The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Photos from the 7th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties -- the plenary sessions

"People and Wetlands: The Vital Link"
7^th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties
Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971)
San José, Costa Rica, 10-18 May 1999

The Plenary Sessions

Mr Delmar Blasco, Secretary General of the Convention, welcoming the delegates

Dr Maritta R. von Bieberstein Koch-Weser, Director General of IUCN, welcoming delegates on behalf of the International Partner NGOs

The Contracting Parties

Broad view of the proceedings (with Josef Chytil [CZ] on the left and Meinrad Küttel [CH] on the right)

The UK delegation (Brazil in the foreground)

Canada (showing forbearance with the paparazzi): Clayton Rubec and Jim McCuaig

"Still Life with Nadra Nathai-Gyan"

The USA delegation scanning the morning papers and performing meditation rituals. [Dr Arthur "Tex" Hawkins (right) was later elected to the STRP.]

The Observer States

The Intergovernmental Organizations

The International Non-Governmental Organizations

John O'Sullivan and Dave Pritchard of BirdLife International (Australia's Eddie Hegerl and Angela Brady in the second row).

Faizal Parish on the right.

Wetlands International's Marcel Silvius on the left, President Chris Kalden in the second-row center, and Robin Schaap on his left.

The Special Guest Speaker

-- photos by Dwight Peck and Tim Jones

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 19999 0170, fax +41 22 99 0169, e-mail ramsar@ramsar.org). Posted 14 August 1999, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.