This
was one of two key matters highlighted for the Oceania region, by the Marshall
Islands who sat at the roundtable today, representing our region at the 44th
meeting of the Ramsar Standing Committee.
This
committee meets once a year with an additional meeting before and after the Conference
of the Parties, whereby it transforms into the Conference Committee for the
duration, providing advice and guidance on issues that may arise.
“This
is an important issue for our Pacific countries. UNEP has been active, the conduit between the
countries and the Global Environment Facility and then again IUCN also has a
strong presence in our region, so that’s an important issue we should pay
attention to,” said Olai Uludong, Chief, Coastal and Land Management Division
of the Environmental Management Authority of the Marshall Islands and current
Oceania representative on the Ramsar Standing Committee.
 |
| L - Vainuupo Jungblut SPREP, Olai Uludong Marshall Islands |
"This Draft Resolution will determine the future administration of the Ramsar Secretariat," said Vainuupo Jungblut, the Oceania Ramsar Officer at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
“A
lot of ground work on the pros and cons for this proposal has been
prepared. My advice would be for the
Oceania parties to thoroughly consider the information they have available to
them, very carefully before making their final decision on this issue. This is a huge issue.”
The
Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention have varying views on this issue, however
if no consensus can be reached on this matter, further deliberations will take
place through a sub-committee formed to deliberate this topic.
The
second issue was the proposal to have two contracting parties from each region
attend the different committees within these negotiations, given the small
numbers from the Pacific at this conference, this will also need to be
considered if it is possible for delegates from the Oceania region.
The
Standing Committee, acting as the conference committee will be meeting on a
daily basis during the Conference of the Parties.
The
11th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
is from 6 – 13 July. Pacific contracting
parties to the Convention are; Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, New Zealand,
Palau, Papua New Guinea and Samoa.
Quick tips Ramsar
Convention on Wetlands: What is a Standing Committee?
This
Committee normally meets once each year, in addition it meets just before each
COP at which time it transforms itself into the Conference Committee for the
duration of the COP; and then again on the last day of the COP when the newly
elected members choose the incoming executives.
The standing
committee consists of 16 regional, two ex officio members from the Ramsar
regions as well as eight permanent observers.
The role of this
committee is varied, ranging from canvassing opinions of Contracting Parties in
their regional group before the meeting of the Standing Committee to advising
the Secretariat in setting the agenda of regional meetings.
The Oceania
representative to the Standing Committee is selected on a rotational
basis. All but Fiji and Palau have been
members on the Standing Committee.
Read more about the Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
