Ramsar Standing Committee Chair Doina Catrinoiu (right) welcomes the incoming COP12 President and Vice-Presidents

The 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP13) will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 21-29 October 2018, under the theme, “Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future.” COP13 will be preceded by the 55th meeting of the Standing Committee and regional meetings.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is the intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

COP13 will consider progress in the Convention implementation on the conservation and wise use of wetlands, share knowledge and experience on technical issues, and plan for the next triennium.

The agenda includes, among other items:

• progress on the 2016-2024 strategic plan;
• regional initiatives;
• status of existing Ramsar sites;
• guidance on identifying Ramsar sites for global climate change regulation;
• restoration of degraded peatlands;
• cultural values, indigenous peoples and local communities, and climate change mitigation and adaptation;
• sustainable urbanization; and
• wetlands in specific areas and habitat types.

Since COP12 in 2015, two landmark agreements were adopted: the Paris Agreement under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the 2030 Agenda, with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). COP12 highlighted the importance of greater linkages to international environmental agreements for raising the profile of wetlands and their conservation. See our summary and analysis of COP12 for more details.

COP13 will provide the first opportunity to assess progress on increased synergy with these and other processes, and to review implementation of actions under the first two years of the new strategic plan.