The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. The Ramsar Convention is independent of the United Nations system of environmental treaties and reports only to its own Contracting Parties, or Member States. The Secretariat operations are administered by IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The Convention Secretariat, which currently comprises 21 employees, is co-located with the world headquarters of IUCN in Gland (near Geneva), Switzerland.

The Secretariat initiated a regional internship programme in 1997 which allows four interns to assist the respective Se