Dear colleagues and friends of migratory waterbirds across the African-Eurasian region and beyond,

It is my sincere pleasure to announce the start of the 20th anniversary year of AEWA – the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement. For the past two decades, AEWA has provided the framework for international cooperation on the conservation and management of migratory waterbird populations in the region - also serving as an example for flyway cooperation around the globe.

We will be celebrating the Agreement’s 20th anniversary throughout the year, culminating in the 6th Session of the Meeting of the AEWA Parties which will take place on 9 – 14 November 2015 in Bonn, Germany.

"Please join us in celebrating 20 years of AEWA and in exploring what the future has in store for the Agreement during this exciting year!"

In particular, the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat will be paying tribute to the people behind the Agreement in the form of a rolling “people behind the scenes” feature on this website. In this way, we wish to highlight the work and dedication of the many government officials, NGO representatives, experts, consultants and stakeholders as well as project staff - without whom AEWA would not be able to function and deliver.

It is not possible to feature all the people individually who have contributed to the development and growth of AEWA over the years, there are too many! We would, however, like to thank each and every one of them; their input is represented by the individuals featured here - providing an example of the many kinds of different people needed to make such an Agreement work, grow and make a difference in the long term.

Please join us in celebrating 20 years of AEWA and in exploring what the future has in store for the Agreement during this exciting year!
 

Jacques Trouvilliez
Executive Secretary
UNEP/AEWA Secretariat