December 2004: The role of ecosystems as water suppliers was the focus of a seminar organized by the Swiss government and the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The seminar, which convened from 13-14 December 2004 in Geneva, provided a platform for government officials to meet experts from international and non-governmental organizations and the private sector, and share knowledge on the role of forests and wetlands in the water cycle and the advantages related to their sustainable use, protection and restoration to ensure sustainable water management.

The meeting documented experiences within and outside the UNECE region on best practices and concrete implementation measures aimed at integrating forests and wetlands in sustainable water management.
The seminar resulted in recommendations to promote integrated policies and strategies and facilitate their implementation. These recommendations will be presented at the thirteenth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-13) in New York in April 2005, and will be submitted for adoption to the Parties to the UNECE Water Convention at their fourth meeting in 2006. The seminar also fostered the development of concrete joint activities at international, regional, transboundary, national and local levels, and will be considered at the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in Uganda in November 2005.

A second seminar focusing on environmental services and financing for the protection and sustainable use of ecosystems will be organized in 2005. This seminar is expected to explore the experience of solidarity between upstream and downstream communities, specifically considering the practice of protecting and sustainably-using ecosystems (forests and wetlands) by means of innovative economic tools such as payments for environmental services through successful public-private partnerships and public-public partnerships. More information.