MedWet/Com5
Izmir, Turkey 12-15 June 2003

Conclusions

[reprinted from http://www.medwet.org/ismir/conclusions.htm]

1. The fifth meeting of the Mediterranean Wetlands Committee took place from 12-15 June 2003 in Izmir, Turkey, at the kind invitation of the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Forests.

2. Representatives of the MedWet countries and the MedWet partners attended the meeting (see attached list of participants).

3. EXPRESSES ITS SINCERE GRATITUDE to the Government of Turkey for kindly inviting and hosting the meeting, as well as providing financial and logistical support for it;

4. ALSO EXPRESSES ITS GRATITUDE to the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) for providing financial support to facilitate the attendance of delegates from developing countries;

5. ACKNOWLEDGES WITH PLEASURE the welcoming speech of the Governor of Izmir, H.E. Mr. Yusuf Ziya Goksu, and NOTES WITH PLEASURE the willingness and interest of the region of Izmir to collaborate with MedWet in the protection of the valuable wetland ecosystems of this region, and in particular the Gediz Delta;

6. WAS HONOURED AND EXPRESSES ITS GRATITUDE for the presence and opening statement of the Minister of Environment and Forests of Turkey, H.E. Mr. Osman Pepe, and CONGRATULATES ITS MINISTRY for the development of the Turkish National Wetlands Strategy, in line with the Ramsar Strategic Plan 2003-2008, and the establishment of the Turkish Wetlands Committee. It ALSO NOTES the interesting presentations by the Ministry of Environment and Forests on the implementation of this strategy;

7. RECEIVED the report presented by the MedWet Coordinator on developments since MedWet/Com4 (Sesimbra, Portugal, 2001) and NOTES WITH APPRECIATION the positive developments during this period on a number of issues, including:

8. STRONGLY ENCOURAGES the further collaboration of the MedWet Initiative with the Mediterranean Action Plan of the Barcelona Convention, especially as regards the implementation of the SAP-BIO project in which MedWet should have a prominent position as a partner of the RAC/SPA for coastal wetlands;

9. RECEIVED the analysis of implementation of the Convention in the Mediterranean Region prepared by the Ramsar Bureau, and NOTES that it reveals a number of issues that need further development and attention in the region, including:

ALSO NOTES the need to continue and further the effort of this assessment of the implementation of the Convention in the Mediterranean region, in line with the National Report Format for COP9, and including if possible GIS maps, and using other reference materials, such as the Natura 2000 barometer, where applicable;

10. AGREES that the MedWet/Com meetings should constitute the main occasion to convey the needs and expectations of its members in providing clear guidance to the MedWet Coordination Unit as to where its efforts should be oriented. It ENCOURAGES the MedWet Coordination Unit to pursue the development, funding and implementation of a series of projects that address the concerns of the Contracting Parties in the Mediterranean Basin;

11. EXPRESSES ITS SATISFACTION regarding the establishment of the Moroccan Wetlands Centre with the support of Birdlife Spain (SEO) and the financial support of the European Union through the LIFE Third Countries programme, and STRONGLY ENCOURAGES the collaboration of MedWet with this Centre in the context of the North African Wetlands Network;

12. RECEIVED the presentation of the proposed application by MedWet of the Ramsar Strategic Plan 2003-2008 during the triennium 2003-2005. After the incorporation of a number of remarks that were brought forward by the MedWet/Com members, the meeting APPROVES the document and REQUESTS the MedWet Coordination Unit to take all necessary action to promote its implementation;

13. APPROVES the MedWet Workplan 2003-2005 and REQUESTS the MedWet Coordination Unit to further elaborate the information provided in it concerning objectives, timetables, partners, etc., for each activity;

14. FURTHER REQUESTS the MedWet Coordination Unit to bring the projects appearing in the workplan into more homogenous sets of activities, and in particular to assess how national-level projects contribute to further testing and applying MedWet methodologies and tools so as to receive the MedWet label;

15. AGREES that the MedWet Coordination Unit should ensure an effective coordination within the MedWet Team (wetland centres and the Unit) and between the MedWet Team and other partners, in order to benefit the MedWet programme from the possible synergies and avoid duplication of efforts and/or working at cross purposes;

16. ENDORSES the principle that new projects may be included in the workplan between meetings, in order to address specific needs that may arise and benefit from opportunities for launching new activities;

17. RECEIVED the presentation of the MedWet CEPA strategy, and TAKES NOTE WITH SATISFACTION of its content as a guide for MedWet’s work in this area. It also APPROVES the list of priority issues and actions that were presented in relation to this strategy and REQUESTS the MedWet Coordination Unit to make all possible efforts for its implementation;

18. APPROVES the terms of reference for the use of the MedWet logo and the planning, production, and dissemination of MedWet publications, as amended by the remarks made by MedWet/Com; 

19. RECEIVED WITH APPRECIATION a presentation on the development of the North African Wetlands Network, and WELCOMES the establishment of the MedWet Focal Units in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. The meeting also NOTES with special appreciation the increasing achievements underway in the Maghreb countries with the support of the WWF Living Waters programme and ENCOURAGES similar achievements in the entire Southern and Eastern Mediterranean basin;

20. WELCOMES the statement by the Regional Coordinator of the Ramsar Bureau for Asia that MedWet can be viewed as a model for similar initiatives in other Asian subregions, such as the Himalaya region. Furthermore, the Committee WELCOMES the request of the Regional Coordinator for Asia to support its members in the Middle East region to help set up a wetland centre, providing training opportunities and seeking funds for project implementation;

21. NOTES with great satisfaction the launching of the Lake Chad basin initiative (ChadWet) in the framework of the cooperation developed between the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), Ramsar, WWF and the GEF and inspired by the MedWet model, WELCOMES the participation at this meeting of the Executive Secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, Mr. Muhammad Sani Adamu, and REQUESTS the MedWet Coordination Unit in accordance with Resolution VIII.30 to assist in the establishment of ChadWet to the best of its ability;

22. APPROVES the revision of the Rules of Procedure of MedWet/Com in relation to a) the election of Honorary Members of the Committee, b) coverage of travel and accommodation expenses of the Committee members, and c) frequency and location of MedWet/Com meetings, and unanimously DESIGNATES Dr. Luc Hoffmann and Mr. Thymio Papayannis as Honorary Members of MedWet/Com;

23. NOTES the information provided by the MedWet Coordinator on the financial operation of the MedWet Coordination Unit for the years 2001 and 2002;

24. EXPRESSES ITS HOPE that financial resources for the MedWet Initiative, including the operation of its Coordination Unit in the long term, can be secured either through additional contributions by Ramsar Contracting Parties or through voluntary contributions or both;

25. EXPRESSES ITS GRATITUDE to the invited speakers of the Technical Session which took place during the meeting under the theme “Wetlands, Agriculture and Water Use Interactions” for the high quality of their presentations. The conclusions of the Technical Session WERE RECEIVED by the Committee and the further development of work in this field by MedWet was encouraged;

26. ACCEPTS WITH GRATITUDE the invitation of Egypt to host the next MedWet/Com meeting, pending the approval by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Committee EXPRESSES ITS GRATITUDE to Algeria for also offering to host the meeting, a proposal that Algeria withdrew in order to facilitate a decision. Algeria noted that it will be ready to host the MedWet/Com6 meeting should the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs not be in a position to confirm the invitation; otherwise it expressed its willingness to host MedWet/Com7. MedWet/Com6 will take place at the end of 2004 or the beginning of 2005, after consultation between the MedWet Coordination Unit and the host country.