2.5 Mission of the Convention
The mission of the Ramsar Convention was adopted by the Conference of Parties in 1999 and was later redefined in 2002. The Convention’s mission statement is: “the conservation and wise‐use of all wetlands through local, regional, and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution toward achieving sustainable development throughout the world” (Matthews 1993; Ramsar Convention Secretariat 2011, 2016).
2.6 Structural Framework of the Convention
The Ramsar Convention has four main organs including the Conference of Parties (COP), Standing Committee, Ramsar Secretariat and the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) (Figure 2.1). These organs have been discussed below in detail.
1 Conference of Parties (COP): The Conference of Parties constitutes “the policy‐making organ of the Convention.” The representatives from the governments of the various contracting parties meet every three years. Since the inception of the Ramsar Convention, 13 ordinary and 2 extraordinary meetings of the conference of contracting parties have been organized (Table 2.2). During the COP, the contracting parties receive their national reports for the last three years (previous triennium) and approve the new work‐plan for the next triennium. The budget for the approved work‐plan for the succeeding triennium is also discussed and approved. Further, discussions are held on a wide range of ongoing and emerging environmental issues and points of guidance from different contracting parties are summed up and given due consideration. As per the procedures laid down under Articles 6 and 7 of the Convention, broad duties are assigned to various contracting parties. There is also the provision for the representatives of nonmember States, intergovernmental institutions, and national and international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to attend or participate in the conference of parties but only as non‐voting observers (Matthews 1993; Ramsar Convention Secretariat 2011, 2016).
2 Standing Committee: The Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention is a temporary body that has intersessional existence. It is an executive body elected by the conference of parties that represents the COP between its triennial meetings, within the framework of the decisions made by the COP. A new standing committee is elected by the COP in each ordinary meeting which serves for the next triennium and seizes to exist when a new standing committee is elected in the next meeting of the COP. The standing committee was, for the first time, established by Resolution 3.3 of the 1987 Conference of the Contracting Parties. The tasks of the standing committee were initially set out based on Resolution 5.1 (of 1993) in the Framework for Implementation of the Ramsar Convention but are currently defined by Resolution VII.1 (of 1999) (Matthews 1993; Ramsar Convention Secretariat 2011, 2016).The Standing Committee, normally, meets once every year, generally in the Convention Secretariat in Switzerland. In addition to this, it also meets before each meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties. During the meeting of the COP, it is transformed into the Conference Committee. During the meeting, COP selects a new standing committee for the next three years and therefore the older standing committee seizes to exist. The composition of the standing committee currently includes 16 regional members who are representatives of different Ramsar regions (which are defined based on the regional distribution of various contracting parties) and 2 ex‐officio members (representatives of the host countries of the most recent and the upcoming meetings of the COP). Moreover, there are seven permanent observers which include the host countries of the Ramsar Secretariat (Switzerland) and the Wetlands International (Netherlands), and the five International Partner Organizations which include BirdLife International, IUCN – The World Conservation Union, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Wetlands International, WWF International (Matthews 1993; Ramsar Convention Secretariat 2011, 2016).
3 Convention Secretariat: The Ramsar Convention Secretariat carries out the day‐to‐day coordination of the Convention’s activities. It is located at the headquarters of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Gland, Switzerland. The Secretariat staff are legally considered to be employees of the IUCN. The Secretariat is headed by a Secretary‐General who is answerable to the Standing Committee (Matthews 1993; Ramsar Convention Secretariat 2011, 2016).The main roles (among others) of the Ramsar Secretariat largely include:maintaining the list of Ramsar sites and all changes to the List and to the Ramsar Sites Databaseassisting in the convening of and organizing the meetings of the COP, the Standing Committee and the STRPproviding the administrative, scientific, and technical support to Contracting Partiesdissemination of the decisions, resolutions, and recommendations of the meeting of the COP and the Standing Committeekeeping the Contracting Parties, the Ramsar community, and the public informed of developments related to the Conventionorganizing Ramsar Advisory Missions at the request of Contracting Partiesdeveloping avenues of cooperation with other conventions, intergovernmental institutions, and national and international NGOs
4 Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP): The Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) is a supplementary entity of the Ramsar Convention which was set up by Resolution 5.5 (of 1993). Its primary role is to provide scientific and technical guidance to the various policymaking and executive organs of the Convention. The panel guides the Conference of the Parties, the Standing Committee and the Convention Secretariat on the matters which require scientific and technical support. They are elected by the Standing Committee based on nominations from the Parties. They serve as the experts and not as the representatives of their countries. The total number of full‐members of the STRP is 17, i.e. six regional representatives (one chosen from each of the six Ramsar regions), six thematic experts chosen for their expertise in the priority areas of work for the period; and representatives from the five International Organization Partners. Apart from the 17 full‐members, the STRP also has a host of additional expert consultants and advisors and organizations which are invited to participate as and when required. The term of an STRP is for three years in unison with that of the standing committee and seizes to exist when a new standing committee takes the charge (Matthews 1993; Ramsar Convention Secretariat 2011, 2016).
Figure 2.1 Ramsar Convention and its four organs.
Table 2.2 Chronology of meetings of the conference of contracting parties.
| Ordinary meetings of the Conference of Parties | ||
|---|---|---|
| COP | Location | Year |
| 1st | Cagliari, Italy | 1980 |
| 2nd | Groningen, Netherlands | 1984 |
| 3rd | Regina, Canada | 1987 |
| 4th | Montreux, Switzerland | 1990 |
| 5th |
|