What is the National Ramsar Committee Meeting?

The National Ramsar Committee Meeting was established in 1996 in response to Recommendation 5.7 of the 5th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention (COP5; 1993), which encouraged the establishment of national committees to coordinate implementation. The Committee comprises relevant government ministries and municipalities and NGOs at Ramsar sites who exchange information on the Convention and its application in Japan. WIJ serves as the representative NGO for the Committee, relaying important information from the Ramsar Secretariat to members.
These meetings provide an opportunity for NGOs like WIJ to participate in discussions on Japan’s stance at upcoming COPs, and following COPS, are also used to report on new developments.

The role of WIJ within the National Ramsar Committee Meeting

Sept 2007 Relayed World Wetlands Day information to Members
May 2007 Assisted in creating a Ramsar Convention questionnaire, which was then forwarded onto Members
Feb 2 2007 Assisted in World Wetlands Day events
Feb 22 2006 Organized a COP9 Report Event
Sept 2005 Participated in COP9