Approved by the Chinese government and adopted by the 59^th Standing Committee of the Convention on Wetlands, the 14^th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Wetlands (COP 14) will be held from 5 to 13 November 2022, with an online and offline main venue in Wuhan, Hubei and an online and offline sub venue in Geneva, Switzerland, where the Convention Secretariat is located. The Convention on Wetlands is the intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. The Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975. Since then, almost 90% of UN member states, from all the world’s geographic regions, have acceded to become “Contracting Parties”.

China, as the COP 14 Chair, will provide overall leadership for the Convention. The Conference will focus on the theme of “Cherishing Wetlands: Harmony between People and Nature” and deliberate on strategic issues for the development of the Convention. Major results are the publication of the Wuhan Declaration, the Strategic Framework of the Convention and other outcomes of the Conference. The Chinese Government will play its role as the President of COP 14 and join hands with all parties to make new contributions to the realization of a better future in which people and nature live in harmony.