International contacts

The Ramsar Secretariat

The Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention acts as permanent secretariat of the Convention.  It is responsible for the ongoing coordination of the activities of the Convention.

The technical staff of the Secretariat are in charge of a specific region or specific regions. They maintain contacts with the individual States Parties, promote the establishment of national Ramsar committees, organise and supervise regional meetings, etc.

The Standing Committee

The Standing Committee (SC) consists of representatives of the member states from all parts of the world. Between the Conferences of the Parties (COPs), the Standing Committee deals with specific topics set by the COPs. The Standing Committee monitors the Secretariat's compliance with the budget and the implementation of programmes. It makes proposals for the adoption of resolutions and recommendations at the Conferences of the Parties.

Scientific and Technical Review Panel

The Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) assists the Ramsar Secretariat and the Standing Committee in scientific matters. The STRP has 15 members and, in addition, delegates from the four international partner organisations: BirdLife International, IUCN-The World Conservation Union, Wetlands International and World Wide Fund for Nature International. They represent their organisations as full members of the body. In addition, also observers are represented in the STRP.