Resolution IX.7

Resolution IX.7

Regional initiatives in the framework of the Ramsar Convention

1. RECALLING that the Guidelines for international cooperation under the Ramsar Convention (Resolution VII.19) provide the appropriate framework for promoting international collaboration amongst Contracting Parties and other partners;

2. ALSO RECALLING that in Resolution VIII.30 the Contracting Parties recognized the importance of regional initiatives in promoting the objectives of the Convention and established Guidelines for the development of regional initiatives in the framework of the Convention on Wetlands;

3. RECOGNIZING that the Mediterranean Wetlands Initiative (MedWet) Coordination Unit already operates under the authority of the Secretary General and was recognized by the Parties in Resolution VIII.30 as a model example of such regional initiatives, and ALSO RECOGNIZING that the High Andean Regional Wetlands Strategy has been endorsed by the Council of Environment Ministers of the Andean Community of Nations;

4. TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that the Government of Greece has offered to continue hosting and contributing financially to the operation of the MedWet Coordination Unit in Athens for the triennium 2006-2008;

5. RECALLING Resolution VIII.42 on Small Island Developing States in the Oceania Region and RECOGNIZING the success of the out-posted Ramsar regional support officer for Oceania during 2005; and

6. AWARE that a number of regional initiatives for wetland conservation and wise use are under development in different parts of the world, NOTING the submissions by Contracting Parties to the Standing Committee of proposals for developing regional initiatives to be recognized as working within the framework of the Convention (COP9 DOC. 21), and FURTHER NOTING the following additional regional initiatives announced by Contracting Parties during COP9 as being under development:

• La Plata/Paraguay-Parana Wetlands System Sustainability Programme – Neotropics

• Black Sea Wetlands Initiative (BlackSeaWet) – Europe

• Lake Victoria Environmental Management Programme – Africa

• Nile River Basin Conservation and Development Initiative – Africa

• Kenya Wildlife Service Training Institute, International Wetland Training Programme – Africa;

THE CONFERENCE OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES

7. ENDORSES the Regional Initiatives listed in Annex I.A to this Resolution as being within the framework of the convention on Wetlands in line with the Annex to Resolution VIII.30 and UNDERLINES their value for implementation of the Convention at regional level;

8. RECOGNIZES the potential for those regional initiatives listed in Annex I.B to this Resolution to become operative within the framework of the Convention,subject to further development, and URGES the Parties concerned to progress their development and report to COP10 for consideration for endorsement;

9. AGREES to contribute financial support from the Convention core budget line“Support to Regional Initiatives” for the 2006-2008 triennium for specific regional initiatives, which qualify by fully meeting the conditions for support set out in the Annex to Resolution VIII.30, specifically paragraphs 8-10, at the levels indicated in Annex I.C for 2006; and ALSO AGREES that levels of financial support for 2007 and 2008 will be determined by the Standing Committee based on recommendations made by the Subgroup on Finance;

10. ENCOURAGES Contracting Parties, intergovernmental agencies, IOPs, national NGOs and other donors to support such regional initiatives seeking financial assistance from the Ramsar Convention with additional voluntary contributions, and STRONGLY URGES those regional initiatives that receive financial support from the core budget to use this support inter alia to seek alternative flows of sustainable funding;

11. RECOGNIZES that financial support for the outposted Ramsar Oceania regional support officer is included in the Staff Costs of the Secretariat for 2006-2008(Resolution IX.12, Annex I, Financial and Budgetary Matters);

12. AUTHORIZES the Secretary General to conclude, where appropriate, Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with relevant governments and appropriate bodies with regard to the specific financial and institutional arrangements of the regional initiatives identified in the annex, and DIRECTS the Secretary General to report to the Standing Committee and COP10 on progress with these MoUs and the progress of regional initiatives in general;

13. AUTHORIZES the Standing Committee to approve, between meetings of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, qualifying initiatives which have zero financial implications for the Convention’s core budget, and ALSO AUTHORIZES the Standing Committee, within the global allocation for the triennium of the Convention core budget line “Support to Regional Initiatives”, to reallocate funding,if considered appropriate, depending on shifts in priorities and needs in response to requests from initiatives, and REQUESTS the Standing Committee to report to COP10 on the development and funding of the suite of initiatives established by 2008;

14. INSTRUCTS all initiatives under the present Resolution, and particularly those funded from the core budget, to submit to the Standing Committee a report on progress andoperations of the initiatives concerned, and specifically their success in complying with the Guidelines contained in Annex I to Resolution VIII.30 and actions taken to replace Ramsar funds with alternative sustainable funds. The Standing Committee and Secretariat, particularly in relation to those initiatives funded by the core budget, should review their success and submit a summary report for consideration at COP10;

15. RECOGNIZES specifically the critical importance of financial and political support from Contracting Parties of the region to the MedWet Initiative, and especially from the host country of its Coordination Unit, EXPRESSES ITS SINCERE GRATITUDE to the Government of Greece for hosting the MedWet Coordination Unit in Athens, ACCEPTS the generous offer of the Government of Greece to continue providing office facilities and financial support during the triennium 2006-2008 for the same purpose and INSTRUCTS the Secretary General to renew as appropriate the existing Memorandum of Understanding with the government of Greece for hosting the MedWet Coordination Unit for the triennium 2006-2008;and

16. APPROVES the budget for the operation of the Mediterranean Wetlands Committee and the Coordination Unit for the Mediterranean Wetlands Initiative in the framework of the Ramsar Convention as contained in Annex II of this Resolution.

 

Annex I

A. Regional initiatives for wetland conservation and wise use endorsed as
operating within the framework of the Ramsar Convention and considered appropriate
for funding in 2006-2008

i) Regional (and subregional) networks for capacity-building and cooperation:

• West African Coastal Zone Wetlands Network (WacoWet) – Africa

• ChadWet - Africa

• NigerWet - Africa

• WSSD Type II Partnership for the conservation and sustainable use of sites of international importance for migratory waterbirds in East
Asia, South East Asia and Australasia (The Partnership) – Asia/North America/Oceania

• Regional Strategy for the Conservation and Wise Use of High Andean Wetlands - Neotropics

• Regional initiative for the protection and wise use of wetlands for the Pacific Islands – Oceania

ii) Regional (and subregional) centres for training and capacity-building:

• Ramsar Regional Center for Training and Research on Wetlands in Western and Central Asia in Iran (RRC-CWA) - Asia

• Ramsar Regional Center for Training and Research on Wetlands in the Western Hemisphere (CREHO) – Neotropics/North America

B. Regional initiatives recognized as having potential for operating within the framework of the Ramsar Convention, subject to acceptance by the Contracting Parties concerned and further development and consideration by COP10

• Ramsar Centre for Eastern Africa (RAMCEA) - Africa

• Himalayan Initiative - Asia

• Carpathian Wetland Initiative (CWI) - Europe

• The Nordic-Baltic Wetlands Initiative (NorBalWet) – Europe

C. Financial support to regional initiatives from the Convention’s core budget line “Support for regional initiatives” for 2006

	Swiss Francs (for year 2006)
MedWet Initiative:	26,000
West African Coastal Zone Wetlands Network (WacoWet)	60,000
Ramsar Regional Center for Training and Research on Wetlands in Western and Central Asia in Iran (RRC-CWA)	20,000
Regional Strategy for the Conservation and Wise Use of High Andean Wetlands	20,000
Ramsar Regional Center for Training and Research on Wetlands in the Western Hemisphere (CREHO)	80,000
TOTAL	206,000

1 Subject to the provision to the 34th meeting of the Standing Committee of a satisfactory budget. If this budget allocation is not confirmed by SC34,the funds should be allocated to the STRP budget line for 2006.

Annex II

Budget for the operation of the MedWetCom and Coordination Unit of the MedWet Initiative

INCOME (in Swiss Francs)

	2006	2007	2008
1. Host country (Greece) for the Coordination Unit of the MedWet Initiative	263,483	263,483	263,483
2. Ramsar core budget	26,000	15,499	10,849
3. MedWet countries	146,354	149,020	149,700
4. Projects	166,678	189,180	214,719
5. To be secured	20,497	30,998	35,647
TOTAL INCOME	623,012	648,180	674,399
Budgeted expenditure	623,012	648,180	674,399

Notes on Income

1. Contribution by the Host Country (Greece), as confirmed in the letter of the Ministry of Environment, physical Planning and Public Works to the Secretary General of the Convention, dated 3 June 2005.

2. Contribution from the Ramsar core budget for the triennium 2006-2008(budget line #8211; Support to Regional Initiatives).

3. Additional annual contributions from the Contracting Parties participating in MedWet

earmarked to cover costs of the MedWet Coordination Unit (see Table 1 for the list of contributions for 2006). These figures assume that 100% of contributions will be made by these countries.

4. Income from project overheads and project implementation undertaken by and through the MedWet Coordination Unit.

Note on Expenditure

The expenditure side of the budget shall continue as in the year 2005 (as approved in the Annex to Resolution VIII.30) and shall be revised, as necessary, as soon as the Terms of Reference of the MedWet Initiative are approved by the Mediterranean Wetlands Committee.

Name of Country	UN %	Ramsar %	2006	2007	2008
			corrected for minimum CHF 550	corrected for minimumCHF 550	corrected for minimum CHF 550
Albania	0.0050	0.0314	550	550	550
Algeria	0.0760	0.4777	672	685	681
Bosnia & Herzegovina	0.0030	0.0189	550	550	550
Bulgaria	0.0170	0.1068	550	550	550
Croatia	0.0370	0.2325	550	550	550
Cyprus	0.0390	0.2451	550	550	550
Egypt	0.1200	0.7542	1,061	1,081	1,075
France	6.0300	37.8993	53,308	54,332	53,997
Greece	0.5300	3.3311	4,685	4,775	4,746
Israel	0.4670	2.9352	4,128	4,208	4,182
Italy	4.8850	30.7028	43,185	44,015	43,744
Jordan	0.0110	0.0691	550	550	550
Lebanon	0.0240	0.1508	550	550	550
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya	0.1320	0.8296	1,167	1,189	1,182
Malta	0.0140	0.0880	550	550	550
Monaco	0.0030	0.0189	550	550	550
Morocco	0.0470	0.2954	550	550	550
Portugal	0.4700	2.9540	4,155	4,235	4,209
Serbia & Montenegro	0.0190	0.1194	550	550	550
Slovenia	0.0820	0.5154	725	739	734
Spain	2.5200	15.8385	22,278	22,706	22,566
Syrian Arab Republic	0.0380	0.2388	550	550	550
FYR Macedonia	0.0060	0.0377	550	550	550
Tunisia	0.0320	0.2011	550	550	550
Turkey	0.3720	2.3381	3,289	3,352	3,331
TOTALS		100	146,353	149,019	148,150

Note. This table is calculated using the UN scale of contributions for 2006. The calculations for 2007 and 2008 are indicative only: the exact figures will be calculated on the basis of the UN scale for each year, when it is known. The minimum contribution is set to 550 Swiss Francs.