World Wetlands Day Celebration at the U.S. Mission, Geneva
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To celebrate World Wetlands Day, the US Mission to the United Nations co-hosted an event with the Botswana Mission to the UN on 2 February in Geneva, Switzerland. US Ambassador Betty King welcomed the participants by saying that “World Wetlands Day gives... a unique opportunity to highlight and celebrate our diverse wetlands around the globe”.
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| Ambassador Betty King speaking on World Wetlands Day at the U.S. Mission in Geneva |
Ambassador Mothusi Palai of Botswana, Ramsar’s DSG Nick Davidson, and Poul Engberg-Pederson, Deputy Director General of IUCN were then invited to share their views on wetlands and tourism.
 speaks with Nick Davidson, DSG of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (right), and Poul Engberg-Pedersen, Deputy Director of the IUCN.jpg) |
| Ambassador Palai (centre) with Nick Davidson, DSG, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (right), and Poul Engberg-Pedersen, Deputy Director of the IUCN |
DSG Nick Davidson stressed that “we must engage with those other sectors of society and government whose actions and decisions are continuing to drive wetland degradation and loss. Yet paradoxically it is just those sectors whose own current and future business success – whether it be in water management for irrigation, drinking or sanitation, or energy production, or eradicating poverty, or improving human health – depends just as much on maintaining the natural infrastructure of our wetlands, as does our own Ramsar business.”
US Deputy Permanent Representative Douglas Griffiths then chaired a lively question & answer session to debate the role of wetland tourism.
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| Panel discussion |
The event ended with the announcement of the winners of the Wetlands Photo Competition organized by the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Videos of the winners were presented and two of them can be seen here:
Ghana winning photographer - http://www.flickr.com/photos/74105811@N07/6792303281/in/photostream
Cambodian winning photographer – http://www.flickr.com/photos/74586478@N08/6800538401/
Images from around the globe were submitted in the following four categories: Plants, Landscape, Tourists and Wildlife. View the winning pictures of fan favorite photographs:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/wwd2012photocelebration/discuss/72157629132090477/
Photo courtesy: U.S. Mission Photo by Eric Bridiers
Additional links:
Pictures of the event:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/us-mission/sets/72157629144611651/
https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.10150528687938876.370656.57207008875&type=1
Ambassador King's remarks: http://geneva.usmission.gov/2012/02/02/ambassador-king-world-wetlands-day/
