The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Resolution IX.25 on thanks to the host country

Resolution IX.25

Thanks to the host country

1. HAVING MET for the first time in Africa;

2. FULLY AWARE of the significant effort and funding required for the organization of a meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties;

3. NOTING WITH SATISFACTION the successful efforts made by the Ugandan authorities to make the COP as successful as possible, including their efforts to grant visas upon arrival to a large number of participants in order to facilitate their attendance;

4. APPRECIATIVE of the efforts made by the Ugandan authorities to organize an informal Ministerial Dialogue as a parallel event to COP9;

5. WELCOMING the detailed information provided by Uganda on its exemplary efforts to implement the Convention in the most effective manner, and

6. RECOGNIZING Uganda's well-known and established policy and practice in the area of wetland conservation and sustainable natural resources management, including its intention to designate a significant number of new Ramsar sites in the near future;

THE CONFERENCE OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES

7. CONGRATULATES Uganda for its pioneering efforts in wetland wise use and conservation and sustainable natural resources management;

8. DRAWS ATTENTION to the "Kampala Declaration" that emerged from the informal Ministerial Dialogue and which will be annexed to the Report of this meeting of the Conference of the Parties;

9. EXPRESSES its most sincere gratitude to the Government of Uganda, and in particular to the Ministry of Water, Lands and Environment, for the arrangements made to provide excellent facilities for the work of the COP;

10. FURTHER EXPRESSES its heartfelt thanks to the non-governmental organizations and the private sector of Uganda that have supported the organization of the meeting, to members of local staff who in various capacities contributed to the COP's success, and to the people of Uganda for the warm hospitality they have shown to all participants; and

11. ALSO EXPRESSES its appreciation to the other Contracting Parties, NGOs, and private sector companies from outside Uganda that provided assistance to the host country and to the Ramsar Secretariat for the organization of Ramsar COP9.