13 July 2012: The 11th Meeting of the Conference of Contracting Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention) was organized under the theme “Wetlands: Home and Destination.” The main debate during COP 11 was over the institutional hosting of the Secretariat, and after intense negotiations the COP decided to renew confidence in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as host. More.

Photo: Ramsar Convention Secretary General Anada Tiéga

13 July 2012: Participants at the 30th session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI 30) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), which took place one month after the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), noted that Rio+20's momentum could be used to address pressing concerns such as illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing, the management of shark fisheries and shark by-catch, the impacts of proliferating ecolabels, and the sustainability of small-scale fisheries. More.

Photo: L-R: Árni Mathiesen, Assistant Director-General, Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, FAO and Mohammed Pourkazemi, Chair of COFI 30, Islamic Republic of Iran

6 July 2012: The second meeting of the Open-ended Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Committee for the Nagoya Protocol (ICNP) on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted eight recommendations setting the groundwork for the Protocol's implementation and entry into force. More.

2 July 2012: The fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Prepare a Global Legally Binding Instrument on Mercury (INC 4) continuing negotiating the text of a treaty to regulate mercury use and reduce its environmental and health impacts. More.

29 June 2012: The First International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO)-Forestry Research Network of SubSaharan Africa (FORNESSA) Regional Congress took place on the theme, “Forests and Trees: Serving the People of Africa and the World.” The draft Nairobi Resolution, containing key needs for enhancing goods and services from forests and trees in African landscapes, was presented to participants at the end of the Congress. More.