Jamaica to host Fifth Pan-American Regional Meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention)

November 30, 2011

Between the 5th -10th of December 2011, Jamaica will host the regional preparatory meeting for the Conference of Parties (to the Ramsar Convention). Delegates from over 40 countries in the western hemisphere and international partner organizations will be in attendance.

The Convention on Wetlands, also known as the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation in the conservation and sustainable use of wetland biodiversity and resources. It was signed in the City of Ramsar, Iran in 1971 and Jamaica became the 104th country to sign this Convention in October 1997.

The regional preparatory meeting is being organized by the Ministry of Housing, Environment, Water and Local Government through the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), and will be held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.

The meeting is intended to focus on issues to be addressed at the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP11) to be held in July 2012 in Bucharest Romania. The meeting will provide an important opportunity to assess the progress made in the implementation of the Convention in the Americas. It will also afford countries the opportunity to review the 2009-2015 Strategic Plan and the regional experiences regarding the achievement of commitments during the last triennium.

Jamaica has been representing the Caribbean at the Ramsar Standing Committee, which is the intercessional decision making body of the Convention since COP 9, which was held in Korea in 2008. Jamaica’s representation has yielded many results including the development of a framework for collaboration through a Regional Initiative that is recognized by the Convention.