13 July 2012: The 11th Meeting of the Conference of Contracting Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention) was held from 6-13 July 2012, in Bucharest, Romania, under the theme “Wetlands: Home and Destination.” The main debate during COP 11 was over the institutional hosting of the Secretariat, and after intense negotiations the COP decided to renew confidence in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as host.

Over 2,000 participants representing the 162 parties to the Convention, as well as the international organization partners (IOPs) of the Ramsar Convention, UN agencies, intergovernmental organizations and NGOs attended the meeting.

COP 11 adopted 22 resolutions, including on: institutional hosting of the Ramsar Secretariat; the status of sites in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance; regional initiatives; partnerships and synergies with multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and other institutions; tourism, recreation and wetlands; climate change and wetlands – implications for the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands; and agriculture-wetland interactions – rice paddy and pest control. The COP also adopted the Convention’s budget for 2013-2015 and the Strategic Plan 2013-2015. [IISD RS Coverage of Ramsar COP 11]