The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

34th Meeting of the Ramsar Standing Committee

CONVENTION ON WETLANDS (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) 34th Meeting of the Standing Committee Gland, Switzerland, 10-13 April 2006

DOC. SC34-11

Agenda item 8.6

• monitoring and reporting on CEPA issues within the Convention and the progress of implementation of the CEPA Programme as established by Resolution VIII.31, The Convention's Programme on communication, education and public awareness (CEPA) 2003-2008, especially with reference to the CEPA activities of the Secretariat;

• advising the Standing Committee and the Secretariat on the CEPA work priorities at the national and international levels, including the CEPA priorities of the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP);

• clarifying the broad roles of the two government and non-governmental CEPA National Focal Points (NFPs) nominated by each Party;

• identifying, with the involvement of the "Ramsar Advisory Board on Capacity Building", priorities in recognition of the gaps between capacity building opportunities and needs for the broad range of wetland professionals and stakeholders;

• liaising with other multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) to improve synergies across conventions, as called for in Resolutions VIII.5 and IX.5;

• advising the Standing Committee on the form and function of the next CEPA Programme, for the period 2009-2014, to be proposed to COP10.

i) The Vice Chair of SC, acting as Chair for the Oversight panel

ii) Chair of the SC Subgroup on Finance: Herb Raffaele

iii) Chair of the STRP/WI CEPA Specialist Group: Chris Prietto

iv) Vice-Chair of the STRP : Rebecca D'Cruz

v) Relevant experts in different aspects of CEPA not covered by the above:

Capacity-Building/Training: the Ramsar Advisory Board on Capacity Building should be requested by the Secretariat to nominate a member for the Panel;

Participation: the Secretariat should ask the advice of the CEPA Specialist Group on a suitable candidate who should be an expert on participatory techniques in wetland management and have some knowledge on how the Convention functions.

vi) CEPA National Focal Points: it is recommended that the Oversight Panel should include one Government CEPA NFP and one NGO NFP:

1) CEPA NGO NFP: Stefan Bohorquez, Ecuador.
Stefan was recommended by Ecuador as a CEPA expert on STRP. He was not finally appointed due to the limitation of CEPA places but his capacity and experience in Ramsar's CEPA Programme are considerable and would fit the criteria below. It would seem sensible to invite Stefan as the NGO FP member.

2) CEPA Government NFP: it is suggested that the Secretariat invite Parties to recommend a CEPA Government National Focal Point to fill this position. If the NGO NFP is indeed from the Neotropics, then the Government NFP should be selected from any other region. A brief list of criteria which could form the basis of a nominee's questionnaire to be sent to all the Administrative Authorities for nominations, is suggested below:

• served as the Government CEPA NFP for a minimum period of two years;
• worked collaboratively with the nominated NGO NFP;
• took an active role in developing a strategic approach to national implementation of the CEPA Programme;
• is fluent in written and spoken English.

vii) International Organization Partners: Although not identified in the original TOR, the IOPs have collectively a great deal of practical experience in implementing CEPA activities as an integral part of wetland management. To ensure that the Panel benefits from this experience, it is suggested that the IOPs elect one representative to sit on the Panel and to act as the liaison between the Panel and the five IOPs.

viii) Ramsar Secretariat (ex officio): the CEPA Programme Officer and the Secretary General

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 7 March 2006, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.