Story by Tichaona Kurewa
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands has been impressed by Zimbabwe’s level of preparedness ahead of the convention’s meeting in July.
The 15th Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP15) of the Ramsar Convention, the world’s oldest and most experienced multilateral environmental agreement, will be held in Victoria Falls in July this year.
Over three thousand delegates from 173 countries are expected in the wetland city.
Ramsar Convention Secretary General Dr Musonda Mumba who was recently in Victoria Falls for various engagements, told ZBC News that the level of preparedness she witnessed is impressive.
“You know, I was very excited to come to Vic Falls because I needed to get a sense of the location of the COP, and also to get a sense, really, a sort of a general picture of how the preparations are going. And I must say, I’m impressed. It’s my first time at Elephant Hills Resort, which is a fantastic, hospitality location, and a fantastic hotel. And I’ve had the opportunity to go and have a tour and visit some of the facilities, the conference rooms, the locations where we’re going to have exhibitions and all of this. It’s looking so exciting, and I know that the world will be impressed,” she said.
Government has also expressed satisfaction with the country’s readiness.
“We toured the sites where the tents will be, we toured the hotel itself and we talked to staff. There were also presentations of how prepared we are and I think we are very prepared,” said Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife Permanent Secretary, Tedious Chifamba.
This year’s convention comes at a time when Victoria Falls has been designated a “Wetland City,” recognising Zimbabwe’s outstanding conservation efforts.
