COP14 on wetlands conservation concludes with 21 resolutions

GENEVA/WUHAN -- The 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14), held in China's Wuhan and Switzerland's Geneva, concluded Sunday with 21 resolutions.

Three of the resolutions were proposed by China: the resolution on establishment of the International Mangrove Center; the resolution on integrating wetland conservation and restoration into national sustainable development strategies; and the resolution on enhancing the conservation and management of small wetlands, all of which are aimed at promoting the high-quality development of global wetland conservation.

Among the important outcomes of the gathering were the Wuhan Declaration as well as the Global Strategic Framework for Wetland Conservation 2025-2030. The latter specified that it will ensure the consistency and continuity between the fifth strategic plan and the objectives of the fourth phase, while focusing on the role of wetland conservation and restoration in promoting sustainable development and addressing global environmental challenges. It also called for accelerating wetland conservation and restoration actions, and curbing wetland degradation.

During the meeting, China, as the host, has presided over the conference, coordinating positions, setting up the provisional negotiating group and leading the consultations on the conference issues, hence the fruitful results of the meetings.

The meeting also confirmed that Zimbabwe will host the COP15 to the Ramsar Convention.

At the meeting of the 61st Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention held after the COP14, China was elected as chair of the committee to lead the convention process in the next three years.

The Ramsar Convention, named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, where the convention was signed in 1971, is an intergovernmental agreement dedicated to the conservation and rational use of wetland ecosystems. To date, it has 172 contracting parties.