Snapshots of the 2018 BirdLife International General Partnership Meeting

By: TWBF Staff


Representatives of the BirdLife International Asia Partners

From September 26-28, 2018, BirdLife International brought together partners and affiliates to hold its General Partnership Meeting. The main objectives of the gathering, which takes place every five years, are to elect organizational leadership and develop conservation goals and priorities.  It also provides the opportunity for the independent environmental or wildlife NGOs which make up the partnership to meet, enabling them to forge friendships, share experiences, and deepen the sense of partnership and family. It is this aspect which seperates BirdLife International from similar groups.

Represented by Secretary-General Adam Lee and Director of International Affairs Scott Pursner, the TWBF participated in the event, which took place in Wallonia, Belgium. Below are some snapshots from the quinquennial event.


Opening Remarks for Delegates: Of BirdLife International's 117 partners and affiliates, 107 were able to attend. In total over 200 participants from around the globe were able to join in the conversations focused on the future of conservation and the BirdLife partnership. 


The first day's events were focused on regions. TWBF therefore attended the Asia Region meeting. In total there are currently 15 groups working with BirdLife in Asia in the capacity of partner or affiliate. 


The BirdLife International Asia partners meeting. During this session, the Asia Secretariat reported on the conservation status, progress, threats, and future prospects for the region. Delegates also discussed their experiences and an emphasis was placed on searching for opportunites to do more collaborative work with each other. 


Ms. Nancy Gibson, Executive Director of the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand, talks about how a TWBF-created IBA map serves as a useful means for doing outreach about conservation to wider audiences.


During the last two days, delegates were able to choose from sessions addressing a number of topics, such as conservation goal development, NGO capacity development and fundraising. This photo is taken from the discussion surrounding BirdLife International's shift from Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas to Key Biodiversity Areas.

 


The GPM provided participants with the opportunity to meet other members of the BirdLife family. This is a photo of TWBF's representaives and Ms. Bola Majekobaje, the Execuitive Director of the Palau Conservation Society. The delegates were able to start a conversation about how they could potentially collaborate more on matters related to the conservation of waterbirds and migratory bird species.

 


Many sessions were geared towards creating an environement where partners could start a dialogue about how they could collaborate. During one session, delegates were asked what their strengths and needs were. They then wrote those down on sticky notes and posted them to a place where everyone could see. Later, those who felt they could use that kind of expertise or offer advice were able to choose the sticky note and discuss the topic with the writer.


On the last night of the event, delegates were told to bring a beverage that represented the country they represented. The TWBF contributed Taiwan Kaoliang, a sorghum liquor, to the festivities. Here, Mr. Lee introduced the spirit to Mr. Jose Luis Cartes, the CEO of Guyra Paraguay. 

 

 

 

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