org/cop10/cop10_info_side_schedule.pdf.  I would like to highlight three side events that have direct relevance to the CEPA Programme:

1. First on the list is the launching of a new CEPA tool for Ramsar’s CEPA Focal Points and for others involved in participatory planning. Strategic CEPA Planning is a key area of implementation of the CEPA Programme where progress has been rather slow. This how-to guide is part of the solution and will be showcased during the side event; all 40 participants will receive their own copy of the interactive tool on CD – and will be the first people to receive this test version.

Where and when: Monday, November 3rd, 13.15-14.45, Room 603

2. Wetland Link International (WLI), the global network of wetland centres, has over 350 members representing 75 countries, offering an excellent opportunity for information sharing and dissemination. Wetland centres are recognized in the CEPA Programme as key places of learning and training about wetlands and wetland-related CEPA, and WLI is noted as an effective network for sharing and disseminating information and expertise among centres.  A new WLI Head, Chris Rostron, has recently been appointed and is currently developing a 3-5 -year strategy. This side event will look to finding answers to:

- Are the basic aims of WLI the right ones?
- How has WLI delivered on those aims to date?
- What could WLI provide that would be useful to your work?
- How does WLI fit with regional networks that are developing?
- How does WLI fit with other international wetland projects that exist?

Where and when: Friday 31st October, 13.15-14.45, Room 605

3. A Wetlands Capacity Building Framework has been developed by the Advisory Board on Capacity Building for Ramsar. The Board will use the workshop as an opportunity to work with Contracting Parties and with Ramsar’s Regional Centres to make this into a practical tool for capacity building for the Convention. If you need this kind of practical tool, please come along and make sure your voice is heard as the Board moves forward to the final development stage.

Where and when: Saturday, November 1st, 13.15-14.45, Room 606

Hope to see some of you there!

Wth best regards, Sandra Hails, Ramsar Secretariat

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Sandra Hails, CEPA Programme Officer
Ramsar Convention Secretariat
Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 999 0176; Fax: +41 22 999 0169
E-mail: hails@ramsar.org
Web Site: http://ramsar.org
CEPA mini-Web site: http://ramsar.org/outreach_index.htm

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