FROM THE SUPERVISORY COUNCIL André van der Zande, Chair
Wetlands International Supervisory Council
Undoubtedly 2020 was a year of great concern and hampered connections for most of us. Gladly, we welcomed new members Ulrike Sapiro and Adrie Papma to the Supervisory Council and Board of the Association, bringing experience and networks from the private sector and development sector, respectively.
André van der Zande Chair
Kathy MacKinnon Vice-Chair
We were delighted to hear the news that the COmON Foundation and the Dutch Postcode Lottery decided to back the organisation, with financial support in 2021 for institutional development and to mobilise strategic alliances for the recovery of mangroves, freshwaters and peatlands. The really good news of 2020 was that Wetlands International managed to finalise the new Strategic Intent 2020-2030 through a very challenging and inclusive working process. Most of our Council members were able to participate in one or two webinars with our Regional Directors, members, partners and staff, complete with break-out sessions. This new Strategic Intent aims to upscale our proven wetland solutions and the efforts of others. We believe that this is necessary, considering the global state of wetlands, and having seen results from successful projects and programmes in the field. Let us hope that the post-Covid-19 years to come will be a great window of opportunity, with the enhanced awareness of the public and politicians for the importance of our natural heritage and natural resources.
The fact that the Supervisory Council and Board of the Association normally only meets twice a year is usually not a problem because we combine the second meeting with field visits, staff contacts and stakeholder meet-and-greet. Digital interaction helped us to overcome the Covid-19 travel restrictions, but as we all felt, it has its limitations. We were also concerned about the impact of Covid-19 on the health of our staff and on our work in the field; we are proud to say that Wetlands International’s leadership reassured us with information about adapted programmes and a thorough and alert response to the pandemic, using updated risk analysis mapping as a tool, among others. In our November 2020 meeting, the outlook for financial challenges in 2021 was discussed, which was subsequently overcome by project adaptations, a successful fundraising strategy and cost reductions. We received monthly reports from the Management Team and held extra meetings to monitor progress in the beginning of 2021. The relatively new Supervisory Council and Board of the Association quickly engaged to understand the operational challenges of the organisation, as well as the emerging opportunities being developed to enable wetland recovery worldwide.
Ulrike Sapiro Member (until March 2021)
Hazuaki Hoshino Member
Eliot Taylor Member
Hastings Chikoko Member
Maggie White Member
Adrie (A.N.) Papma Member
Carlos Saavedra Member
Angelique van de Beeten Member (Treasurer)
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Wetlands International Annual Review 2020
Wetlands International Annual Review 2020
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