Key Documents of the Ramsar Convention

Diplomatic notification 2002/14: Ramsar Standing Committee documents

Notification 2002/14

Minutes of the 27th and 28th Meetings of the Ramsar Convention Standing Committee
and
Agenda for the 29th Meeting of the Ramsar Convention Standing Committee, 26-28 February 2003

The Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) presents its compliments and has the honour to refer to the following:

The Ramsar Convention Bureau is pleased to enclose the Minutes from the 27th and 28th Meetings of the Standing Committee held in Valencia, Spain, on 17 November and 26 November 2002 respectively.

These documents are also available on the Ramsar Web site at:

http://ramsar.org/key_sc27_minutes.htm, and at
http://ramsar.org/key_sc28_minutes.htm

As required by Resolution VII.1, the Ramsar Bureau is pleased to inform that the 29th meeting of the Standing Committee will be held at the Ramsar Bureau in Gland, Switzerland, from 26-28 February 2003. Enclosed is the Draft Agenda and Programme for the meeting.

Voting members of the Standing Committee are: Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Botswana, Canada, Ghana, Iran (Vice Chair), Japan, Morocco, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Slovenia (Chair), Spain, and Uganda. The Netherlands and Switzerland have the status of Permanent Observers. The official International Organization Partners of the Convention (BirdLife International, IUCN, Wetlands International, and WWF International) are also invited to attend.

All other Contracting Parties are entitled to attend as observers, and, as indicated by COP7 Resolution VII.1 (paragraph 13), "countries which are not Contracting Parties but have expressed an interest in joining the Convention may be also admitted as observers".

The Ramsar Bureau will be grateful if Contracting Parties wishing to attend the meeting as Observers and those non-Contracting Party countries seeking Observer status at the meeting would notify their intention to participate in that capacity by 31 January 2003, so that working papers may be dispatched when finalised. The working documents can also be consulted on the Ramsar Web site from 31 January 2003, at: http://ramsar.org/key_sc_index.htm

It should be noted that, due to financial constraints, the working papers for the Standing Committee, with the exception of the draft agenda and programme, are produced in English only. Simultaneous interpretation in the three official languages (English, French and Spanish) will be provided during the plenary sessions on 26-28 February 2003, but not at the Subgroup meetings.

Likewise, financial constraints prevent the Bureau from providing financial support to assist Observer states in attending. Such support can only be offered to eligible voting members of the Standing Committee, upon request.

Those Contracting Parties that are unable to attend the meeting as Observers are invited to note the enclosed Agenda and, as appropriate, offer views and opinions on the issues and matters that will be under discussion to the Regional Representative(s) from their region, or to transmit them to the Ramsar Bureau.

The Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands respectfully requests that the content of the present Note be communicated to the competent national authorities and avails itself of this opportunity to renew the assurance of its highest consideration.

Gland, Switzerland, 12 December 2002

Encl: Minutes of SC 27 and SC28
SC 29 Draft Agenda and Programme

For further information about the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Bureau, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ramsar@ramsar.org).  Posted 16 December 2002, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.