The AEWA Secretariat is pleased to announce that the Government of France has confirmed a considerable financial contribution to the implementation of Resolution 4.9 ‘African Initiative for the Conservation of Migratory Waterbirds and their Habitats in Africa’. This additional funding will enable the Secretariat to cover the costs of a Coordinator for the African Initiative for the duration of two years.

A vacancy announcement for this position has been posted on the AEWA website. The deadline for application is 15 May 2009. The task of the Coordinator for the African Initiative will be to draft a Plan of Action for the conservation of migratory waterbirds and their habitats in Africa, including a proposal for priority areas, to be submitted for adoption to the 5th Meeting of the Parties in 2012. In addition, the Coordinator will be involved in the recruitment of new Parties in Africa, in organising and servicing relevant meetings, in promoting the Small Grants Fund Programme in Africa and in providing advisory services to the African Parties to AEWA. Moreover, the Coordinator will help identify possible synergies and enhance the cooperation with other relevant conventions and organisations in order to avoid any duplication of efforts.

The recruitment of the Coordinator is the first step towards the implementation of Resolution 4.9. It is envisaged that the new staff member could enter on duty as of 1 August at the latest. The AEWA Secretariat would like to use this opportunity to thank the Government of France for the generous contribution, which will help kick off the implementation of this important outcome of MOP4.

Finally, the Secretariat would like to invite other governments and partners of AEWA to contribute to the African Initiative through a voluntary contribution. The estimated costs for activities under the African Initiative, which are fully dependent on additional funding, amount to 850,000 €.

For more information on the African Initiative please contact Ms Evelyn Parh Moloko, Coordinator for the African Initiative; E-mail: emoloko@unep.de Tel: +49 228 815 2490.