The 7th Session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP7) to the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) took place on 4-8 December 2018 in Durban, South Africa, at the kind invitation of the South African Government, represented by the Department of Environmental Affairs.

The slogan for MOP7 was “Beyond 2020: Shaping flyway conservation for the future”, which reflects the continuation of the good practices established and lessons learned throughout the implementation of the AEWA Strategic Plan 2009-2018, in connection with delivery against the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

MOP7 was a cornerstone meeting for AEWA and the last time the Parties will meet before 2020, where they took stock of the results and outcomes from the 2009-2018 Strategic Plan. In addition, AEWA will be setting an ambitious path for the next decade by adopting a new Strategic Plan for 2019-2027.

The venue for the meeting was the Olive Convention Centre, located in the heart of the city of Durban and close to the city’s famous Golden Mile, in KwaZulu-Natal Province.