The 15th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP15) has just wrapped up. It was an inspiring week that brought together governments, scientists, civil society, and youth—all united by one purpose: to protect wetlands as a cornerstone of sustainable development. As a UN Young Professional, I had the privilege of contributing to several sessions, supporting discussions, and learning from global leaders and peers.

💧From Ramsar to 2026: Water as an Organizing Principle

Water mustn’t be seen just as a resource, but as a foundational organizing principle. The session rightly described wetlands as the “beating heart” of this system, with calls for integration across Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and multi-level action to empower local and marginalized actors.

🏙️ Thriving Wetlands, Thriving Cities

From drone-assisted bird habitat management in Guiyang, China, to canal rejuvenation in Kochi, India, and youth activism in Nagoya, Japan, city leaders and global partners emphasized that wetlands are “not obstacles, but our greatest allies.”

🛰️ Earth Observation for Wetlands Inventory, Assessment and Monitoring

The focus was on open-source, scalable tools that enable countries to move from static maps to real-time, operational monitoring for better policy and disaster response. Importantly, and as also communicated in the recently published Global Wetland Outlook, it is anticipated that initiatives like the Global Wetland Watch will help fill many of the wetland extent data gaps and support country commitments under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Global Biodiversity Framework, and those for the Convention on Wetlands.

📊 Online Reporting System (ORS) Upgrade / Data Reporting Tool for MEAs (DaRT)

The enhanced ORS streamlines national reporting with improved usability, data visualization, and DaRT integration, with discussions also covering long-term innovations such as potential AI integration to improve MEA coherence.

👥 Empowering Youth: Capacity Development and Youth Engagement

From direct funding for grassroots work to integrating wetlands into school curricula, the event showcased strategies to strengthen youth-led actions for wetlands and sustainability. 

With the recent wrap-up of AMCEN-20, and now COP15, we are increasingly coming to see water as a connecting principle, weaving its way through high-level political commitments, as we gear up for UNEA-7, and the 2026 and 2028 UN Water Conferences. Conversations out of COP15 reaffirm the need for bold, collective, and integrated action on freshwater ecosystems and resources management. After all, freshwater ecosystems and wetlands are not fringe ecosystems—they are central to climate resilience, biodiversity, and human well-being.