30th Meeting of the Ramsar Standing Committee

Ramsar logo The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

30th Meeting of the Ramsar Standing Committee -- Additional statements

30^th Meeting of the Ramsar Standing Committee
Gland, Switzerland, 13-16 January 2004

Ministry of Water, Lands and Environment

Update on preparations for Uganda to host the 9th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Wetlands in 2005

Introduction

1. Arrangements for Uganda to host the 9th ordinary meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention have started in earnest. Below is an outline of what has been done so far and the next steps.

What has been done so far?

2. The following preparatory activities have been carried out:

A full time National Coordinator has appointed;
A multi-sectoral national organising committee set up to provide guidance to the Secretariat and the Ministry of Water Lands and Environment. Two meetings of the NOC were held in June and November 2003. Two sub-committees set up as follows: 1) A Fundraising Committee to assist the Secretariat in finalising the fundraising strategy. The Secretariat was tasked to develop a proposal detailing the tasks and composition of the committee. 2) A Publicity sub-committee comprising representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Office of the President; The Royal Netherlands Embassy; and the Ministry of Water, Lands and Environment.
NOC also endorsed the proposal to set up a Board of Recommendations comprising eminent persons to assist in raising the profile of the Conference;
Inclusion of a budget in the MTEF. This was agreed as one of the un-funded priorities under the Environment and Natural Resources sector;
MOU signed between the Government of Uganda represented by the Ministry of Water Lands and Environment and the Ramsar Convention Bureau;
Meeting with local NGOs who were encouraged to form an NGO working group to follow up the preparatory process;
Organisational requirements for hosting the COP identified and provisional budget prepared;
An interim Secretariat established in the Wetlands Inspection Division;
Preliminary contacts made with several development partners including the Royal Netherlands Embassy; IUCN, Wetlands International, the Royal Belgium Embassy;
Preliminary contacts made with the Royal Netherlands Embassy Kampala regarding a request for Prince Willem Alexander serve as Patron;
Seed funding (euro 30,000) secured from the Royal Belgium Government to assist with establishment of the Secretariat;
Visit of the Secretary General in June 2003;
COP9 Subgroup of the Standing Committee established with Uganda as Chair. Members include: Japan, Spain, Nicaragua, USA and representatives of International Organisation Partners to the Ramsar Convention.

(Photo right: Paul Mafabi, Uganda, chair of the Subgroup on COP9)

Next Steps

3. In the short term the following actions need to be accomplished:

Continue discussions at the ongoing Budget Framework preparatory process and to seek inclusion of Government of Uganda budget support to COP9 in the Medium Term Expenditure Framework;
Finalise the logo, slogan and identity to be used in the publicity and fundraising activities;
Develop and launch a publicity and fundraising drive. We propose that this be linked to the events of World Wetlands Day 2004 which falls on 2 February 2004;
Formalizing request for a high level personality to support Uganda's publicity and fundraising effort. It is proposed to approach the Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands through the Netherlands Embassy because of his interest in wetlands and water resources issues;
Decide appropriate dates to hold the COP9 in 2005. The National Organising Committee has endorsed a proposal to hold COP9 from 7-15 November 2005;
Finalise and launch the prospectus;
Establish a Board of Recommendations to support the local fundraising efforts.

January 12, 2004

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 ramsar@ramsar.org). Posted 27 January 2004, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.