Summary
During the morning and afternoon of COP13’s last day, plenary adopted the remaining 11 resolutions, on:
- financial and budgetary matters;
- enhancing the Convention’s implementation, visibility, and synergies with other multilateral environmental agreements;
- Ramsar Regional Initiatives 2019-2021 and their operational framework;
- future implementation of scientific and technical aspects of the Convention for 2019-2021;
- promoting conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of coastal blue carbon ecosystems;
- cultural values, indigenous peoples and local communities, and climate change mitigation and adaptation in wetlands;
- rapid assessment of wetland ecosystem services;
- sustainable agriculture in wetlands;
- promoting the conservation and wise use of intertidal wetlands and ecologically associated habitats;
- wetlands in West Asia; and
- wetlands in the Arctic and sub-Arctic.
Delegates adopted one more resolution acknowledging and thanking the UAE for hosting COP13. Representatives from the Youth Engaged in Wetlands called on parties and all stakeholders to empower youth to actively participate in wetlands issues, and proposed “Youth in Wetlands” as the COP14 theme. COP13 President Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, UAE, thanked delegates and organizers for their collaboration and team spirit at COP13, which was gaveled to a close at 4:36pm.Key takeaways from COP13 included:
- a step-by-step plan and timetable for including Arabic as the fourth official Convention language;
- a consensus approach and deft negotiations demonstrating that parties can reach agreement, even on politically sensitive issues, such as cooperation on wise use of wetlands in West Asia; and
- the launch of the Global Wetland Outlook as a significant accomplishment of both the STRP and CEPA Programme, underscoring the urgency and scale of work needed to ensure the conservation and wise use of wetlands.
Please return to this site on 1 November for the Earth Negotiations Bulletin summary and analysis of Ramsar COP13.
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided a curtain raiser, daily web coverage, and a summary and analysis report from COP13.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon
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