Highlights and images for 28 July 2025

After the prior days’ breakneck dash through the draft resolutions, Monday felt like a leisurely stroll, with an early end to the morning session and a break in the afternoon. The extra time was a necessity, not a luxury, for those engaged in continued informal negotiations at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP15) for the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

Under organizational matters, the plenary heard regional nominations for the 2025–2028 Standing Committee.

Want to dig deeper into today's talks? Read the full Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.

Delegates considered the new draft resolution seeking to extend Resolution XIV.20, to continue the Secretariat’s assessments of damage to Ukraine’s Wetlands of International Importance caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Some countries maintained the submission was not timely under the Convention’s Rules of Procedure. Ukraine said the delay was unavoidable because the Secretariat’s assessment was published after the submission deadline. COP 15 Alternate President Tadeous Chifamba (Zimbabwe) recommended a focus on the technical aspects of the resolution. In lieu of forming a contact group, the Secretariat and Ukraine will work on revised text.

Parties adopted the revised draft resolution on the Global Waterbird Estimates Partnership, which calls for broader resource mobilization and provides flexibility on the frequency of updates to waterbird population estimates.

Parties reviewed and individually adopted, without amendments, three consolidated draft resolutions on water management, inventories, and wetland values and services. The Secretariat clarified that these consolidations used previously adopted text.

Deliberations continued on the Convention’s fifth Strategic Plan, with International Organization Partners urging delegates to finalize an ambitious and goal-oriented plan before COP15 concludes.

Delegates also continued discussions on a revised draft resolution to enhance the Convention’s visibility and synergies, particularly in relation to linkages with the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. Bilateral consultations were initiated to seek consensus.

The Ramsar Wetland Conservation Awards were awarded to individuals across three categories:

• Innovation: Laura Gonzalez (Panama) for the Wanda River waste capture system and environmental education;
• Young Wetland Champions: Iman Ebrahimi (Iran) for youth-led wetland stewardship as founder of the AvayeBoom Bird Conservation Society;
• Indigenous Peoples Conservation and Wise Use: Dayana Blanco Quiroga (Bolivia) for working to depollute and restore Lake Uru Uru.

Each awardee received the Evian Special Prize of USD 10,000, provided by the Danone Group.