The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Asian Regional Meeting on Ramsar COP10, Bangkok, 14-18 January 2008

Ramsar Asia Regional Preparatory Meeting for COP10

Bangkok Thailand, 14 - 18 January 2008

Maruay Garden Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand

Draft Agenda

Sunday, 13 January 2008

Arrival of participants at Maruay Garden Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand.
Early registration from 16:00 - 19:00 at the hotel.

Monday, 14 January 2008

8:00 - 9:00 Registration of the participants

9:00 - 10:00 Opening session

• Welcome and Opening address by the Permanent Secretary General of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand
• Welcome by Anada Tiega, Secretary General, Ramsar Convention
• Celebration of new Ramsar Site designations

10:00 - 10:15 Presentation on the objectives of the meeting and adoption of the agenda by Tobias Salathe, Ramsar Secretariat

10:15 - 10:45 Coffee break

10:45 - 11:15 Overview of the achievements and challenges for the implementation of the Convention in the Asia Region: the international perspective by Anada Tiega, Secretary General, Ramsar Convention

11:15 - 11:45 Ramsar Secretariat Report on the implementation of the Convention in the Asia region: up-date and progress since COP9 by Pragati Tuladhar, Assistant Advisor for Asia, Ramsar Secretariat

11:45 - 12:15 Ramsar Implementation in Thailand

12:15 - 12: 30 Introduction to the group discussions in the late afternoon by the Rebecca D'Cruz

12: 30 - 14:00 Lunch Break

14:00 - 15:00 Plenary session: Priorities for the next triennium 2008 - 2011

• Presentation of the Ramsar Strategic Plan 2009 -2014 by Anada Tiega, Secretary General, Ramsar Convention
• Presentation of the Work Plan of the Scientific and Technical Review Panel, including National Focal Points by Rebecca D'Cruz, Vice-Chair STRP & Asia Regional Networking Member

15:00 - 15:30 Tea Break

15:30 - 17:00 Group discussions: Challenges in implementing the Ramsar Convention at the regional and national level
Suggested issues to be discussed (based on a series of structured questions, facilitated by appointed IOPs/invited experts):

• National Focal Points and Ramsar Committees
• Institutional arrangements
• Policy and Planning
• Scientific and Technical issues
• CEPA

17:00 - 17:45 Plenary session: Report back from the group discussions

19:00 Reception Dinner hosted by the Government of Thailand

Tuesday, 15 January 2008

9:00 - 9:15 Plenary session: Summary of Day 1 by Rebecca D'Cruz

9:15 - 10:00 Plenary session: Wetlands and Poverty Reduction

• Lessons learnt from the Wetlands International Wetlands and Poverty Reduction Project (WPRP) by Wetlands International

  Plenary session: Wetlands and Agriculture, including fisheries

• Summary of the main findings from the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture (tbc)
• Integrating fisheries into the development discourse by FAO RAP (tbc)

10:00 - 11:15 Concurrent group discussions:

(A) Wetlands & Poverty Reduction
(B) Wetlands and Agriculture, including fisheries

11:15 - 12:30 Plenary session: Avian Influenza, Wetlands and Waterbirds

• Introduction by Taej Mundkur, Deputy Wildlife Coordinator for Avian Influenza Infectious Disease Group/EMPRES Animal Health Service, FAO
• Report on the working group meeting in China by Doug Watkins
  Discussion: Priorities for the next triennium 2008 - 2011

12:30 - 14:00 Lunch Break

14:00 - 16:00 Plenary session: Ramsar and other wetland-related Regional Initiatives in Asia

• The role of regional initiatives by Tobias Salathe, Ramsar Secretariat

1. Ongoing Regional Initiatives

• Ramsar Regional Centre for Central and West Asia, Iran by Yasaman Rajabkhah
• East Asian-Australasian Waterbird Flyway Partnership by Doug Watkins, Wetlands International

2. Regional Initiative in preparation

• Proposed Regional Initiative for Asia by the Ramsar Centre Korea
• Himalayan Initiative by ICIMOD

3. Proposed Regional Initiatives

• Developing a regional initiative for Mangroves
• Opportunities and benefits of an Amur Ramsar Regional Initiative by Tatiana Minaeva, Russian Coordinator, UNDP-GEF Amur/Heilong Project
• Lessons for Wetland Management from the UNEP-GEF Project: "Reversing Environmental Degradation Trends in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand" by Nirawan Pipitsombat

16:00 - 17:30 Group discussions: Cooperation through regional initiatives

• Priorities for the centre for training and capacity building in Iran
• Ramsar priorities for the Waterbird Flyway Partnership
• How to develop the Himalayan Initiative
• Proposed Regional Initiative for Asia by the Ramsar Centre Korea

17:30 - 18:00 Plenary session: Report back from group discussions

Wednesday, 16 January 2008

Visit to the "Bang Pu Nature Education Centre" - a joint project between WWF-Thailand and The Royal Thai Army to celebrate the 72nd Anniversary of Her Majesty the Queen of Thailand. Details on the project can be found at: http://www.wwfthai.org/en/EE/BNEC.asp

19:00 Reception Dinner hosted by the Government of Korea

Thursday, 17 January 2008

9:00 - 9:15 Plenary session: Summary of Day 2 by Rebecca D'Cruz

9:15 - 10:30 Plenary session: Wetlands and Climate Change

• Report from the Secretariat on Climate Change and Wetlands and the UNFCCC COP in Bali by Anada Tiega, Secretary General, Ramsar Convention
• Issues of relevance to wetlands from the IPCC AR4 and (tbc)
• Special session on peatlands including a presentation on the ASEAN Peatland Management Strategy

10:30 - 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 - 12:00 Group discussions: Wetlands and Climate Change

12:00 - 12:30 Plenary session: Summary report from the "International Conference on Managing Wetlands for Sustainable Development: Innovative Research and Lessons Learned, Effective Partnerships, and the Need for Co-Management, held on 9-11th Jan 2008, Trang, Thailand" by Wetlands International - Thailand

12:30 - 14:00 Lunch

14:00 - 15:00 Plenary session: Wetlands and Human Health

• Summary of the "Wetlands and human health" technical report prepared by the Ramsar STRP by Rebecca D'Cruz
• Discussion on the COP10 draft Resolution on "Wetlands and Human Health"

15:00 - 16:00 Plenary session: Ramsar sites

• Presentation on information needs, data management and official reporting for Ramsar sites by the Ramsar Secretariat
• Presentation on detecting, reporting and responding to change in ecological character at Ramsar sites by Rebecca D'Cruz
• Local Conservation Groups & Wetland IBAs by Simba Chan, BirdLife International Asia Division

16:00 - 17:30 Group discussions: Ramsar Sites

17:30 - 18:00 Plenary session: Report back from group discussions

Friday, 18 January 2008

9:00 - 9:15 Plenary session: Summary of Day 3 by Rebecca D'Cruz

9:15 - 10:30 Plenary session: Financing Wetland Conservation

• Trends in international environmental financing: implications for wetland conservation by UNDP-GEF (tbc)
• "Water schools" - an initiative by the Danone Group for the Ramsar Convention by Christophe Lefebvre
• How to develop financing mechanisms for Ramsar by Tobias Salathe, Ramsar Secretariat
• Plenary discussion: How to increase our financial capacities

10:30 - 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 - 12:30 Plenary session: Preparation for COP10

• Presentation by South Korea on preparations for COP10
• Presentation on the COP process + COP10 draft Program by the Tobias Salathe
• Presentation of New National Reporting format by the Alexia Dufour
• The need for a legal status of the Secretariat by Mr. Anada Tiega, Secretary General, Ramsar Convention

12:30 - 14:00 Lunch

14:00 - 14:10 Presentation on the forthcoming Asian Wetland Symposium by Viet Hong, Viet Nam Environmental Protection Agency

14:10 - 15:30 Plenary session: Discussion on the issues of relevance to the Asia region for COP10

• Issues of interest to the Asia region on the COP10 agenda
• Proposed Draft Resolutions from Contracting Parties in Asia
• Regional representatives to the Ramsar Standing Committee

15:30 - 16:00 Tea break

16:00 - 16:45 Plenary session: Adoption of conclusions/recommendations from the Asian Regional Meeting by Rebecca D'Cruz

16:45 Close of meeting

For further information about the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ). Posted 4 January 2008, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.