The MedWet Steering Group met for its tenth meeting in Paris, France on the 29th and 30th of March 2012. There were three members representing the governments of three countries, namely, the Chair of the SG Emmanuel Thiry for France, Hayat Mesbah for Morocco and Charalambos Ververis from Greece.  Also present were Tobias Salathe from the Ramsar Secretariat, Alain Jeudy de Grissac (Marine Conservation Programme Manager, IUCN-Med) as a representative of International Organisation Partners and Jean Jalbert (Director of the Tour du Valat) as a representative of MedWet wetland centres. The meeting took place in the central administration of the Ministère de l’Écologie, du Développement durable, des Transports et du Logement (MEDDTL), La Défense, Paris.

The meeting was focused on reporting the MedWet Secretariat activities in relation to the 2011 workplan and on improving the operation and cohesion of the MedWet Initiative. Also, the 2011 financial report was approved and decisions were made on the 2012 budget. Capitalizing on the Agadir Symposium and the necessary follow-up after such a large scale event was decided upon, giving hence the secretariat clearer direction on the process to be followed. Discussions were also centered on the upcoming MedWet/Com11 which will take place on the 5th July between 14:00- 17:00, within the framework of the Ramsar COP11 in Bucharest Romania. The 10th SG meeting was also important for focusing the MedWet Initiative towards the future while creating a strategy for the optimal use of the important work done since the 9th SG meeting in January 2011. The agenda, report and conclusions of the meeting are available in English and French.

Cover photo credits: JoaquinLR/panoramio.com