AEWA MOP9 Daily Coverage for Tuesday, 11 November 2025

AEWA MOP9 Web Coverage for: Tuesday (11 Nov) | Wednesday (12 Nov) | Thursday (13 Nov) | Friday (14 Nov)

| 30th Anniversary Event at MOP9 (11 Nov)

Bonn, 12 November 2025 – The Ninth Meeting of the Parties (MOP9) to the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) opened in Bonn on Tuesday, 11 November, under the theme “United for Flyways”.

The meeting was officially opened by Levente Kőrösi (Hungary) as President of AEWA MOP8, who thanked the Governments of Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom for providing the resources and facilities that allowed the Secretariat to host the meeting at the UN Premises in Bonn, Germany.

Addressing the meeting through video message, Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), congratulated AEWA on 30 years of strong multilateral action.

In her message to MOP9, she highlighted the important role migratory waterbirds play in the environment, as pollinators and seed dispersers, as natural pest control and for nutrient recycling, underlining how waterbirds help sustain ecosystems, livelihoods and economies.

“By investing in AEWA, Parties foster coordinated and collaborative action to conserve the 255 species of migratory waterbirds along the flyways and the habitats across 119 countries and four continents. AEWA is undoubtedly a model for international cooperation. It demonstrates how multilateral action can secure species recovery and strengthen ecosystems and inspire concerted action across borders,” said Andersen.

In addition to thanking Jacques Trouvilliez for over a decade of dedicated service as AEWA’s Executive Secretary, she also commended the pioneering work AEWA is doing on adaptive harvest management through the European Goose Management Platform (EGMP), as well as AEWA’s efforts to raise awareness through World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD).

Jacques Trouvilliez, Executive Secretary of AEWA welcoming delegates during the first day of MOP9 in Bonn, Germany. Photo by Aydin Bahramlouian (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Also addressing the meeting through video message, Amy Fraenkel, Executive Secretary of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), highlighted AEWA’s successes and its close cooperation with CMS on issues such as avian influenza, renewable energy and migratory birds, and lead poisoning. She also made a strong appeal to AEWA Parties to strengthen the financial foundation of the Agreement.

In his opening address to AEWA MOP9, Jacques Trouvilliez thanked the Government of Germany, as well as Croatia, Norway, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom for their support, which allowed the Secretariat to host the meeting in Bonn and also expressed his appreciation for the work done by AEWA’s Standing and Technical Committees in preparing the meeting. He reflected on AEWA’s 30-year journey as a unifying force for 85 Parties – enabling them to work together to conserve migratory waterbirds and their habitats across Africa and Eurasia. In his speech, he also acknowledged the financial challenges facing the Secretariat and urged delegates to use MOP9 in Bonn to take decisive steps for AEWA’s future, calling for an “armistice for nature” to fulfil the Nagoya pledge to allow people to truly live in harmony with nature.  

Ms Flora Mokgohlo (South Africa), President of MOP9. Photo by Aydin Bahramlouian (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Following the opening ceremony, the MOP adopted the Rules of Procedure and elected South Africa as the President of MOP9 and Hungary as the Vice-President, with Flora Mokgohlo representing South Africa and Levente Kőrösi representing Hungary. The meeting then established two Sessional Working Groups: the Finance and Administration Working Group (Working Group I), with the United Kingdom represented by Simon Mackown as Chair, and the Scientific and Technical Working Group (Working Group II), presided over by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by Mohamed Shobrak. Delegates then heard opening statements (with written reports submitted by the African Region, the EU, Burkina Faso, Georgia, Ghana and BirdLife International together with Wetlands International) and reports from AEWA bodies: the Standing Committee, the Technical Committee, the Secretariat, and the Depositary.

Delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with Mr. Mohamed Shobrak (middle), Chair of the AEWA Technical Committee. Photo by Aydin Bahramlouian (CC BY-NC 4.0)

AEWA Conservation Status Report

As one of the highlights of the morning plenary, Szabolcs Nagy (Wetlands International) launched the 9th edition of the Report on the Conservation Status of Migratory Waterbirds in the Agreement Area (CSR9) with a video and a presentation summarising the main findings of the report, which was the first such report to focus on pressures and responses, systematically assessing threats to waterbird populations and offering recommendations to address them.

In the afternoon, the Secretariat presented the Report on the Implementation of the AEWA Communication Strategy, highlighting the activities undertaken to mark the 30th Anniversary of AEWA, World Migratory Bird Day and a proposed new approach on Communication, Education and Public Awareness (CEPA) under the Agreement, followed by the Report on the Joint Information Management, Communication and Awareness-Raising (IMCA) Unit.  

Before splitting into the two working groups, delegates also heard reports on the development of waterbird monitoring and AEWA’s Implementation Review Process as well as on financial and administrative matters.  

Towards the end of the day, MOP9 delegates reconvened in plenary for a special 30th Anniversary Event, followed by a reception kindly hosted by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.