COP14

COP14, short for the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, is being held and will last through to Nov 13. Its main sessions are held in Wuhan, capital city of Central China’s Hubei province, and sideline meetings in Geneva, Switzerland. 

It is the first time for China to host such a conference of the contracting parties to the convention, an intergovernmental treaty that was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in February 1971 and came into force in December 1975. The Convention on Wetlands provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources through local and national actions and international cooperation. 

Every three years, representatives of the contracting parties meet at the COP, where they adopt decisions on the administration of the convention and guide its implementation. Currently, there are 172 contracting parties to the convention. China joined the multilateral environmental convention in 1992. Since then, the country has taken an active part in international cooperation in wetland preservation, protection and promotion. 

Its efforts include the adoption of the Wetland Protection Law and related regulations, launching wetland surveys, and implementing programs for wetland protection and rehabilitation, as well as expanding international cooperation and exchanges, contributing Chinese solutions to the global community.