Today (16 June 2005) the staff of CMS and its Agreements convened at the AEWA Secretariat to celebrate "our Birthday".

This year the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement, which was concluded under the aegis of the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals in The Hague, the Netherlands, on 16 June 1995 celebrates its 10th Anniversary.

AEWA e-newsletter launched
This is a good moment to look back on what has been achieved during the last decade under the Agreement, but also to step forward and to find new opportunities towards successful waterbird conservation. Therefore, the AEWA Secretariat is happy to launch the newly developed e-newsletter with its very first issue on this historical date. The e-news will from now on be sent out by the Secretariat on a monthly basis.

Activities around the 10th Anniversary of AEWA
The Standing Committee took the initiative to mark this special year for AEWA and created the Migratory Waterbird Day, which was successfully celebrated on 9 / 10 April with 20 countries, state institutions and NGOs having organized various local or national events such as press conferences, birdwatching, excursions etc.
[read on.]

In addition, the AEWA Secretariat has planned several activities, which will focus on migratory waterbirds, in cooperation with Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig in Bonn. The most important event will be the launch of the AEWA exhibition "Impressions of traveling birds" by the German Federal Minister of Environment, Mr. Jürgen Trittin, at the museum on 4 July 2005. Being hosted by the AEWA Secretariat the opening reception will be attended by members of the AEWA Standing Committee, representatives of the German government, International NGOs and IGOs as well as of the local private sector.

For eight weeks, from 5 July to 28 August 2005, the general public will have the opportunity to get a picture of AEWA and its work through an informational section and to enjoy waterbird exhibits as well as vivid watercolours on different waterbird species, which were painted by the Belgian animal illustrator Yves Fagniart especially to enrich the AEWA exhibition. On 9 July the Secretariat is happy to welcome the national BirdLife partner from Poland, the Polish Society for the Protection of Birds (OTOP), in Bonn to present the "Spring Alive" project at Museum Alexander Koenig. The project aims to increase the awareness of European citizens for birds, the natural environment and the need for cross-border conservation. The core component of Spring Alive is a mass-participation web-based project to encourage children and families especially to observe and record the arrival of migratory bird species each year by e.g. e.g. comparing maps on the website and downloading data. The beginning of the project is scheduled for February 2006.

Another event taking place at the museum will be the show of the film "Traveling Birds" (Nomaden der Lüfte) on 24 August at 7 p.m. Close-ups of geese, swans, storks and other migratory birds on their annual journey across the globe give a fascinating insight into the world of bird migration. The film will be followed by a discussion with the Executive Secretary of AEWA, Mr. Bert Lenten.

The Secretariat hopes to reach a wide range of people through these events by using the 10th Anniversary of the Agreement to raise the public's awareness on bird migration and the threats these beautiful creatures are facing on their flyways.