Dongying, China

3rd Roundtable of Wetland City Mayors

15-17 October 2024

3rd Roundtable of Wetland City Mayors

The Ramsar Regional Center – East Asia (RRC-EA) continues to support the Wetland City Accreditation of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Wetland City Network. The first and second Roundtables of Wetland City Mayors were held in Suncheon City in the Republic of Korea and Amiens City in France, respectively. Following these events, Dongying City in China is hosting the “2024 Roundtable of Wetland City Mayors” scheduled on 15-17 October 2024.

In this meeting, Wetland Cities will have the opportunity to engage in two days of technical and policy level discussions, and to join a one-day field trip to the Shandong Yellow River Delta Ramsar Site, Yellow River Estuary Cultural Museum, and Dongying city parks. The Shandong Yellow River Delta Ramsar Site is an almost naturally intact estuary, which serves as an important migratory waterbird staging and wintering area.

Mayors and officials of Wetland Cities will also convene to deliberate on planned activities of the network “Wetland City Network Action Plan 2025-2028”, network membership guidelines and other related matters. The Wetland City Network Action Plan provides the basis for operationalizing the Wetland City Network Strategic Plan through specific activities for implementation by the Wetland Cities and the Wetland City Network Secretariat, in cooperation with partner organizations.

Venue

Dongying Hotel

No. 108 Fuqian Road, Dongying District, Dongying City, Shandong Province

8062559@126.com

+86 546 6209666

China

Dongying

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Meeting rooms

For plenary sessions: Amphitheater Jules Verne, 3rd floor (4th floor is for the disabled only)
For parallel sessions: Amphitheater Jules Verne and Amphitheater CPM, ground floor
For the meeting proper: Amphitheater Jules Verne, 3rd floor

Guidance to the location of the meeting rooms can be found in the floor plan. The organizers will also install signages in English and French. English and French-speaking
staff will also be available to assist participants.

Registration

Participants are requested to register at the information desk to claim their name badges and welcome packs. Registration will open at 8:00 on 8 June 2023.

Dress code

Day 1: formal attire (for group photos and for the welcome dinner at the Musée de Picardie)
Day 2 and 3: casual attire (for the small boat trip to the Hortillonages and field visit to Baie de Somme Ramsar Site)

Internet access

Free access to the internet via Wi-Fi is available inside the meeting venue.

Interpretation services

Simultaneous interpretation services are available for English, Chinese, Korean and French inside Amphitheater Jules Verne and Amphitheater CPM. The organizers will distribute headsets at the entrance of the amphitheaters. Participants are requested to return the headsets to the organizers when exiting the amphitheaters.

Agenda

No. Item Responsible person/Unit Requested action Document
1
Opening and welcome message
Incumbent Chair,
Wetland City Network: Amiens, France
2
Report of the incumbent Chair of the Wetland City Network
Amiens, France
3
Election of new Chair of Wetland City Network
Incumbent Chair, Wetland City Network Members, and Wetland City Network Secretariat
4
Adoption of meeting agenda
Wetland City Network Members
5
Report of the Wetland City Network Secretariat
Wetland City Network Secretariat
6
2024 Wetland City Youth Forum Declaration
Jeju, Republic of Korea
7
Dongying Declaration
Dongying, China
8
Wetland City Network Action Plan 2025-2028
Wetland City Network Secretariat
9
Wetland City Network Membership Guidelines
Wetland City Network Secretariat
10
Sustainable financing mechanism
Wetland City Network Secretariat
11
Internship exchange program
Wetland City Network Secretariat
12
Other matters
Wetland City Network Members
13
Date and venue of next meeting
Wetland City Network Members
14
Closing message
New Chair, Wetland City Network: Dongying, China

Program of activities

Day 1

15 October 2024, Tuesday

Time Activity
9:00 – 9:40
Opening messages
  • Dongying City, China
  • Shandong Provincial Authority, China
  • National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China
  • Mr. Seung Oh Suh, Executive Director, Ramsar Regional Center – East Asia
  • Mr. Jay Aldous, Deputy Secretary General, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
9:40 – 9:50
Photo opportunity (with dignitaries of opening program)
9:50 – 10:15
Keynote presentations
  • Mr. Daming Bao, Deputy Director, Wetland Management Department, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China

(20 minutes for presentation and 5 minutes for Q&A)
10:15 – 10:30
Coffee break
10:30 – 11:45
Plenary presentations 1
National and sub-national wetland initiatives
  • Mr. Mingxiang Zhang, Secretary General, Nature Reserve Research Center, National Forestry and Grassland Administration; and Professor, Beijing Forestry University
  • Ms. Kobie Brand, Deputy Secretary General, ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, and Regional Director, ICLEI Africa Secretariat (pre-recorded video)

Moderator: Dr. Gert Michael Steiner, former Chair, Independent Advisory Committee of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands; and Professor, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna

(30 minutes per presentation followed by 15-minute panel discussion)
11:45 – 12:00
Viewing of exhibits
12:00 – 13:30
Lunch break
13:30 – 15:05
Parallel sessions 1 and 2
  • five speakers per parallel session
  • one moderator per parallel session

(15 minutes per presentation followed by 20-minute panel discussion per parallel session)
15:05 – 15:20
Coffee break
15:20 – 16:55
Parallel sessions 1 and 2 (continued)
  • five speakers per parallel session
  • one moderator per parallel session
16:55 – 18:00
Free time
18:00 – 20:00
Buffet supper Musée de Picardie

* press briefing (9:50 – 10:15)

Day 2

16 October 2024, Wednesday

Time Activity
9:00 – 10:15
Plenary presentations 2
Partnerships for technical cooperation
  • Dr. Cai Lyu, Associate Professor, Beijing Forestry University, and Deputy Director, Center for East Asian-Australasian Flyway Studies
  • MedWet: A Multi-Scale Approach for the Conservation of Mediterranean Wetlands
    - Mr. Chris Rostron, Coordinator, The Mediterranean Wetlands Initiative (MedWet)
  • Dr. Missaka Hettiarachchi, Senior Fellow, Environment and Disaster Management Program of WWF (WWF-EDM)
  • Mr. Weihua Xu, Vice President, National Forestry and Grassland Administration - National Park Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

Moderator: Mr. Jay Aldous, Deputy Secretary General, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

(15 minutes per presentation followed by 15-minute panel discussion)
10:15 – 10:30
Coffee break
10:30 – 11:45
Plenary presentations 3
Current wetland topics
  • Scaling up wetland conservation and restoration to deliver the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework: Guidance on including wetlands in NBSAPs
    - Dr. Matthew Simpson, Director, 35 Percent
  • Dr. Chen Kelin, Director, International Wetlands and Rivers Beijing
  • Mr. Xingzhong Yuan, Professor, Chongqing University
  • Developing Bird-friendly Wetland Cities to Facilitate Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
    - Dr. Jianbin Shi, Advisor and Director of Conservation Program, Paulson Institute

Moderator: Ms. Libuse Vlasakova, incumbent Chair, Independent Advisory Committee of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands; Ramsar National Focal Point of Czechia; and Standing Committee member representing Europe

(15 minutes per presentation followed by 15-minute panel discussion)
11:45 – 13:15
Lunch break and viewing of exhibits
13:15 – 16:30
Meeting of the Wetland City Network
16:30 – 17:00
Closing program
  • Handover ceremony by the current host city (Dongying, China)
  • Message from the host city of the next meeting (Tata, Hungary)
  • Message from current host city (Dongying, China)
18:00 – 20:00
Buffet supper

Day 3

17 October 2024, Thursday

Time Activity
9:00 – 12:00
Meeting of Wetland Cities in China

Field visit
visit to Shandong Yellow River Delta Ramsar Site
12:00 – 13:30
Lunch break
13:30 – 17:00
Field visit
visit to the Yellow River Estuary Cultural Museum and city parks in Dongying City
18:00 – 20:00
Buffet supper

* free time for those who will not join the field visit

Field trips

Exploring Hortillonnages on boat >>
Experience the “floating garden” on a boat through a network of waterways spanning 65 km and with a size of 300 hectares.
9 June 2023, 16:30 – 18:30
After the cocktail dinner at Fagots Island, the organizers have arranged shuttle service only for participants staying outside Amiens City.

Excursion to Baie de Somme Ramsar Site >>
Participants will visit Baie de Somme Ramsar Site with a diversity of fauna and flora as one of the largest natural estuaries in France.
10 June 2023, 9:00 – 18:00

Participants are requested to re-confirm registration with the meeting secretariat. For those who will not join the excursion, meals (lunch and dinner) are the responsibility of the participants.

Exhibition

Participants are encouraged to visit the exhibition area at the “Incubator Room” on the Ground Floor to learn more about the Wetland Cities. Exhibitors have prepared brochures, flyers, tokens and other items for free distribution.

Local information

Weather

In June, summer starts in Amiens City and the temperature range from an average high of 20.1°C (68.2°F) and an average low of 10.6°C (51.1°F). The weather will be hot
and humid during the day, so it is recommended to bring sun protection items such as hats and sunglasses, and wear loose-fitting clothes.
It may rain as well. You may wish to check the weather in Amiens before your trip: https://www.bbc.com/weather/3037854/today

Time zone

The time zone in Amiens is UTC/GMT +2.

Currency

The national currency of France is the Euro (EUR). Debit cards and credit cards (Visa or Mastercard) are widely accepted but they may charge you transaction fees. If you want to exchange currency in France, find a French Bank ATM with MasterCard or Visa. You may also use money exchange at the Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Electricity

In France, the electrical supply current is 220 Volts, 50 Hertz. Participants are advised to bring an adapter and/or converter to charge their electric appliances. The types of sockets used in France are illustrated below – type C and type E:

Type C
Type E

Explore Amiens

Learn more about Amiens through these videos:
In order to enjoy your free time before and after the meeting, here are two websites where you can find suggestions:

COVID-19 in France

There are currently no entry restrictions into France with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic. No proof of vaccination, recovery or testing is required for entry. Please note
that these rules could change according to decisions made by the French National Authority for Health.

Wearing masks is not mandatory in France but it is highly recommended when you visit crowded area such as public transportation, events or hospital.

Local transportation

Participants can reach Amiens via local transportation routes from different ports of entry. More detailed guidance is available for download.

Press release

Please download the PDF file.

Download

Press package

Please download the PDF file.

Download

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Contact
Address 1st floor, Suncheon Bay Institute of Natural Ecology 460 Ocheon-dong, Suncheon City, Republic of Korea 58026
Tel +82-61-746-1161 Fax +82-61-746-1165 E-mail wetlandcitynetwork@gmail.com
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