TEHRAN – Iran has been appointed to represent the south, west Asia region on the Ramsar Convention Standing Committee; the country will serve as the main representative for the region.

The election took place during the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, held from July 23 to 31 July in Victoria Falls City, Zimbabwe, IRNA reported. 

It will contribute to strengthening the country’s regional role in international wetland, environmental decision-making.

The Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention, as the most important executive and supervisory body of this international convention, plays a key role in managing and guiding global wetland conservation efforts. This committee is responsible for steering, decision-making, and monitoring the implementation of the Ramsar Convention’s resolutions between the Conference of the Parties (COP) meetings.

The committee includes representatives from 18 countries selected from different geographical regions of the world, the host country of the upcoming Convention meeting, as well as partner international organizations such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Wetlands International.

The standing committee meets once a year for a week in Switzerland to make strategic decisions between two global summits of the COP.

Iran, as one of the three representatives of Asia, will play a key role in intersessional decision-making, monitoring the performance of the Ramsar Secretariat, managing financial resources, and developing draft resolutions for future meetings.

Iran was elected as the Vice-Chair for the COP15 by the Standing Committee of the Convention on Wetlands. 

The meeting was held under the theme “Protecting Wetlands for our Common Future.” The COP adopted a new strategic plan for 2025-2034, the Convention’s fifth action plan.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was signed in the city of Ramsar, Iran, in 1971. This intergovernmental treaty provides the framework for international cooperation on wetland conservation. The convention officially came into force in 1975.

Since then, many countries have become Contracting Parties to the convention. Saudi Arabia is the 173rd one, ISNA reported.

The three Iranian cities, including Babol in northern Mazandaran province, Kiashahr in northern Gilan province, and Gandoman in southwestern Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari province, received wetland city accreditation certificates on the first day of COP15 of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

A city’s commitment to wetland conservation, awareness, active engagement in sustainable practices, and integration of wetland conservation into planning makes it a strong candidate for this recognition.

The list of 31 newly accredited Wetland Cities was formerly announced at the 64th meeting of the Standing Committee.

MT/