The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

World Wetlands Day 2006 in Kenya

WELCOME TO NATIONAL WORLD WETLANDS DAY CELEBRATIONS

Saturday, February 4, 2006
National Museums of Kenya

World Wetland Day (WWD) marks the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention), an inter-governmental treaty signed by world governments in the Iranian City of Ramsar on February 2, 1971. Each year since 1996, the National Museums of Kenya has been organizing a variety of public events to mark the World Wetlands Day. The purpose of the day's activities is to create public awareness of wetland values and benefits, and the importance of the Convention on Wetlands.

This year there are a wide range of exciting activities that have been planned to mark the National World Wetlands Day on Saturday, 4th February, 2006 at the National Museums headquarters in Nairobi. The activities include; lectures by university lecturers, Wetlands Researchers and Government Officials, Ramsar Videos on wetlands, Return Migrating Whooping Cranes, from International Crane Foundation, songs and dances on the theme by university students, school pupils and community groups. The theme of WWD celebrations this year is Wetlands as a tool in Poverty Alleviation. This theme draws from the socio-economic reality that In the face of poverty…..wetlands are lifelines. Wisely managed wetlands can significantly contribute to national poverty alleviation efforts.

The director general of the National Museums of Kenya and the World Wetlands Day coordinator would like to invite you to come and participate in the WWD celebrations this year. You can support the national WWD activities by participating in the planned activities or contributing resources necessary to make the national event a success.

We look forward to your participation and generous support towards our World Wetlands Day activities this year.

Dr. Cecilia M. Gichuki, Coordinator, World Wetlands Day Celebrations, National Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 40658 - 00100, Tel. 254 (020) 3742445, Email: cbd@museums.or.ke, Nairobi, Kenya

For further information about World Wetlands Day or the 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 3 February 2006, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.