Legal Brief: Opinion on the accommodation of Arabic and other UN languages into the Ramsar Convention
Sep 2014 – CISDL in collaboration with the Ramsar Convention – Available here cop12_doc17_legal_brief_languages_e
Freedom-Kai Phillips
The Ramsar Convention Secretariat has requested clarification on legal issues addressing accommodation of Arabic language into the Convention.’ Incorporation of a new language – in any form – has implications for the Convention. On legal matters, this brief provides an overview of key considerations garnered from Resolutions of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention (COPP) and from the Ramsar Convention Rules of Procedure (ROP), and also a clarification of key terms that may be applied – including ‘official language,’ ‘working language,’ and ‘accommodation.’ Options for a phased approach can also be outlined and discussed