The eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands convened on Friday, 6 July, at the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, Romania. Traditional Romanian music headlined the opening ceremony, which included presentation of the Ramsar Wetland Conservation Awards. COP 11 was preceded by the 44th meeting of the Ramsar Standing Committee on 4 July, and regional meetings on 5-6 July.

Full web coverage available here: 6 July

On Saturday, 7 July, Ramsar COP 11 met in plenary throughout the day. The plenary adopted the agenda and considered rules of procedure, elected the President and Vice-Presidents, appointed the Credentials Committee and established the Finance and Budget Committee, addressed admission of observers, and considered the reports of the Standing Committee (SC), the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP), implementation of the Communication, Education, Participation and Awareness (CEPA) Programme, a statement from the World Wetlands NGO Conference, and the report of the Ramsar Secretary General. The Credentials Committee met in the afternoon. The day concluded with a special presentation on wetland conservation and sustainable use in Romania.

A number of side events took place during lunch and in the evening, including on: wetlands and livelihoods; eco-tourism; STRP work on procedures for describing Ramsar Sites; new Ramsar Sites in Asia; restoration of wetlands; wetland conservation challenges; enhancing biodiversity in rice paddies; presentation of Wetland Global Awards by the World Wetland Network; protecting and restoring ecosystem services provided by bivalve reefs; and culture and wetlands.

Full web coverage available here: 7 July

On Sunday, 8 July, COP 11 met in plenary throughout the day. The day commenced with a special presentation on the outcomes of Rio+20 and their implications for the Ramsar Convention. The plenary addressed issues arising from Resolutions and Recommendations of the previous meetings of the COP, the financial report for 2009-2012 and the proposed budget for the triennium 2013-2015, and election of parties for the Standing Committee (SC) 2013-2015. The COP began consideration of the draft resolutions and recommendations submitted by parties and the SC including the institutional hosting of the Secretariat, adjustments to the Strategic Plan for 2013-2015, and the status of sites in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. The Credentials Committee and the Finance and Budget Committee also convened.

A number of side events took place during lunch, including on: wetlands monitoring by Earth observation satellites; responsible management of wetland agro-ecosystems for food security and biodiversity; the MedWet Initiative; an STRP briefing on wetlands in a changing climate; and the launch of the Waterbird Population Estimates V and report of the first Global Inter-Flyway Network meeting.

Full web coverage available here: 8 July

On Monday, 9 July, COP 11 met in plenary throughout the day. The day commenced with a special presentation on sustainable tourism and the value of wetlands. The plenary then continued consideration of the draft resolutions and recommendations submitted by parties and the Standing Committee, including the draft resolutions on: institutional hosting of the Secretariat; regional initiatives 2013-2015 in the framework of the Ramsar Convention; partnerships and synergies with multilateral environmental agreements and other institutions; tourism and wetlands; and climate change and wetlands.

A number of side events took place during lunch, including on: wetlands in the Maghreb countries; a demonstration of the IUCN freshwater species datasets; sustainable management of fish resources in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve; enhancing synergies among multilateral environmental agreements; and screening and discussion of the film "The Great Flight." In the evening a reception celebrated the launch of the joint Ramsar/World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) report "Destination Wetlands - Supporting Sustainable Tourism."

Full web coverage available here: 9 July

On Tuesday, 10 July, COP 11 met in plenary throughout the day. The day commenced with a special presentation on the value and economics of water and wetlands - The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) synthesis report. A special presentation on water security and the importance of wetlands and natural infrastructure in water resource management also took place.

The plenary then continued consideration of the draft resolutions and recommendations submitted by parties and the Standing Committee (SC), including the draft resolutions on: streamlining procedures for describing Ramsar Sites at the time of designation and subsequently; an integrated framework for avoiding, mitigating and compensating for wetland losses; wetlands and energy issues; principles for the planning and management of urban and peri-urban wetlands; institutional host of the Ramsar Secretariat; wetlands and health - taking an ecosystem approach; an integrated framework for linking wetland conservation and wise use with poverty eradication; climate change and wetlands - implication for the Ramsar Convention; agriculture-wetland interactions - rice paddy and pesticide usage; ensuring efficient delivery of scientific and technical advice and support to the Convention; future implementation of scientific and technical aspects of the Convention for 2013-2015; adjustments to the modus operandi of the STRP for the 2013-2015 triennium; adjustments to the terms of Resolution VII.1 on the composition, roles and responsibilities of the SC and regional categorization of countries under the Convention; promoting responsible investment by government and the private sector to ensure the maintenance of the benefits of people and nature gain from wetlands; and wetlands and sustainable development.

A number of side events took place on: principles for the planning and management of urban and peri-urban wetlands; valuing wetlands - capturing economic beneftis from wetlands wise use; business, water and wetlands - the role of the private sector in conserving and restoring wetland areas; peatlands - global challenges and opportunities for the Ramsar Convention; water security for people and wetlands; GlobWetland II, a software toolbox for the assessment and monitoring of wetlands from space; experience in applying ecosystem approaches and implementing integrated management plans for Iranian wetlands and rollout at national and regional levels; wetlands wise use and oil and gas development; and sharing beneftis of transboundary cooperation in managing wetlands through a joint implementation of the Ramsar Convention and the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes.

Full web coverage available here: 10 July

On Wednesday, July 11, while the Secretariat worked to produce revised documentation for Thursday's resumed Ramsar COP11 plenary, delegates went on field trips provided by their Romanian hosts to various wetland sites. Trips included: a tour of Bucharest; the Dumbraviƫa Ramsar Site; Comana Natural Park; Small Island of Brălia; Balta Abla, Amara and Jirlau; confluence of the Olt River; Middle Arges River floodplain, and Fusea Wetland; confluence of the Jiu River; Iezer Calarasi; Ciocăneşti; and mud volcanoes.

Full web coverage available here: 11 July

On Thursday, 12 July, COP 11 met in plenary throughout the day. The plenary addressed the reports of the Credentials Committee and on the discussions, conclusions and recommendations in the preceding sessions. The plenary discussed the draft resolution on the institutional host of the Ramsar Secretariat. The plenary then commenced adopting conference resolutions and recommendations, including on: financial and budgetary matters; adjustments to the strategic plan 2009-2015 for the 2013-2015 triennium; the status of sites in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance; partnerships and synergies with multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and other institutions; wetlands and health - taking an ecosystem approach; an integrated framework for linking wetland conservation and wise use with poverty eradication; ensuring efficient delivery of scientific and technical aspects of the Convention for 2013-2015; and adjustments to the modus operandi of the STRP for the 2013-2015 triennium. The plenary also began consideration of the revised draft amendment on Wetlands and Sustainable Development. The contact group on climate change and wetlands also met.

A number of side events convened in the afternoon and evening, including: conserving the "Amazon of Europe" towards a penta-lateral UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Mura-Drava-Danube; attuning infrastructure development and preservation of peri-urban wetlands in the Bay of Panama Ramsar Site; the disappearing tidal flats of the East-Asian-Australasian flyway; "For Peat's Sake" - arctic wetlands in a changing world; integrated management in the Tigris and Euphrates basins; a national action plan for wetlands and an association of Ramsar Site managers; synergies and cooperation - options for the biodiversity-related agreements; how to link wetlands conservation and wise use with poverty alleviation; and "My home, my island and my wetlands."

Full web coverage available here: 12 July

On Friday, 13 July, Ramsar COP 11 delegates met in the morning and adopted resolutions on: Tourism, recreation and wetlands; Wetlands and energy issues; Principles for the planning and management of urban and peri-urban wetlands; Agriculture-wetland interactions - rice paddy and pest control; and Future implementation of scientific and technical aspects of the Convention for 2013-2015. Delegates also discussed Regional initiatives 2013-2015 in the framework of the Ramsar Convention, which was referred to informal consultations to reach consensus. A second Friends of the Chair group was convened to continue efforts at resolving outstanding disagreement on the issue of institutional hosting of the Ramsar Secretariat.

In the afternoon, delegates continued adopting resolutions, including on: Adjustments to the terms of Resolution VII.1 on composition, roles, and responsibilities of the Standing Committee and regional categorization of countries under the Convention; An integrated Framework for avoiding, mitigating, and compensating for wetland losses; Promoting sustainable investment by the public and private sectors to ensure the maintenance of the benefits people and nature gain from wetlands; Regional initiatives 2013-2015 in the framework of the Ramsar Convention; Strategic Framework and guidelines for the future development of the List of Wetlands of International Importance; Climate change and wetlands - implications for the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands; Insitutional hosting of the Ramsar Secretariat; and Wetlands and Sustainable Development. The plenary also adopted a resolution thanking Romania for hosting COP 11.

After closing the agenda item on adoption of resolutions and recommendations, Ramsar COP 11 discussed the date and venue of the next ordinary meeting of the COP, with Uruguay offering to host COP 12 in 2015. Delegates then adopted the report of COP 11. Ramsar COP 11 closed at 8:39 pm.

Full web coverage available here: 13 July