About the Ramsar Convention

Administrative Authorities Responsible for Implementing the Convention in each of the Contracting Parties
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Autorités competentes chargées de la mise en oeuvre de la Convention dans chaque Partie contractante
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Autoridades Administrativas Responsables de la Aplicación de la Convención en cada País Parte Contratante

Note: Because of the overwhelming number of changes in Administrative Authorities or their contact details that have been communicated to the Secretariat in recent days through the National Reports, we have had to take the list down for the moment. We will have it updated as soon as possible and, in the meantime, inquiries can be directed to Ms Valerie Higgins, higgins@ramsar.org.

Each Contracting Party to the Ramsar Convention designates an implementing agency within its government to take responsibility for the affairs of the Convention. These agencies, called the "Administrative Authorities", are the Secretariat's main focal points, in addition to normal diplomatic channels, within the Member States. Unlike the practice of some other conventions, the "national focal point" is an agency rather than an individual, but the Secretariat keeps in touch with a less formal "Daily Contact" within each agency. If you should have questions about the implementation of the Ramsar Convention within your own country, you are welcome to inquire at the Secretariat but you might do as well to contact the relevant authority listed below.

Each entry below gives the Administrative Authority for each Party; the E, F, or S after the name of each State shows which of the Convention's official languages (English, French, and Spanish) has been chosen by the State as its "working language" in its dealings with the Convention. The unofficial "Daily Contacts" is listed after each entry for which an individual has been communicated to the Secretariat by the Party's Administrative Authority.

The Secretariat's official list is kept current by Valerie Higgins; any updates, errors or omissions can be reported directly to her by the competent authorities in the Parties.


For further information about the Administrative Authorities or the Ramsar Convention itself, please contact: the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ). First posted 25 October 1996, updated 16 June 2008, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.