Niigata, Japan
5th Roundtable of Wetland City Mayors
30 November – 2 December 2026
5th Roundtable of Wetland City Mayors
The Ramsar Regional Center – East Asia (RRC-EA) remains committed to supporting the Wetland City Accreditation of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Wetland City Network, as its Secretariat. This year, the Wetland City Network Secretariat will assist the Wetland City of Niigata, Japan in hosting and organizing the 5th Roundtable of Wetland City Mayors on 30 November – 2 December 2026.
Under the theme of ‘Living with Wetlands’, the 5th roundtable will feature keynote and plenary presentations, parallel thematic sessions, discussion meetings, bilateral meetings, and exhibition. During the field visit, participants will have the opportunity to visit Lake Sakata and Lake Fukushimagata and other wetland-related facilities of the city.
As the core part of the program, mayors and officials of Wetland Cities will convene to continue discussions about programs and operational matters of the Wetland City Network. Other related matters will also be taken up during the meeting proper.
Venue
6-1 Bandaijima, Chuo-ku, Niigata City, Niigata 950-0078 Japan
mail@tokimesse.com
-
Opening Ceremony and Plenary Session
Venue: Güntner Arena
Address: 2 Kőkút köz, Tata H-2890
Telephone: +36 630 689 8000
Breakout Sessions
Breakout Session 1: Promotion and Branding of Wetland Cities
Venue: Old Lake Golf Club & Hotel
Address: Remeteségpuszta, Tata H-2890
Telephone: +36 34 587 620
Mobile: +36 30 747 2703
Breakout Session 2: Wetland Education
Venue: Magyary Ház
Address: 12-14 Ady Endre utca, Tata H-2890
Mobile: +36 30 691 0041
Breakout Session 3: Public–Private Partnership
Venue: Hotel Gottwald
Address: 1 Fekete út, Tata H-2890
Telephone: +36 34 586 114
Breakout Session 4: Wetlands and Climate Change
Venue: Kristály Imperial Hotel
Address: 22 Ady Endre utca, Tata H-2890
Telephone: +36 34 383 614
Mayors’ Roundtable
Venue: Town Hall of Tata
Address: 1 Kossuth tér, Tata H-2890
Mobile: +36 30 506 5937
Closing Programme and Gala Dinner
Venue: Hotel Gottwald
Address: 1 Fekete út, Tata H-2890
Telephone: + 36 34 586 114
Registration
Participants are requested to register at the information desk of the main venue (Güntner Arena Városi Sportcsarnok) to claim their name badges and welcome kits. Registration will open at 12:00 on 27 November 2025 (Thursday).
Registration
Interested parties are requested to register online through this link or using this offline form by 30 September 2026 (Wednesday).
Program of activities
Day 1
30 November 2026, Monday
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
|
10:50 - 12:40 |
(optional) Documentary Screening - “Ishtar, the Songs of Trees"
venue: Main Hall (2F)
|
|
12:40 - 14:00 |
Arrival and registration of participants |
|
14:00 - 14:30 |
Opening messages
venue: Main Hall (2F)
|
|
14:30 - 15:10 |
Keynote presentations
venue: Main Hall (2F)
|
|
15:10 - 16:10 |
Poster Presentation Core Time and photo opportunity
venue: Foyer and Meeting Room (2F) |
|
16:10 - 17:00 |
Plenary presentations
venue: Main Hall and the Foyer (2F)
|
|
17:30 - 19:30 |
Welcome dinner
venue: Hotel Nikko Niigata (4F) |
Day 2
1 December 2026, Tuesday
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
|
9:00 - 10:15 |
Parallel thematic sessions 1: Wetlands Education venue: Main Hall (2F) Parallel thematic sessions 2: Partnership and Stakeholder Engagement venue: Meeting Room (3F) |
|
10:15 - 10:30 |
coffee break |
|
10:30 – 11:45 |
Parallel thematic sessions 3: Promotion and Branding of Wetland Cities
venue: Main Hall (2F) Parallel thematic sessions 4: Contribution to biodiversity through wetland conservation and restoration venue: Meeting Room (3F) |
|
11:45 - 13:15 |
lunch break
venue: Hotel Nikko Niigata (30F) |
|
13:15 - 14:15 |
Discussion Meetings
|
|
14:15 - 14:30 |
move to the meeting proper venue |
|
14:30 - 16:30 |
Meeting proper venue: Conference Hall (4F) |
|
16:30 - 16:45 |
move to the closing program venue |
|
16:45 - 17:15 |
Closing program
venue: Main Hall (2F)
|
Day 3
2 December 2026, Wednesday
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
|
9:00 - 18:00 |
Field visit
|
|
18:10 - 19:10 |
(optional) Bilateral meetings
venue: Small-sized Meeting Rooms (2F – 3F) |
Please download the provisional program here.
Field visit
Niigata, which means new lagoon, is a city that has thrived around lakes. In winter, thousands of winter swans migrate to the city.
On the field day, participants will visit Lake Sakata, Lake Fukushimagata, and other facilities and learn about the wetlands. Through registration, participants may participate in an optional program of Swan watching in Lake Toyanogata in the early morning.
Agenda
| No. | Item | Responsible unit | Document |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Opening and welcome message |
Incumbent Chair, Wetland City Network: Tata, Hungary |
|
|
2 |
Report of the incumbent Chair of the Wetland City Network |
Tata, Hungary |
|
|
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 |
Update of the Terms of Reference of Wetland City Network |
Wetland City Network Members |
|
|
7 |
Niigata Declaration |
Niigata, Japan |
|
|
8 |
Programs for the Wetland City Network |
Wetland City Network Secretariat |
|
|
9 |
Other matters |
Wetland City Network Members |
|
|
10 |
Date and venue of next meeting |
Wetland City Network Members |
|
|
11 |
Closing message |
New Chair, Wetland City Network: Niigata, Japan |
|
Please download the provisional program here.
Accommodation
- Double Room for Mayor/Representatives: USD210 per night
- Single Room for other participants: USD110 per night
Dotis Apartmanház
The guesthouse is in the city centre. Thanks to its location, the most visited sights of Tata can be reached on foot in 5-10 minutes.
Web: www.dotisapartman.hu
Distance from the Conference Hall: 1,0 km / 0,6 mi
Distance from the Wild Goose Festival: 3,8 km / 2,4 mi
Price range: EUR 60-80
Travel
Transfer services will be not provided for participants. Please arrange the travel to the venue by yourself.
- From Niigata Station: 5-minute by taxi
- From Niigata airport: 20-minute by taxi
Exhibition
At the main venue, each Wetland City will be represented by standardized posters. The poster will include a description of each Wetland City and its initiatives related to this roundtable theme, “Living with Wetlands”. Please submit the form by 16 October 2026 (Friday).
In addition, tables will be arranged for Wetland Cities who wish to distribute their flyers and promotional items. Please contact wetlandcitynetwork@rrcea.org or the host city if you need more space than W 750mm per city/organization.
Other information
Dress code
Day 1 and 2: formal attire
Day 3: casual attire
Internet access
Free access to the internet via Wi-Fi is available inside the meeting venues.
Interpretation services
An AI-based simultaneous interpretation services are available in several languages including English, French, Chinese, Korean and Japanese during the opening ceremony, keynote and plenary session, parallel thematic sessions, discussion meetings, meeting proper and closing program. Earbuds (C-type/lightning) for smartphones will be available on tables in front of the meeting rooms. Participants are requested to return the earbuds when leaving the meeting rooms.
Weather
Season: Winter
Temperature: 0 to 10 degrees Celsius
Rainy or snowy
Time zone
Time zone in Niigata, Japan (GMT+9)
Currency
The currency of Japan is the Japanese Yen (JPY).
Electricity
Standard voltage: 100V at 50Hz
Electrical plug: Type A
Local transportation
Participants can reach Amiens via local transportation routes from different ports of entry. More detailed guidance is available for download.
