The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands organised the 14th meeting of its Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP14) in Geneva, Switzerland, from 5 to 13 November 2022. COP14 focused on the theme “Wetlands Action for People and Nature”, and called to invest financial, human and political capital to save the world’s wetlands from disappearing and to restore those we have degraded. Ramsar COP14 assessed progress in the implementation of the Convention, negotiated 26 draft resolutions, and considered emerging issues and priority actions.
The COP14 brought together delegates of the majority of the 172 Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention, international and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs), experts on wetland-related issues, observers and visitors.
MedWet side events
Wetlands as Nature-based Solutions for sustainable development and climate change mitigation
This side event, organised by MedWet in the framework of the “Wetland-based Solutions” project, brought together representatives of Contracting Parties and partner organisations, as well as the MAVA Foundation, the project funder.
The event was opened by Rafael Hidalgo, Head of the Spanish delegation, followed by brief welcomes by Alessandra Sensi (Union for the Mediterranean), Gonzalo Oviedo (MAVA Foundation) and Alessio Satta (MedWet). The event presented the project results and showed case studies from Camargue (France), Mallorca (Spain) and Oristano (Sardinia, Italy).
For more information on the context, the agenda and the speakers in the event, click here.
Marianne Courouble, the advocacy expert at MedWet, presented the communication tools and advocacy actions carried out by MedWet in the framework of the project, emphasizing the urgency of acting to conserve and restore Mediterranean wetlands for people and nature among key decision-makers and direct stakeholders at local, national and international levels.
Watch the full video of the event:
Celebrating wetlands during World Wetlands Day (WWD)
This side event was organised by the French Biodiversity Agency (OFB), the Association Ramsar France and MedWet to talk about wetland action on WWD. More than 50 participants attended the event which aimed to present various ways of organizing events, at different scales, to celebrate WWD.
The event allowed to share stories, facts and figures, achievements and other information about actions during WWD. It also provided opportunities for learning by action from the experiences of some stakeholders from different continents and perspectives.
For more information on the context, the agenda and the speakers in the event, click here.
During the past three years, MedWet has been mobilizing Mediterranean stakeholders for WWD. Thanks to the support of the OFB, 35 events are supported each year to celebrate this UN day.
During this event, Sana Mezoughi, network facilitator at MedWet, presented this experience, its elements of success and some key figures of WWD 2022 in the Mediterranean such as :
- 562 organisers
- 1121 events organized
- 85000 people were reached by these events.
Watch the full video of the side event:
With the participation of representatives of the Contracting Parties and Regional Initiatives in this side event, MedWet presented the coalition of European Ramsar Regional Initiatives promoted by France, Spain and other Contracting Parties.
The main objective of the coalition is the creation of a unique partnership based on the capacities, ideas and relationships of each European Ramsar Regional Initiative for a broader and more differentiated understanding and knowledge of European wetlands in order to better address global challenges such as biodiversity loss and climate change.
To find out more about this side event, click here.
Unpacking the Potential of Wetlands for Addressing Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss
This side event enhanced the knowledge of ways in which ecosystem-based approaches in the context of wetlands can offer for mitigating and adapting to climate change, protecting biodiversity and delivering ecosystem services on a global scale. This event was co-organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Geneva Environment Network, with the support of NetworkNature and the EU Commission.
Alessio Satta, the MedWet Coordinator, presented the ambition and work of the REST-COAST project in which MedWet is involved, aiming at the restoration of coastal ecosystems. 38 partners from 12 countries, coordinated by the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, are involved in REST-COAST, which will be implemented over four years with a budget of 18.4 million euros.
Learn more about the side event here.
