Who was where, 2007?

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

María Rivera, Senior Advisor for the Americas, is participating in a meeting of the council of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN), 14-15 January 2008, in San Blas Nayarit, México, and holding discussions with the Ramsar Administrative Authority in México, 16-18 January. [15/01/08]

The Ramsar Regional Meeting for Asia is being held 14-18 January 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand, and the Secretariat has a strong team on the scene: Anada Tiega, the Secretary General, Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, Alexia Dufour, Regional Affairs Officer, and Pragati Tuladhar, Assistant Advisor for the Asia-Pacific, as well as Rebecca D'Cruz, a former Ramsar staff member and current Vice-Chair of the STRP, who has been contracted to help the Secretariat with Asian issues until a new Senior Advisor has come on board. [14/01/08]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, is in Cambridge, UK, 14 January 2008, for a one-day STRP task group informal meeting, hosted by UNEP-WCMC, to further develop work on the Panel's priority task on a data and information needs review for the Convention, in preparation for its discussion during the 14th meeting of the Panel, Gland, 28 January - 1 February 2008. [14/01/08]

Pragati Tuladhar, Assistant Regional Advisor for the Asia-Pacific, is in Bangkok, Thailand, to make final preparations for the Ramsar Regional Meeting in preparation for COP10 that will take place there next week. [07/01/08]

Anada Tiéga, the Secretary General, and Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, are in Athens, Greece, 7-9 January 2008, for discussions with the Ramsar administrative authorities and with the MedWet Secretariat, and to participate in the 5th meeting of the MedWet Steering Group. This meeting will prepare guidance to be submitted to MedWet/Com9. A summary report will be prepared on the implementation of the multi-year work plan, including significant achievements on the effective conservation and wise use of wetlands in the Mediterranean Basin. Proposals for future work will also be examined. [07/01/08]

Anada Tiéga, Secretary General, is in Bali, Indonesia, 8-14 December 2007, to participate in the United Nations Climate Change Conference under the auspices of the UNFCCC. [10/12/07]

Anada Tiéga, Secretary General, and Sandra Hails, CEPA Programme Officer, are in The Hague, the Netherlands, to participate in the 6-7 December 2007 board meeting of the Advisory Board on Capacity Building for the Ramsar Convention, of which the Secretary General is the chairperson. Mr Tiéga will also participate in a meeting with several relevant government agencies organized by the Administrative Authority in the Netherlands. [06/12/07]

Anada Tiega, Secretary General, and Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, are in Paris, France, 1-3 December 2007, for discussions with the Danone Group of the Evian Initiative. [03/12/07]

Sandra Hails, CEPA Programme Officer, is participating in a UNDP/GEF sponsored workshop on "Mainstreaming Wetland Biodiversity Conservation" in Yueyang, Hunan, China, 1-4 December 2007, and then will attend a meeting of the Advisory Board on Capacity Building in the Hague, the Netherlands, 5-6 December. [03/12/07]

Abou Bamba and Evelyn Parh Moloko, Senior and Assistant Advisor for Africa, are in Yaoundé, Cameroon, completing preparations for the 5th Panafrican Ramsar Regional Meeting, which is scheduled for 26-30 November 2007 and financially supported by UNEP, Cameroon, Sweden, and Switzerland and with generous assistance with air travel for delegates by the Star Alliance "Biosphere Connections" programme. They will be joined there from the Secretariat by the Secretary General, Mr Anada Tiéga, Alexia Dufour, Regional Affairs Officer, and Edgar Kaeslin, Scientific and Technological Support Officer, in a few days' time. The purpose of the meeting is to review implementation of the Convention in the region and to discuss regional responses to a large number of the issues that will be under consideration at COP10 in Changwon in Oct.-Nov. 2008. [21/11/07]

María Rivera, Senior Advisor for the Americas, is participating in the International Course on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Strategic Assessment (ESA) for Wetland Managers (Panama City, November 19th to 27th of November), with a visit to the Ramsar Administrative Authority on the 26th. Following that, on 29-30 November, she will participate in the International Seminar “Challenges and perspectives for the management of Ramsar Site Bahia Lomas, Punta Arenas, Chile", with a visit to the Administrative Authority, and returning on 6 December 2007. [19/11/07]

Abou Bamba, Senior Advisor for Africa, is in Tunisia, 13-15 November 2007, for ceremonies surrounding the designation of 19 new Ramsar sites. [05/11/07]

Deputy Secretary General Nick Davidson and Scientific & Technical Officer Edgar Kaeslin are in Changwon, Republic of Korea (venue of Ramsar COP10), 9-15 November 2007, along with a number of STRP members and invited experts for a series of three-day STRP technical workshops on the COP10 theme of "Healthy wetlands, healthy people". For the first two days small working groups will focus on reviewing and developing further guidance on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and then reviewing the draft STRP report on "Wetlands and human health". The third day will be a workshop with invited Korean colleagues, reviewing the outcomes of these workshops and developing key issues and recommendations to be brought forwards for COP10 consideration. The Secretariat and STRP are very grateful to Korea for hosting these workshops. [08/11/07]

Anada Tiega, the Secretary General, is en route to the Republic of Korea for discussions with national, provincial, and municipal officials, 6-13 November 2007, about the progress of preparations for the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, set for Changwon in October-November 2008. [05/11/07]

María Rivera, Senior Advisor for the Americas, is participating in the VI International Symposium on Wetlands in Ciénaga de Zapata, Cuba, 5-9 November 2007, following discussions with the Ramsar Administrative Authorities in that country on the 4th. [05/11/07]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is meeting with regional Ramsar authorities in Corsica concerning the establishment of a network of managers of temporary wetlands in the Mediterranean, including a visit to the newly-designated Tre Padule Ramsar site, 5 November 2007. [05/11/07]

Anada Tiega, the Secretary General, is visiting the Ramsar Administrative Authority, the State Forestry Administration, in Beijing, China, then participating in the launch of the Wetlands Conservation Network in the Central and Lower Yangtze River Basin, and attending the 6th Association of Members meeting of Wetlands International in Shaoxing City. He will be traveling on to the Republic of Korea on 6 November. [31/10/07]

María Rivera, Senior Advisor for the Americas, is in Caddo Lake, Texas, USA, 1-2 November 2007, for a meeting of the US National Ramsar Committee and US Ramsar site managers. From there she will be traveling to Cuba on 3 November. [31/10/07]

Edgar Kaeslin, Scientific and Technical Support Officer, and Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, are participating in the Trondheim Conferences on Biodiversity, Trondheim, Norway, 29 October - 2 November 2007. Technical preparatory meetings for CBD SBSTTA and COP processes, these conferences bring together key national and international players to discuss important CBD issues, and this one is focused on 2010 biodiversity target issues. During the conference, Nick will give a keynote presentation on "Wetlands for water and people" and a presentation in a side meeting on "wetlands and climate change". [30/10/07]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is in Odesa, Ukraine, 29-31 October 2007, to participate in the international conference to stop the loss of Black Sea coastal wetlands, organized by Wetlands International with the participation of all six range states, in order to establish a regional initiative. [29/10/07]

Anada Tiéga, the Secretary General, and Abou Bamba, Senior Advisor for Africa, are visiting Tunisia, 24-26 October 2007, for discussions with the Administrative Authority about implementation of the Convention and about progress in possibly removing the Ichkeul Ramsar site from the Montreux Record; with officers of the African Development Bank and the head of the African Water Facility; and with the Sahelian-Saharian Organization about a possible partnership to use wetland management as a way to cope with floods and droughts. [24/10/07]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is in Vilm, Germany, 18-22 October 2007, to participate in the training course on Ramsar site management in southern, eastern and central Europe offered by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (as part of the CBD work programme on protected areas). [18/10/07]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, is in Wageningen, the Netherlands, 16-18 October 2007, for various meetings at Wetlands International, including the 4th Global Waterbird Advisory Group meeting (WIGWAG4), meetings on the Ramsar Sites Information Service (RSIS), and briefly joining a workshop of the GAWI parnership which is developing a framework and guidelines on wetlands and agriculture. STRP Vice-Chair, Rebecca D'Cruz, and lead STRP member on agriculture, Max Finlayson, are also participating in the GAWI workshop. [16/10/07]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is in Vienna, Austria, 14-16 October 2007, for a meeting of the river basin management expert group of the Danube Commission. [15/10/07]

María Rivera, Senior Advisor for the Americas, is in Guayaquil and Quito, Ecuador, 15-18 October 2007, to participate in the International Workshop on Climate Change organized by the Andean Community of Nations. [15/10/07]

Members of the Secretariat staff are visiting the secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Geneva, 11/10/07, for discussions of mutual interests. [10/10/07]

The "executive committee" of the Ramsar Standing Committee (the Chair and Vice-Chair of the SC and the Chair of the Subgroup on Finance) are visiting the Secretariat, 9 and 10 October 2007, for meetings with the Convention's International Organization Partners and with the staff of the Secretariat. [10/10/07]

Representatives of the Convention's five International Organization Partners (BirdLife International, IWMI, Wetlands International, the World Conservation Union (IUCN), and WWF International) are visiting the Secretariat, 9 October 2007, for the annual IOPs' coordination meeting with Secretariat staff and members of the Standing Committee. [09/10/07]

Abou Bamba, Senior Regional Advisor for Africa, is in London, 2-3 October 2007, participating at a session on “Wetlands, War, and Conflict” at the American Bar Association’s annual meeting.

Tobias Salathé, Senior Regional Advisor for Europe, is in Greece, 1-3 October, to assist with the interviews of MedWet Coordinator candidates and a meeting of the MedWet Secretariat governing board. [01/10/07]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, is in the Republic of Korea, 2-3 October 2007, as a keynote speaker at the Hangang Renaissance Initiative. [01/10/07]

Monica Zavagli, Assistant Advisor for Europe, is in Moldova, 24-27 September 2007, to consult on the Small Grants Fund project "Management Scenario Development for the Unguri-Holosnita New Ramsar Site and Awareness Raising on the Ramsar Wise Use Policy", being implemented by the Biotica Ecological Society. Following that she will be in Ireland, 1-4 October 2007, to represent the Secretariat at two conferences, "Halting the Biodiversity Loss by 2010" and "the first Joint Meeting of the Biodiversity Forum and the Northern Ireland Biodiversity Group". [24/09/07]

Sandra Hails, CEPA Programme Officer, is in Almen, The Netherlands, for a workshop on training and awareness for the Wings Over Wetlands flyways project, 25-27 September. [25/09/07]

María Rivera and Mila Llorens, Senior and Assistant Regional Advisors for the Americas, are visiting the Administrative Authority in Honduras, 24 September 2007, and will then be participating in the 'Regional Capacity Building, Wetlands and Migratory Birds Workshop for Latin America and the Caribbean' in Panama, 25-29 September 2007. [24/09/07]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is in Klagenfurt, Austria, for a board meeting of the MSc course in protected areas management, 23 September 2007. [23/09/07]

Monica Zavagli, Assistant Advisor for Europe, is in Moldova, 24-27 September 2007, to consult on the Small Grants Fund project "Management Scenario Development for the Unguri-Holosnita New Ramsar Site and Awareness Raising on the Ramsar Wise Use Policy", being implemented by the Biotica Ecological Society. Following that she will be in Ireland, 1-4 October 2007, to represent the Secretariat at two conferences, "Halting the Biodiversity Loss by 2010" and "the first Joint Meeting of the Biodiversity Forum and the Northern Ireland Biodiversity Group". [24/09/07]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is in Lepanina, Estonia, for a meeting of the NorBal/Wet regional initiative, 20-21 September 2007. [21/09/07]

Pragati Tuladhar, Assistant Advisor for Asia-Pacific, is representing the Ramsar Secretariat, on behalf of the Secretary General, in commemoration of the colleagues and friends who lost their lives in the tragic helicopter crash a year ago at Kathamandu, Nepal, in the programme "Remembering, Honouring and Celebrating the Life and Achievements of Conservation Heroes" Conservation Day, and handing over of the certificates for the Ramsar designation of four High Altitude Wetlands of Nepal, 23 September 2007. [22/09/07]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, and Edgar Kaeslin, Scientific and Technical Support Officer, are in Mittersill, Austria, 17-19 September 2007, for the First European Meeting for STRP National Focal Points, sponsored by the government of Austria. [19/09/07]

Anada Tiéga, Secretary General, is in Mérida, Venezuela, 18-21 September 2007, to participate in the IV Panamerican Ramsar Regional Meeting. [14/09/07]

María Rivera and Mila Llorens, Senior and Assistant Regional Advisors for the Americas, are in Mérida, Venezuela, to participate in the IVth Workshop for the Regional Strategy for the Conservation and Wise Use of High Andean Wetlands, 15-17 September, followed by the IV Panamerican Ramsar Regional Meeting, 18-21 September 2007. [14/09/07]

Pragati Tuladhar, Assistant Advisor for the Asia-Pacific, is participating in the 4th Asia Regional Conservation Forum, an international conference on environment and sustainable development focusing on the Asia region, organized by The World Conservation Union (IUCN) in Kathmandu, Nepal, from 10-14 September 2007. [12/09/07]

Mr Abou Bamba, Senior Advisor for Africa, is attending the 8th COP of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Madrid, Spain, during 10-12 September 2007, focusing on increased collaboration between the two conventions.

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is participating in a UNESCO workshop on Ramsar, World Heritage and Man and the Biosphere sites in southeastern Europe, in Ohrid, The FYR of Macedonia, 2-5 September 2007. [03/09/07]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, is in Brisbane, Australia, 2-6 September 2007, to participate in the 10th RiverSymposium and Environmental Flows Conference; then in Townsville, 7-10 September, for a forum in the series "EP3 - the third wave of Environmental Practice", celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand, and participating in an Australian government workshop on "Regional ecological character descriptions for Australia"; and then in Perth, 10-12 September, for discussions on wetlands and human health with the STRP's coordinating author consultant, Prof Phil Weinstein. [31/08/07]

Anada Tiéga, Secretary General, and Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, are in Paris for informal meetings with the Danone Group concerning the Evian Initiative, 30 August 2007. [30/08/07]

María Rivera, Senior Advisor for the Americas, is in Panama for a workshop, 25-29 August 2007, entitled "Primer Taller Regional para Tomadores de Decisión en América Latina: 'La incidencia de las decisiones en los Humedales y sus Especies Migratorias'", held in conjunction with the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) in the premises of the Regional Ramsar Centre for Training and Research on Wetlands in the Western Hemisphere - CREHO. [23/08/07]

Anada Tiéga, the new Secretary General, and Alexia Dufour, the new Regional Affairs Officer, have taken up their posts as of the first of August 2007. [02/08/07]

Dave Pritchard of RSPB and BirdLife International is finishing up another two-week period of secondment in the Ramsar Secretariat, progressing STRP's work programme concerning the Ramsar Information Sheet, wetland inventory, and guidance on describing and responding to change in ecological character of Ramsar sites. [02/08/07].

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, is in Essex, Massachusetts,USA, 16-18 July 2007, for a retreat on migratory systems and the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network sponsored by the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, aimed at strategic planning for the future of its work and its relevance to the environmental conventions. [17/07/07]

Abou Bamba, Senior Advisor for Africa, is participating in a ChadWet and NigerWet meeting in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 10-13 July 2007. [09/07/07]

Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General, is attending an IALE meeting in Waginengen, The Netherlands, 9-11 July 2007. [09/07/07]

Lei Guangchun and Pragati Tuladhar, Senior and Assistant Advisors for Asia, are participating in meeting in Changwon, Korea, on the establishment of an East Asia Regional Centre, 9-10 July, and of the Himalayan Initiative Forum, 11-13 July 2007. [09/07/07]

A drafting workshop is taking place in the Ramsar Secretariat facilities, 4-7 July 2007, to progress the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) task on providing guidance on integrating wetland issues into river basin management. The participants are STRP Chair Heather MacKay, STRP member Rebecca Tharme from IWMI, consultants Gwen van Boven and Bill Rowlston, and Ramsar staff who are working on this issue, Lucia Scodanibbio and Edgar Kaeslin. [06/07/07]

Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General, and Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General are participating in the 12th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Paris, France, 2 - 6 July 2007. [02/07/07]

Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General, and Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, are in Rome, Italy, for the 8th meeting of the MedWet Committee (MedWet/Com-8), 26-28 June 2007. [25/06/07]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, and Valerie Higgins, Senior Administrative Assistant, are also now in Delft, the Netherlands, for the meeting of the Ramsar CEPA Oversight Panel, 19-22 June 2007. [19/06/07]

Sandra Hails, CEPA Programme Officer, is in Delft, the Netherlands, to participate in a meeting of the Advisory Board on Capacity Building for the Ramsar Convention and a meeting of the Ramsar CEPA Oversight Panel, 18-22 June 2007. [18/06/07]

Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General, is in Delft, the Netherlands, 18-19 June, to participate in the Advisory Board and Ramsar CEPA Oversight Panel meetings and then goes on to Minsk, Belarus, for a meeting of the Michael Otto Foundation about wetland protection in Belarus, 20-22 June 2007. [18/06/07]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is participating in a workshop on the Ural river basin, 12-16 June, in Orenburg, Russian Federation. [13/06/07]

Sandra Hails, CEPA Programme Officer, is in Austria, 13-15 June 2007, to participate in the Advisory Board meeting of the University of Klagenfurt's MSc course on Management of Protected Areas and assisting at the graduation of the students. [13/06/07]

Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General, is in London for an RSPB/GBSC Society workshop, 12-13 June 2007. [12/06/07]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, is in Sandy, England, for a Wetlands International board meeting, 12-15 June 2007. [12/06/07]

Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General, is in Paris, France, for a meeting of the Total Foundation board, 11 June 2007. [11/06/07]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, is in Wageningen, The Netherlands, 8 June 2007, for a meeting of the WIG-WAG 4 advisory committee. [08/06/07]

Sandra Hails, CEPA Programme Officer, is in Paris, 7 June 2007, for talks with the Danone Group about the Evian initiative. [07/06/07]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is participating in a wetland training course for CEE and CIS states, Trebon, Czech Republic, 4-8 June 2007. [04/06/07]

Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General, is visiting Uganda for discussions with the environmental authorities there, 30 May - 3 June 2007. [30/05/07]

Sandra Hails, CEPA Programme Officer, is participating in the "International Symposium on Improved Coastal Wetland Management", 29-30 May 2007, at Suncheon National University in the Republic of Korea. The event is hosted by Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and organized by the National Fisheries Research & Development Institute, Suncheon City, and KFEM - Korean Federation for Environmental Movement. [29/05/07]

Lei Guangchun, Senior Advisor for Asia and the Pacific, is participating in the meeting of the board of the Ramsar Regional Center for Training and Research in Western and Central Asia in Ramsar, Islamic Republic of Iran, 29 May - 3 June 2007. [30/05/07]

Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General, is in Montreal, Canada, 20-23 May 2007, to attend International Day for Biodiversity celebrations, 22 May, and hold discussions with the CBD Secretariat. [21/05/07]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is in Vilnius, 17-18 May 2007, for discussions with the Ramsar authorities of Lithuania. [18/05/07]

Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General, is in Dubai, 15-18 May 2007, to attend a seminar on artificial wetlands as filtration mechanisms, sponsored by UNESCO and the UAE. [15/05/07]

Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General, is in Copenhagen, Denmark, 14 May 2007, for the Star Alliance Launch. [14/05/07]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is participating in a meeting of the Camargue Park Scientific and Ethics Council in France, 10-12 May 2007. [10/05/07]

Peter Bridgewater, the Secretary General, is in Almeria, Spain, 6-11 May 2007, for the IUCN Protected Areas Categories Summit. [07/05/07]

Monica Zavagli, Assistant Advisor for Europe, is making a study tour of selected Transboundary Ramsar Sites in Europe, 28th April-5th May 2007, visiting Austria: Neusiedlersee, Seewinkel & Hanság / Hungary: Béda-Karapancsa, Lake Fertö; Croatia: Delta Neretve, Kopacki Rit, and Lonjsko Polje & Mokro Polje; Bosnia& Herzegovina: Bardaca Wetland (Bardaca-mocvarni kompleks) and Hutovo Blato.

Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General, is in Athens, Greece, 30 April-2 May 2007, for a meeting of the Culture Working Group and meetings with Greek authorities. [26/04/07]

Ms Shinako Tsuchiya, Senior Vice-Minister of the Environment in the government of Japan, and associates, are visiting the Ramsar Secretariat, 30 April 2007. [30/04/07]

Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General, is in Geneva, Switzerland, 26-28 April 2007, for an IMoSEB European Regional Consultation. [26/04/07]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is visiting the MedWet Secretariat in Athens, Greece, 25-27 April 2007. [25/04/07]

Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General, is attending a European Space Agency meeting on Global Environment and International Environmental Conventions, Montreux, Switzerland, 24 April 2007. [24/04/07]

Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General, is in La Palma, Mallorca, 19-22 April 2007, for an international conference of StarLight 2007, "an international campaign in defence of the quality of the night skies and the general right to observe the stars, open to the participation of all scientific, cultural and citizens’ associations and institutions related to the defence of the firmament" (http://www.eceee.org/calendar/Starlight_07/). [19/04/07]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, is participating in the marine summit of IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) in Washington, D.C., 10-12 April 2007. [05/04/07]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is in Bosnia and Herzgovina., 11-14 April 2007, to participate in the ceremonies for the designation of the Bardaca Wetlands Ramsar site and hold discussions with the authorities there. [05/04/07]

Abou Bamba, Senior Advisor for Africa, is in Cotonou, Benin, 9-11 April 2007, for the launch of the WacoWet regional initiative; then in Accra, Ghana, 12-13 April, to discuss the National Wetlands Policy Action Plan and evaluate a number of Small Grants Fund and Swiss Grant projects there; then in Dakar, Senegal, 15-18 April, to discuss implementation of a Swiss Grant project and potential new Ramsar sites; and finally in Ouaga, Burkina Faso, 19-22 April 2007, to discuss implementation of a number of projects and the functioning of the National Ramsar Committee. [05/04/07]

Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General, and Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, are in Rome, Italy, for a meeting of the MedWet Committee Steering Group, 29-30 March 2007. [29/03/07]

Some 35 members, observers, and invited experts are participating in the mid-term workshops of the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) at the Secretariat facilities in Gland, Switzerland, throughout the week of 26-30 March 2007. [26/03/07].

Delegates of a number of Contracting Party members of the Standing Committee are visiting the Secretariat for two days, 22-23 March 2007, for interviews with short-listed candidates for the Secretary General position [22/03/07].

A number of experts are visiting the Secretariat facilities for a two-day "Expert meeting on wetlands, water, biodiversity and climate change", 23-24 March 2007, organised by the Ramsar Secretariat and STRP in collaboration with the CBD Secretariat. Outcomes and outputs will then be discussed by STRP workshops next week. [22/03/07]

Tobias Salathé, Senior Advisor for Europe, is in Croatia, 19-21 March 2007, for a Sava River stakeholders meeting. [19/03/07]

Abou Bamba, Senior Advisor for Africa, is in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for the 5th meeting of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC-5) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, 12-21 March 2007. [12/03/07]

Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General, is at The Hague, The Netherlands, for the launch of the Waterbirds around the world book in ceremonies, 12 March 2007, sponsored by the Dutch and UK Environment Ministers. [12/03/07]

Abou Bamba, Senior Advisor for Africa, is in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for the 5th meeting of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC-5) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, 12-21 March 2007. [12/03/07]

Lei Guangchun, Senior Advisor for the Asia/Pacific, is in Almaty, Kazakhstan, 2-9 March 2007, for the International Conference: Introduction of Integrated Water Resources Management in Ili Balkhash Basin, and discussions with the Ministry of Enviornment. [02/03/07]

Sandra Hails is attending a workshop of the "Heads of Agencies Task Force on the 2010 Biodiversity Target", Gland, Switzerland, 28 February. [28/02/07]

Peter Bridgewater, Sandra Hails, and Mireille Katz are in Paris, France, attending the Danone/Evian Fund for Water Comité du Pilotage (Steering Committee) to discuss the Bilan du Fonds Danone Evian and the Protocole d'accord for the period 2007-2010, 19 February 2007. [19/02/07]

Some 80 delegates from about 35 member and observer Contracting Parties, as well as representatives of the International Organization Partners, are participating in the Standing Committee meetings in the Secretariat's facilities in Gland, Switzerland, 12-16 February 2007.

Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General, is in Nairobi, Kenya, for a meeting of the UNEP Governing Council, 5-6 February 2007. [06/02/07]

Ramsar staff members are celebrating World Wetlands Day in China, Iran, Suriname, France, and Mauritius, as well as in the Secretariat offices in Switzerland. See the accompanying news items for details. [02/02/07]

Peter Bridgewater, Secretary General, and Sandra Hails, the CEPA Programme Officer, at participating in the is participating in the 1st Wetland Link International-Asia Symposium at the Hong Kong Wetland Park, 24-26 January 2007. [22/01/07]

Abou Bamba, Senior Advisor for Africa, is participating in a workshop on the implementation plan for the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo and then visiting some potential Ramsar sites in Congo - Brazzaville, 20-26 January 2007. [22/01/07]

The Secretary General, Peter Bridgewater, is in Geneva, 17 January 2007, to sign an agreement on responses to natural disasters with the Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). [17/01/07]

The Secretary General, Peter Bridgewater, is visiting the CBD Secretariat in Montreal, Canada; the Smithsonian Institution and the GEF Secretariat in Washington, D.C., USA; and UNDESA in New York, 8-12 January 2007. [08/01/07]