Global Wetlands Summit Opens in Victoria Falls: COP15 Runs July 23-31

VICTORIA FALLS, Zimbabwe – July 20, 2025 – Global attention turns to Zimbabwe as Victoria Falls prepares to host the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, running from Wednesday, July 23rd to Thursday, July 31st, 2025.

The Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention, Dr. Musonda Mumba, arrived in Victoria Falls ahead of the summit, receiving a warm welcome from Ambassador Tadeus Chifamba, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, and senior government officials.

Dr. Mumba expressed strong enthusiasm for the high-profile event, emphasizing its critical importance for Africa and global wetland conservation. “I am very happy to be here,” she stated. “I am here in Zimbabwe to support and celebrate with the Government and our 172 contracting parties the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties… I am very excited because this is the second time this COP is happening in Africa after so many years. The world will be meeting on the edge of this beautiful and exciting waterfall, the Victoria Falls, from July 23rd to 31st, to really discuss the plight of wetlands globally.”

She highlighted the significance of the location and timing, noting the recent 40th anniversary of the African Ministerial Summit on the Environment (AMSEN) in Nairobi. At AMSEN, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, Dr. Evelyn Ndlovu, played a pivotal role in ensuring wetlands were a central focus, resulting in the first-ever dedicated African ministerial decision on wetland conservation. The newly launched 2025 Global Wetland Outlook, discussed at AMSEN, underscored the severe costs of wetland loss – a theme central to COP15.

“*If we lose the Victoria Falls, for example, what are we going to lose?*” Dr. Mumba posed. “We are going to lose tourism, we are going to lose water, we are going to lose livelihoods, we are going to lose the revenue that comes to this country and the ecosystem services that this nature provides.”

Dr. Mumba commended Zimbabwe’s commitment, recalling the nation’s offer to host COP15 back in 2022. “This is such great news just a week before the COP,” she remarked, referring to the AMSEN outcomes.

As delegates from across the globe begin arriving in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe stands ready to showcase its environmental commitment and lead crucial discussions on reinforcing global cooperation to protect the world’s vital wetlands during the nine-day summit.