11 May 2010: The 41st meeting of the Standing Committee (SC) of the Rasmar Convention on Wetlands took place in Kobuleti, Georgia, from 26 April-1 May 2010. Opening the meeting, Giorgi Khachidze, Minister of Environment Protection and Natural Resources, Georgia, emphasized the importance of wetlands, especially in the era of climate change and increased potential for disasters.

The Ramsar Secretary General described the visit made by participants before the opening of the meeting to the Ramsar site Ispani percolation mire, stressing the importance of peatlands for climate change mitigation. During the meeting, the SC adopted a number of decisions pertaining to climate change. In Decision SC41-1, the SC asks the Secretariat, given the importance of climate change issues, to continue providing input in appropriate fora so that the Ramsar Convention will be an important player in that context. In Decision SC41-17, the SC requests the Secretariat to explore the preparation of a draft Resolution of the 11th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) recognizing the parties’ willingness to accept the Global Environment Facility (GEF) as a funding mechanism for the Ramsar Convention, under the GEF focal areas for international waters, climate change, land degradation and biodiversity.[Report of SC 41]