CBD-COP135TH GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY SUMMIT FOR CITIES AND SUBNATIONAL GOVERNMENTS

Wetland City Accreditation

of the Ramsar Convention

Parallel Session 6D on optimal utilization of ecosystem services through

landscape scale biodiversity management strategies

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Signed in 1971 in the city of Ramsar, Iran

Currently 169 Contracting Parties (more coming soon)

Mission : conservation and wise use of all wetlands, through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development globally

Wetlands as defined by the Convention

Lakes and rivers, underground aquifers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands,

peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, mangroves and other coastal areas, coral

reefs, and all human-made sites such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs and salt pans

Three pillars of the Convention

1) Work towards the wise use of all wetlands;

2) Designation of Wetlands of International Importance (or “Ramsar Sites”) and their effective management;

(2245 Ramsar Sites globally designated so far,

covering over 215 million ha)

3) Cooperate internationally on transboundary wetlands, shared wetland systems and shared species.

Ghar-el-Melh Lagoon, Tunisia

Town of Ghar-el-Melh, Tunisia

Resolution XII.10 :

Ramsar Wetland City Acccreditation

Draft Resolution developed and submitted jointly by Tunisia and the Republic of Korea

Adopted in June by Ramsar COP12, Punta del Este, Uruguay

Resolution XII.10 :

Wetland City Acccreditation

APPROVES the establishment of a voluntary WetlandCity Accreditation system

INVITES Contracting Parties to propose for accreditation as a «Wetland City» those cities in their territory which are located close to Ramsar Sites and/or othersignification wetlands, based on 6 particular criteria

Resolution XII.10 (ct’d)

INSTRUCTS the Ramsar Secretariat to develop a global online network of cities which have obtained the Wetland City accreditation of the Ramsar Convention.

INVITES the International Organization Partners and others partners to promote the Ramsar Convention’s branding through the Wetland City accreditation, and promote local efforts to gain and maintain this branding

Independent Advisory Committee,

composed of following representatives :

1 of UN-HABITAT (United Nations Human Settlements Programme)

1 of ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI)

1 of the Ramsar IOPs (International Organization Partners)

6 of the Ramsar Standing Committee (1 per Region)

1 of the Ramsar Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP)

1 of the Ramsar Communication, Education, Participation and Awareness Panel (CEPA)

1 of UNEP/Global Waster Water Initiative,

the Ramsar Secretary General,

the Ramsar Senior Advisor for the concerned region (rapporteur)

the coordinator of the Regional Initiative concerned (when applicable)

Steps towards implementation

of the Wetland City Accreditation

December 2016 : finalisation of the TORs for the Independent

Advisory Committee (IAC).

January 2017 : Ramsar Secretariat issues a call for applications

February to September 2017 : Secretariat receives applications,

transmitted by each Country’s Ramsar National Focal Points

Steps towards implementation of

the Wetland City Accreditation (ct’d)

September to December 2017: the Independent Assessment Committee

(IAC) receives all submitted applications, reviews them and select the best

fitting one with the Wetland City Accreditation criteria, prior to submit to the

53th Ramsar Standing Committee

January-February 2018 : 54th Ramsar Standing Committee reviews the

report of the IAC, and decide on the list of accredited cities be

announced at Ramsar COP13

October 2018 : Official presentation and celebration of the first

accredited cities at Ramsar COP13 in Dubaï, UAE

Wetland City Accreditation

For more information on how to proceed : ramsar@ramsar.org

Ramsar Resolution XII.10 on Wetland City Accreditation(and others) available on

http://www.ramsar.org/about/cop12-resolutions