Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention is the intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
The Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975. Since then, almost 90% of UN member states have become “Contracting Parties” and committed to the Convention’s three pillars:
- Work towards the wise use of all their wetlands
- Designate suitable wetlands for the list of Wetlands International Importance and ensure their effective management
- Cooperate internationally on transboundary wetlands, shared wetland systems and shared species
Our Role as an International Organisation Partner
Wetlands International is an International Organisation Partner (IOP) of the Ramsar Convention. Along with five other global NGOs, we help set the agenda, bring issues to the fore, realise strategic aims through programmes such as the IWC and support Parties to bring resolutions to the Conference of the Parties (COP).
We embody the philosophy of the Convention and its wise use concept and support the use of the Convention guidelines in our own work around the world.