Press releases

World Migratory Bird Day: Unified Campaign Triggers Events for Birds Around the World

“Unifying Our Voices for Bird Conservation” is the theme of World Migratory Bird Day 2018, which will be celebrated in over 60 countries around the world on 12 May 2018. World Migratory Bird Day is an annual, UN-backed global awareness-raising and environmental education campaign focused on migratory birds and the need for international cooperation to conserve them.

10 May 2018

World Migratory Bird Day: Lead Poisons Birds and People

“Unifying our Voices for Bird Conservation” is the theme of World Migratory Bird Day 2018. Among the significant, but often underestimated threats to migratory birds across the African-Eurasian Flyways - the major bird migration corridors which links Europe, Africa and Western Asia - is lead poisoning. The UN Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), two international environment treaties behind World Migratory Bird Day are also driving international efforts to tackle this global threat.

09 May 2018

New Partnership to Promote Global Conservation of Migratory Birds

Three leading bird conservation organizations today announced an innovative partnership to boost awareness of the plight of migratory birds around the globe. The new alliance formally unites two of the world’s largest bird education campaigns, International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) and World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) in a bid to strengthen recognition and appreciation of migratory birds and highlight the urgent need for their conservation.

26 October 2017

World Migratory Bird Day: A Healthy Planet for Migratory Birds and People

Migratory birds face an increasing number of threats while traveling huge distances. Their intercontinental flyways include key stopover sites that are essential for migratory birds to rest and refuel before continuing their journey. Celebrated in over 70 countries on or around 10 May, World Migratory Bird Day 2017 highlights the need for international cooperation to conserve migratory birds and their habitats for the benefit of mankind. The theme this year is “Their Future is Our Future – A Healthy Planet for Migratory Birds and People” which is closely linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

10 May 2017

Task Force Agrees Need for Tougher Penalties, Adopts Zero Tolerance Approach to Curb Annual Slaughter of 25 Million Birds in the Mediterranean

Governments throughout the Mediterranean have agreed the need for tougher penalties and stricter surveillance in order to enforce a new “zero tolerance” policy that seeks to clamp down on the annual slaughter of millions of migratory birds in the region.

14 July 2016

New Task Force Set to Stop Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds

On World Migratory Bird Day a new intergovernmental coalition aims to end the illegal killing, taking and trade of millions of migratory birds, starting in the Medi

10 May 2016

Countries Commit to Tackling Multiple Threats to Migratory Waterbirds

New Action Plan for Seabirds, Eurasian Curlew, Grey Crowned Crane, Long-tailed Duck, Northern Bald Ibis, Shoebill and Taiga Bean Goose Adopted

16 November 2015

International Migratory Waterbird Conference Kicks Off in Bonn

Waterbird populations across the African-Eurasian flyway are on a downward trend, with declining populations outstripping growing ones by almost 50 per cent, shows the latest conservation status report compiled for the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) – an inter-governmental treaty administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

06 November 2015

Countries Meet to Tackle Poisoning of Birds in Southern Africa

Representatives of countries and wildlife experts met in Cape Town, South Africa on 24 August, to address poisoning of migratory birds, a problem that also threatens important predators. The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) and the CMS Memorandum of Understanding on Birds of Prey (CMS Raptors MoU), all three instruments administered by the United Nations Environment Programme, have convened the international meeting.

25 August 2015

UN-Treaty on Migratory Waterbirds Marks its 20th Anniversary

Bonn, 16 June 2015 –Today marks the 20th anniversary of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA).

16 June 2015