36th Meeting of the Standing Committee

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36th Meeting of the Ramsar Standing Committee

Draft agenda and programme

CONVENTION ON WETLANDS (Ramsar, Iran, 1971)
36th Meeting of the Standing Committee
Gland, Switzerland, 25-29 February 2008

DOC. SC36-01, rev.2

36th Meeting of the Standing Committee

Draft Agenda and Programme

Monday, 25 February

10:00 - 13:00 Meeting of the Subgroup on COP10 (Republic of Korea (Chair), Austria, El Salvador, Kenya, Samoa, Switzerland, Thailand, USA, Wetlands International)

Progress report on preparations, by the Republic of Korea (verbal)
Progress report on preparations, by the Ramsar Secretariat (verbal)
Procedures for selecting the Ramsar Award/Evian Special Prize laureates at the 37th meeting of the Standing Committee (DOC. SC36/SG COP10-01)

15:00 - 18:00 Meeting of the Management Working Group (Chair and Vice Chair of COP8 Standing Committee, Chair and Vice Chair of COP9 SC, COP8 and COP9 Chairs of Subgroup on Finance, STRP COP8 Chair, STRP COP9 Chair, Secretary General, BirdLife International and WWF International, and representatives of the following Contracting Parties: China, Japan, Malawi, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Samoa, Switzerland, Syria, Viet Nam)

Future Secretariat structure and staffing (DOC. SC36-16)
Legal status of the Secretariat (DOC. SC36-15)
Draft COP10 Resolution on Management Working Group Transition Committee (Decision SC35-10) (DOC. SC36/MWG-01)
Options for mechanisms for Ramsar initiatives to "reach the ground" and complement National Focal Point processes (verbal)
Secretary General performance assessment procedures and travel authorisations (verbal)
Secretariat ombudsman arrangements (verbal)

Tuesday, 26 February

10:00 - 13:00 Meeting of the Subgroup on Finance (USA (Chair), Benin, China, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Samoa)

2007 Budget review and update (DOC. SC36/SG Finance-01)
2008 Budget (DOC. SC36/SG Finance-02)
Report on Regional Initiatives (DOC. SC36-23)
Financial implications of the legal status of the Secretariat (DOC. SC36-15) and Secretariat structure and staffing (DOC. SC36-16)
Budget proposals for 2009-2011 triennium, for COP10 (DOC. SC36-22)
Small Grant Fund and related developments and future operations (DOC. SC36-24)
Update on private sector partnerships - the Danone/Evian Project and "Biosphere Connections" (Star Alliance) (verbal)

15:00 - 18:00 Meeting of the Subgroup on the Strategic Plan (Bahamas (Chair), Australia, Benin, Ecuador, Georgia, I.R. Iran, Japan, UK, USA, BirdLife International)

Development of the Strategic Plan 2009-2014 (DOC. SC36-07)
Progress report on COP10 National Report Format (DOC. SC35/SG Strategic Plan-01)

Wednesday, 27 February - Friday, 29 February

Plenary Sessions

Wednesday, 27 February

10:00 - 13:00 Plenary Session

1. Opening statements

a) Chair of the Standing Committee, Paul Mafabi, Uganda
b) Director General of IUCN, Julia Marton-Lefevre
c) The five International Organization Partners (delivery by one IOP representative)
d) Secretary General, Anada Tiega

2. Adoption of the Agenda

3. Admission of Observers

4. Preparations for Ramsar COP10

4.1 Reports of the Chair of the Subgroup on COP10, Chair of Standing Committee, and Secretary General
4.2 Preparation and consideration of draft Resolutions for COP10 (DOC. SC36-06)
4.3 Update on progress with COP10 Ramsar Awards/Evian Special Prize nominations (verbal)

5. Report of the Secretary General and review of the Secretariat Work Plan 2007, including implementation of COP9 Resolutions, and Secretariat Work Plan 2008 (DOC. SC36-02)

15:00 - 18:00 Plenary Session

6. Report of the Chair of the STRP (DOC. SC36-03)

7. Report of activities with International Organization Partners (DOC. SC36-04)

8. Report of the Culture Working Group (DOC. SC36-05)

9. Draft Strategic Plan 2009-2014 (DOC. SC36-07), including report of the Subgroup on the Strategic Plan

10. Financial matters: Report of the Subgroup on Finance

11. Report of the Management Working Group

Reception hosted by the Swiss Government

Thursday, 28 February

10:00 - 13:00 Plenary Session

[15.] Progress on policy and procedural COP10 draft Resolutions and guidelines

15.1 Overview of anticipated policy and procedural COP10 draft Resolutions and guidelines (DOC. SC36-21)
15.2 Financial and budgetary matters (DOC. SC36-22)
15.3 Regional initiatives in the framework of the Convention (DOC. SC36-23)
15.4 Small Grant Fund and related developments and future operations (DOC. SC36-24)
15.5 Status of Ramsar sites (DOC. SC36-25)
15.6 Review of COP decisions (Resolution IX.17) (DOC. SC36-26)

13. Secretariat issues

13.1 Legal status of the Secretariat (DOC. SC36-15)
13.2. Future Secretariat structure and staffing (DOC. SC36-16)

15:00 - 18:00 Plenary Session

14. CEPA issues for COP10

14.1 Report of the CEPA Oversight Panel (DOC. SC36-17)
14.2 Advisory Board on capacity building
14.3 Draft CEPA Programme for 2009-2014 (DOC. SC36-19)
14.4 Review and assessment of World Wetlands Day (DOC. SC36-20)

19:30 Standing Committee dinner

Friday, 29 February

10:00 - 13:00 Plenary Session

[12.] Progress on scientific and technical matters, including COP10 draft Resolutions and guidelines, as well as emerging issues

12.1 Overview of STRP products for COP10 (DOC. SC36-08)
12.2 Wetlands and human health (DOC. SC36-09)
12.3 Wetlands and poverty reduction (DOC. SC36-10)
12.4 Wetlands and agriculture (DOC. SC36-11)
12.5 Wetlands and climate change (including biofuels) (DOC. SC36-12)
12.6 Wetlands and extractive industries (DOC. SC26-13) - with annexed information paper on oil, gas and African Ramsar sites requested by Decision SC35-28
12.7 Progress and future developments of the Ramsar Sites Information Service (DOC. SC36-14)
12.8 Highly Pathogenic Avian Flu

15:00 - 17:30 Plenary Session and close of the meeting

16. Arrangements for the 37th Meeting (2-6 June 2008) and 38th Meeting (27 October 2008) of the Standing Committee

17. Adoption of the report of the meeting

18. Any other business

19. Closing remarks

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 6 November 2007, revised 11 February 2008, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.