Wetland Professionals Platform - Wetland Personality

Wetland Personality Nov - Dec 2005

Delmar at UNEP GC 2003 (EN Bulletin)

Delmar Blasco was the Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) from 1995 to 2003. It is widely recognized that under his leadership the Convention was transformed into a much more active, visible and relevant instrument in the international environment and development arena. He paid particular attention to the needs and expectations of developing countries, strongly advocating that wetlands should be seen not only as cradles of biodiversity by also as resources for sustainable development. He also put strong emphasis on the question of synergies among the multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). The most visible result of this effort is the Joint Work Plan between Ramsar and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

During his tenure as Ramsar SG he also advocated in favour of an active cooperation with national and international NGOs and prompted Ramsar to formally recognize the so called ‘International Organization Partners’ of the Convention, which at present are BirdLife International, IUCN, WWF International and Wetlands International.

Delmar at World Water Forum 2003 (EN Bulletin)

Delmar in Kenya on World Wetlands Day 2001 (Ramsar Sec.)

Delmar in Uganda on World Wetlands Day 2001 (Ramsar Sec.)

Before joining the Ramsar Secretariat, Delmar Blasco worked in positions of leadership in the Geneva-based International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA), in IUCN – The World Conservation Union, and in the Environment Liaison Centre International (ELCI) based in Nairobi, Kenya. He is a citizen of Argentina but since September 2003, he resides in Catalunya (Spain) and works as free lance consultant, mainly on issues related to wetlands and MEAs.