The Kuwait Environment Protection Society announced the conclusion of its participation in the fifteenth Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention (Wet Environments), held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, from July 23 to 31. Ms. Evelyn Nolofo, Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife of Zimbabwe, announced the conclusion of the conference in a speech in which she expressed her thanks to all attendees and Zimbabwe's readiness to provide all facilities for the successful implementation of the Ramsar Convention programs. The Society was represented at the conference by Dr. Munaf Behbehani, Chairman of its Wildlife Protection Committee.
In this context, Dr. Munaf Behbehani confirmed that “the conference witnessed many events and sessions and came out with a diverse set of recommendations, noting that among the decisions that were made by secret vote was the approval of the request of the Republic of Ukraine regarding the destruction of wetlands during the war with the Russian Federation, which caused the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Zimbabwe to announce at the opening session of the conference the withdrawal of the Russian Federation from the Ramsar Convention due to the inclusion of Ukraine’s proposal in the conference program.”.
He explained that “the most important decisions of the conference were the approval of the Strategic Plan for the Convention 2025-2034, which aims to increase the number of wetlands registered under the name of Ramsar, to work on preserving protected environments from destruction and loss, and to build and develop human capacities and research capabilities while providing the required material resources, as well as the approval to hold the sixteenth conference in the Republic of Panama.”.
Dr. Behbahani noted that “in addition to the main sessions, many events were held by the subcommittees, member states, and international organizations, during which scientific programs and events related to the management and protection of wetlands and approved scientific programs were presented.” He added that “many member states, international organizations, bodies, and non-governmental organizations held exhibitions of varying sizes in which they presented their activities and programs, which added to the efforts made and the information available to the conference participants.”.
He mentioned that “among the side events, Dr. Wafaa Behbehani, a member of the State of Kuwait’s delegation, gave a lecture on the efforts made to plant mangrove trees on some Kuwaiti coasts.” He added that “the Kuwaiti delegation coordinated with the delegations of the participating Gulf countries, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, in voting on the recommendations.”.
Dr. Munaf Behbehani explained that the “15th Ramsar Conference” emphasized the importance of preserving wetlands and international cooperation to preserve them, especially in the fields of education and scientific research to develop and preserve wetlands, and stressed the cooperation of countries that share wetlands among themselves in the areas of funding, research and monitoring, as well as emphasizing the implementation of programs and the use of resources that contribute to sustainable development.
He added that “one of the most prominent and important recommendations was the need to take urgent and effective measures to protect wetlands from misuse, pollution and degradation, and to emphasize international cooperation among members of the Convention in the areas of financing, research and monitoring.”.
