Bonn, 10 November 2015 - The year 2015 sees the 20^th anniversary of AEWA. For the past two decades, AEWA has provided the framework for international cooperation on the conservation and management of migratory waterbird populations in the African-Eurasian region - also serving as an example for flyway cooperation around the globe.

To mark the 20^th anniversary of the signing of AEWA, a commemorative coffee-table book* entitled “Stories from the Flyway” has been produced by the AEWA Secretariat. The limited edition publication contains stunning photos of twenty key species listed in the Agreement’s appendices – all of them subject of species action or management plans and coordinated international efforts for their conservation or sustainable use.

The idea behind the book is not only to present a selection of the spectacular waterbirds and their inspiring migrations covered by AEWA but also to highlight the extraordinary AEWA network: all the numerous people throughout the Agreement area who dedicate their efforts to these species. The photographs have been provided free of charge by a wide variety of people from all walks of life - but with one thing in common – a deep-seated and, life-long love of birds and nature conservation.  The pictures are complemented by descriptive texts written by species experts with a special knowledge of the birds featured.

Throughout the anniversary year, the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat has also tried to pay tribute to the people behind the Agreement in the form of a rolling “people behind the scenes” featured on this website, highlighting the work and dedication of the many people and dedicated organizations who over the years have “made flyway conservation happen” in the AEWA framework.

The anniversary of AEWA was celebrated on the first day of the MOP6 with a number of special guests who delivered their speeches during the meeting at the UN Campus. An evening reception hosted by the Government of Germany for MOP6 and the 20^th Anniversary of AEWA took place at the prestigious restaurant “La Redoute” in Bad Godesberg, where the coffee-table book was officially launched.

The 6^th Meeting of the Parties to the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) will be held from 9 – 14 November 2015, at the United Nations Campus in Bonn, Germany.  The conference will bring together over 200 participants from more than 70 national governments and also intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to discuss urgent conservation responses needed to address the many threats and management challenges facing migratory waterbirds in the African-Eurasian region today.

*The printed version of the book is not available for sale but a PDF edition published on the AEWA website can be viewed here.

Photos from left to right, from top to bottom: Mr. Bert Lenten, former AEWA Executive Secretary © UNEP/AEWA Secretariat; Atlantic Puffin © Nina Mikander; Dalmatian Pelican © Santanu Nandy/Flickr; Little Stint © Hichem Azafzaf; Birdwatching children © Niels Gilissen/ Miratio; Greater Flamingo © Sergey Dereliev, www.dereliev-photography.com; Jacques Trouvilliez, the current AEWA Executive Secretary © UNEP/AEWA Secretariat; Slaty Egret © RebeccaFieldPhotography.com; Danube Delta © Sergey Dereliev, www.dereliev-photography.com; Dr. Gerard C. Boere, Honorary Patron of AEWA; Bird nets along the Egyptian coast © Holger Schulz; Sociable Lapwing chick © Maxim Koshkin; Training of Trainers Workshop © Tim Dodman; Long-tailed Duck © John Anderson; World Migratory Bird Day 2014 celebrated in South Korea © EAFFP; Pygmy Cormorant © Massimo Scalabrin; Scientists monitoring birds © Nina Mikander; African Penguin © Justbirds.it; Riparian vegetation at Massa River, Morocco © Sidi Imad Cherkaoui; Formal AEWA negotiation meeting, June 1995, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Hague, The Netherlands © LNV; Crab Plover; Northern Bald Ibis © Jake Beazley/Flickr; Avocet © Hichem Azafzaf; Madagascar Pond-heron © Bob Lewis/Flickr; Participants of the 1st Consultative Meeting on the development of AEWA, 12-14 June 1994 © UNEP; Arctic Tern © Sergey Dereliev, www.dereliev-photography.com; Rice field © T. Mingam; Razorbill © Nina Mikander