Program - Wetland City Network

Program of activities

Day 1

27 November 2025, Thursday

Time	Activity
12:00 - 13:00	Arrival and registration
13:00 - 15:00	Opening Ceremony venue: Güntner Arena Welcome speeches by: Mr. János Bencsik, Prime Ministerial Commissioner responsible for the coordinated development of the Tata Basin’s key automotive industrial region, and Member of Parliament for the Tata Basin Mr. József Michl, Mayor of Tata Dr. Zsolt Semjén, Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary Dr. Gábor Magyar, Member of the Hungarian National Committee for the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Mr. Jay Aldous, Deputy Secretary General, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Mr. Seung Oh Suh, Executive Director, Ramsar Regional Center – East Asia A brief photo session will take place after the speeches. Following the ceremony, guests will go on foot to the next location.
15:30 - 16:30	Observation of the arrival of wild geese from Calvary Hill From Calvary Hill, guests will walk to the city centre for the next event.
16:30 -	Advent Fair on Kossuth Square (city centre) Featuring local cultural performances and food tastings with sampling tickets

Day 2

28 November 2025, Friday

Time	Activity
Plenary session Venue: Güntner Arena
9:00 - 9:30	Keynote presentation Mr. Denis Landenbergue, Member of the Independent Advisory Committee for Wetland City Accreditation of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
9:30 - 10:00	Plenary presentation 1 Mr. Bertalan Balczó, Deputy State Secretary for Nature Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture: An Introduction to Nature Conservation in Hungary and the National Park System
10:00 - 10:30	Plenary presentation 2 Mr. Zsolt V. Németh, State Secretary, Ministry of Energy, and Mr. István Láng, Director General, National Water Directorate: Flood Protection, Water Retention, and Paradigm Shifts in Water Management
10:30 - 10:50	Break
10:50 - 11:10	Plenary presentation 3 Dr. László Musicz, Honorary President of Komárom-Esztergom County, and Ms. Eszter Aletta Vig, Volunteer, BirdLife Hungary: The Tata Wild Goose Festival
11:10 - 11:30	Plenary presentation 4 Mr. Bastien Coic, Director, Ramsar France Association: Strengthening the management, conservation and wise use of wetlands in France
11:30 - 12:00	Plenary presentation 5 Dr. Matthew Simpson, Member, Scientific and Technical Review Panel, and Independent Advisory Committee for Wetland City Accreditation of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands; and Director, 35 Percent: Assessment of the current state of cities and wetlands
12:00 - 12:30	Bus transfer for participants to the venues of the breakout sessions
12:30 - 13:30	Lunch at the breakout session venues
Breakout Sessions Venue: refer to the information below
13:30 - 16:00	Breakout Session 1: Promotion and Branding of Wetland Cities Venue: Old Lake Golf Club & Hotel Presentations by Liangping (China) Yinchuan (China) Babol (Iran) Sri Songkhram (Thailand) Session Chair: Ms. Libuše Vlasáková, Ramsar National Focal Point – Czechia, and Member, Independent Advisory Committee for Wetland City Accreditation of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Rapporteur: Mr. András Schmidt, Ramsar National Focal Point of Hungary
	Breakout Session 2: Wetland Education Venue: New Kayak House Ecotourism Centre Presentations by Nanchang (China) Mungyeong (R.O.Korea) Seogwipo (R.O.Korea) Upo Institute of Ecology Education (R.O.Korea) Session Chair: Prof. Dr. H.C. Sándor Faragó, Corresponding Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and Rector Emeritus, University of Sopron, Hungary Rapporteur: Mr. Joon-woo Seo, International Cooperation Officer; International Environmental Agreements and Development Cooperation Team; Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment; Republic of Korea
	Breakout Session 3: Public–Private Partnership Venue: Hotel Gottwald Presentations by Valdivia (Chile) Gochang (R.O.Korea) Jeju (R.O.Korea) Session Chair: Dr. Gábor Magyar, Head of Department, Nature Conservation Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Hungary Rapporteur: Ms. Zsuzsanna Lánczos, Nature Conservation Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Hungary
	Breakout Session 4: Wetlands and Climate Change Venue: Kristály Imperial Hotel Presentations by Mechelen (Belgium) Varzaneh (Iran) Geneva (Switzerland) Session Chair: Dr. Szilvia Gőri, Member of the Hungarian Ramsar Committee Rapporteur: Mr. Amir Akhlaghi, Minister, Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva
16:00 - 16:30	Bus transfer for delegation leaders to the venue of the meeting proper / mayors’ roundtable (for the other participants: to their hotels)
16:30 - 18:30	Mayors’ Roundtable Venue: Town Hall of Tata
20:00 -	Closing Programme and Gala Dinner Venue: Hotel Gottwald Passing of the ceremonial flag (Tata, Hungary to Niigata, Japan) Message from the host city of the 5th Roundtable of Wetland City Mayors: Mr. Yaichi Nakahara, Mayor of Niigata, Japan Closing message from the host city: Mr. József Michl, Mayor of Tata, Hungary International cultural programme Gala dinner

Day 3

29 November 2025, Saturday

Time	Activity
25th Tata Wild Goose Festival Venue: Eastern shore of the Old Lake
9:00 - 9:30	Mr. Jay Aldous, Deputy Secretary General, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands: History and Global Status of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Venue: Marquee on the lakeshore
Presentations by Wetland Cities Venue: Marquee on the lakeshore
9:30 - 9:45	Niigata, Japan: Lakes, Rice Fields, and Swans – Branding of Wetland City NIIGATA
9:45 - 10:00	Geneva, Switzerland: Wetland and Water Resources Management in Geneva Canton (short film)
10:00 - 10:15	Valdivia, Chile: Wetland Education
10:15 - 10:30	Mechelen, Belgium: LIFE Wetlands4Cities Project
10:30 - 10:45	Varzaneh, Iran: New Paradigms in Urban Management to Achieve Sustainable Development
10:45 - 11:00	Independent Advisory Committee – ICLEI: Importance of Reporting on Wetland Conservation Actions into the Global Biodiversity Stocktake at CBD COP17 through CitiesWithNature
12:00 - 12:15	Independent Advisory Committee – Islamic Republic of Iran: Iran’s Wetland Cities and Their Characteristics
Bilateral meetings between participating Wetland Cities Venue: Pikantó Restaurant on the lakeshore Catering and facilities available throughout the day at Pikantó Restaurant: heated area for comfort venue for small group meetings buffet meals, food and beverages

Please download the general program and program for the breakout sessions here.

Field visit

As part of the field program, participants will experience the 25th Tata Wild Goose Festival, a celebration for nature lovers. From late October, tens of thousands of wild geese and other waterbirds gather on the Old Lake, which annually hosts up to 65,000 geese– a unique natural spectacle.

Tata is a special place surrounded by one of Europe’s unique bird sanctuaries and has been a Wetland City protecting its natural values since 2018. Accordingly, the city prohibits fireworks from 1 November to 28 February to maintain its Wetland City status, supporting the “Quiet New Year’s Eve in Tata” program.

The weekend event becomes a pilgrimage site for nature enthusiasts with domestic and international visitors. The morning and evening wild goose flights are unforgettable experiences, attracting about 16,000 visitors in 2024.

Besides professional programs and Wetland City presentations, optional activities such as city cultural walks or hikes on the Tata Fényes Spring Nature Trail will be available. Please find the program here.