Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat

Party

Russian Federation modified

• Renunciation: 21-08-2025
• Termination: 21-12-2025

Party

Saudi Arabia added

• Ratification: 02-04-2025 (A)
• Entry into force: 02-08-2025
• Reservations / Declarations: No
• Objections: No

Party

Albania added

• Ratification: 31-10-1995 (A)
• Entry into force: 01-03-1996
• Reservations / Declarations: No
• Objections: No

General information

• Entry into force: 21-12-1975

Kingdom part

Netherlands (in Europe)

• Entry into force: 23-09-1980

Netherlands (Bonaire)

• Entry into force: 10-10-2010

Netherlands (Sint Eustatius)

• Entry into force: 10-10-2010

Netherlands (Saba)

• Entry into force: 10-10-2010

Aruba

• Entry into force: 01-01-1986

Curaçao

• Entry into force: 10-10-2010

Sint Maarten

• Entry into force: 10-10-2010

Party

Algeria

• Ratification: 04-11-1983 (A)
• Entry into force: 04-03-1984

Andorra

• Signature: 23-02-2012
• Ratification: 23-07-2012 (R)
• Entry into force: 23-11-2012

Angola

• Ratification: 10-06-2021 (A)
• Entry into force: 10-10-2021

Antigua and Barbuda

• Ratification: 02-06-2005 (A)
• Entry into force: 02-10-2005

Armenia

• Ratification: 06-07-1993 (A)
• Entry into force: 06-11-1993

Australia

• Ratification: 08-05-1974 (S)
• Entry into force: 21-12-1975

Austria

• Ratification: 16-12-1982 (A)
• Entry into force: 16-04-1983

Azerbaijan

• Ratification: 21-05-2001 (A)
• Entry into force: 21-09-2001

Bahamas

• Ratification: 07-02-1997 (R)
• Entry into force: 07-06-1996

Bahrain

• Ratification: 27-10-1997 (A)
• Entry into force: 27-02-1998

Bangladesh

• Ratification: 21-05-1992 (A)
• Entry into force: 21-09-1992

Barbados

• Ratification: 12-12-2005 (A)
• Entry into force: 12-04-2006

Belarus

• Ratification: 10-09-1999 (Su)
• Entry into force: 24-08-1991

Belgium

• Signature: 19-03-1975
• Ratification: 04-03-1986 (R)
• Entry into force: 04-07-1986

Belize

• Ratification: 22-04-1998 (A)
• Entry into force: 22-08-1998

Benin

• Ratification: 24-01-2000 (A)
• Entry into force: 24-05-2000

Bhutan

• Ratification: 07-05-2012 (A)
• Entry into force: 07-09-2012

Bolivia

• Ratification: 27-06-1990 (A)
• Entry into force: 27-10-1990

Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Ratification: 24-09-2001 (Su)
• Entry into force: 06-03-1992

Botswana

• Ratification: 09-12-1996 (A)
• Entry into force: 09-04-1997

Brazil

• Ratification: 24-05-1993 (A)
• Entry into force: 24-09-1993

Burkina Faso

• Ratification: 27-06-1990 (A)
• Entry into force: 27-10-1990

Burundi

• Ratification: 05-06-1990 (A)
• Entry into force: 05-10-1990

Cabo Verde

• Ratification: 18-07-2005 (A)
• Entry into force: 18-11-2005

Cambodia

• Ratification: 23-06-1999 (A)
• Entry into force: 23-10-1999

Cameroon

• Ratification: 20-03-2006 (A)
• Entry into force: 20-07-2006

Canada

• Ratification: 15-01-1981 (A)
• Entry into force: 15-05-1981

Central African Republic

• Ratification: 05-12-2005 (A)
• Entry into force: 05-04-2006

Chad

• Ratification: 13-06-1990 (A)
• Entry into force: 13-10-1990

Chile

• Ratification: 27-07-1981 (A)
• Entry into force: 27-11-1981

China

• Ratification: 31-03-1992 (A)
• Entry into force: 31-07-1992

Colombia

• Ratification: 18-06-1998 (A)
• Entry into force: 18-10-1998

Comoros

• Ratification: 09-02-1995 (A)
• Entry into force: 09-06-1995

Costa Rica

• Signature: 28-09-1984
• Ratification: 27-12-1991 (R)
• Entry into force: 27-04-1992

Côte d'Ivoire

• Ratification: 27-02-1996 (A)
• Entry into force: 27-06-1996

Croatia

• Ratification: 19-11-1992 (Su)
• Entry into force: 08-10-1991

Cuba

• Ratification: 12-04-2001 (R)
• Entry into force: 12-08-2001

Cyprus

• Ratification: 11-07-2001 (A)
• Entry into force: 11-11-2001

Czech Republic

• Ratification: 26-03-1993 (Su)
• Entry into force: 01-01-1993

Democratic People's Republic of Korea

• Ratification: 16-01-2018 (A)
• Entry into force: 16-05-2018

Democratic Republic of the Congo

• Ratification: 18-01-1996 (A)
• Entry into force: 18-05-1996

Djibouti

• Ratification: 22-11-2002 (A)
• Entry into force: 22-03-2003

Dominican Republic

• Ratification: 15-05-2002 (A)
• Entry into force: 15-09-2002

Ecuador

• Ratification: 07-09-1990 (A)
• Entry into force: 07-01-1991

Egypt

• Ratification: 09-09-1988 (R)
• Entry into force: 09-01-1989

El Salvador

• Signature: 14-05-1998
• Ratification: 22-01-1999 (R)
• Entry into force: 22-05-1999

Equatorial Guinea

• Ratification: 02-06-2003 (A)
• Entry into force: 02-10-2003

Estonia

• Signature: 29-03-1994
• Ratification: 29-03-1994 (R)
• Entry into force: 29-07-1994

Eswatini

• Ratification: 15-02-2013 (A)
• Entry into force: 15-06-2013

Fiji

• Ratification: 11-04-2006 (A)
• Entry into force: 11-08-2006

Finland

• Signature: 19-04-1973
• Ratification: 28-05-1974 (R)
• Entry into force: 21-12-1975

France

• Ratification: 01-12-1986 (R)
• Entry into force: 01-12-1986

Gabon

• Ratification: 30-12-1986 (S)
• Entry into force: 30-04-1987

Gambia, The

• Ratification: 16-09-1996 (R)
• Entry into force: 16-01-1997

Georgia

• Ratification: 07-02-1997 (A)
• Entry into force: 07-06-1997

Ghana

• Ratification: 22-02-1988 (A)
• Entry into force: 22-06-1988

Greece

• Ratification: 21-08-1975 (A)
• Entry into force: 21-12-1975

Grenada

• Ratification: 22-05-2012 (A)
• Entry into force: 22-09-2012

Guatemala

• Ratification: 26-06-1990 (A)
• Entry into force: 26-10-1990

Guinea

• Ratification: 18-03-1992 (R)
• Entry into force: 18-03-1993

Guinea-Bissau

• Ratification: 14-05-1990 (A)
• Entry into force: 14-09-1990

Honduras

• Ratification: 23-06-1993 (A)
• Entry into force: 23-10-1993

Iceland

• Ratification: 02-12-1977 (A)
• Entry into force: 02-04-1978

India

• Ratification: 01-10-1981 (A)
• Entry into force: 01-02-1982

Indonesia

• Ratification: 08-04-1992 (R)
• Entry into force: 08-08-1992

Iran

• Signature: 25-08-1972
• Ratification: 23-06-1975 (R)
• Entry into force: 21-12-1975

Iraq

• Ratification: 17-10-2007 (A)
• Entry into force: 17-02-2008

Ireland

• Signature: 14-02-1975
• Ratification: 15-11-1984 (R)
• Entry into force: 15-03-1985

Israel

• Signature: 14-06-1993
• Ratification: 12-11-1996 (R)
• Entry into force: 12-03-1997

Italy

• Signature: 10-01-1975
• Ratification: 14-12-1976 (R)
• Entry into force: 14-04-1977

Jamaica

• Ratification: 07-10-1997 (A)
• Entry into force: 07-02-1998

Japan

• Ratification: 17-06-1980 (A)
• Entry into force: 17-10-1980

Jordan

• Ratification: 10-01-1977 (A)
• Entry into force: 10-05-1977

Kazakhstan

• Ratification: 02-01-2007 (A)
• Entry into force: 02-05-2007

Kenya

• Ratification: 05-06-1990 (A)
• Entry into force: 05-10-1990

Kiribati

• Ratification: 03-04-2013 (A)
• Entry into force: 03-08-2013

Kuwait

• Ratification: 05-05-2015 (A)
• Entry into force: 05-09-2015

Kyrgyzstan

• Ratification: 12-11-2002 (A)
• Entry into force: 12-03-2003

Laos

• Ratification: 28-05-2010 (A)
• Entry into force: 28-09-2010

Latvia

• Ratification: 25-07-1995 (A)
• Entry into force: 25-11-1995

Lebanon

• Ratification: 16-04-1999 (A)
• Entry into force: 16-08-1999

Lesotho

• Ratification: 01-07-2004 (A)
• Entry into force: 01-11-2004

Liberia

• Ratification: 02-07-2003 (A)
• Entry into force: 02-11-2003

Libya

• Ratification: 05-04-2000 (A)
• Entry into force: 05-08-2000

Liechtenstein

• Ratification: 06-08-1991 (A)
• Entry into force: 06-12-1991

Lithuania

• Ratification: 20-08-1993 (A)
• Entry into force: 20-12-1993

Luxembourg

• Signature: 31-08-1989
• Ratification: 15-04-1998 (R)
• Entry into force: 15-08-1998

Madagascar

• Ratification: 25-09-1998 (A)
• Entry into force: 25-01-1999

Malawi

• Ratification: 14-11-1996 (A)
• Entry into force: 14-03-1997

Malaysia

• Signature: 07-09-1994
• Ratification: 10-11-1994 (R)
• Entry into force: 10-03-1995

Mali

• Ratification: 25-05-1987 (A)
• Entry into force: 25-09-1987

Malta

• Ratification: 30-09-1988 (A)
• Entry into force: 30-01-1989

Marshall Islands

• Ratification: 13-07-2004 (A)
• Entry into force: 13-11-2004

Mauritania

• Ratification: 22-10-1982 (A)
• Entry into force: 22-02-1983

Mexico

• Ratification: 04-07-1986 (A)
• Entry into force: 04-11-1986

Moldova

• Ratification: 20-06-2000 (A)
• Entry into force: 20-10-2000

Monaco

• Ratification: 20-08-1997 (A)
• Entry into force: 20-12-1997

Mongolia

• Ratification: 08-12-1997 (A)
• Entry into force: 08-04-1998

Montenegro

• Ratification: 26-04-2007 (Su)
• Entry into force: 03-06-2006

Morocco

• Ratification: 20-06-1980 (S)
• Entry into force: 20-10-1980

Mozambique

• Ratification: 03-08-2004 (A)
• Entry into force: 03-12-2004

Myanmar

• Ratification: 17-11-2004 (A)
• Entry into force: 17-03-2005

Namibia

• Ratification: 23-08-1995 (A)
• Entry into force: 23-12-1995

Nepal

• Ratification: 17-12-1987 (A)
• Entry into force: 17-04-1988

Netherlands, the Kingdom of the

• Signature: 07-07-1975
• Ratification: 23-05-1980 (R)
• Entry into force: 23-09-1980

New Zealand

• Ratification: 13-08-1976 (S)
• Entry into force: 13-12-1976
• Cook Islands
  Entry into force: 13-11-1976Niue
  Entry into force: 13-11-1976Tokelau Islands
  Entry into force: 13-11-1976

Nicaragua

• Ratification: 30-07-1997 (A)
• Entry into force: 30-11-1997

Niger

• Ratification: 30-04-1987 (S)
• Entry into force: 30-08-1987

Nigeria

• Ratification: 02-10-2001 (A)
• Entry into force: 02-02-2002

North Macedonia

• Ratification: 04-04-1995 (Su)
• Entry into force: 17-11-1991

Norway

• Ratification: 09-07-1974 (S)
• Entry into force: 21-12-1975

Oman

• Ratification: 19-04-2013 (A)
• Entry into force: 19-08-2013

Pakistan

• Signature: 17-11-1975
• Ratification: 23-07-1976 (R)
• Entry into force: 23-11-1976

Palau

• Ratification: 18-10-2002 (A)
• Entry into force: 18-02-2003

Panama

• Ratification: 26-11-1990 (A)
• Entry into force: 26-03-1991

Papua New Guinea

• Ratification: 16-03-1993 (A)
• Entry into force: 16-07-1993

Paraguay

• Signature: 15-09-1992
• Ratification: 07-06-1995 (R)
• Entry into force: 07-10-1995

Peru

• Signature: 28-08-1986
• Ratification: 30-03-1992 (R)
• Entry into force: 30-07-1992

Philippines

• Ratification: 08-07-1994 (A)
• Entry into force: 08-11-1994

Poland

• Ratification: 22-11-1977 (A)
• Entry into force: 22-03-1978

Portugal

• Signature: 15-07-1976
• Ratification: 24-11-1986 (R)
• Entry into force: 24-03-1987

Republic of Korea, the

• Ratification: 28-03-1997 (A)
• Entry into force: 28-07-1997

Republic of the Congo

• Ratification: 18-06-1998 (A)
• Entry into force: 18-10-1998

Romania

• Ratification: 21-05-1991 (A)
• Entry into force: 21-09-1991

Rwanda

• Ratification: 01-12-2005 (A)
• Entry into force: 01-04-2006

Saint Lucia

• Ratification: 19-02-2002 (A)
• Entry into force: 19-06-2002

Samoa

• Ratification: 06-10-2004 (A)
• Entry into force: 06-02-2005

São Tomé e Principe

• Ratification: 21-08-2006 (A)
• Entry into force: 21-12-2006

Senegal

• Ratification: 11-07-1977 (A)
• Entry into force: 11-11-1977

Serbia

• Ratification: 03-07-2001 (Su)
• Entry into force: 27-04-1992

Seychelles

• Ratification: 22-11-2004 (A)
• Entry into force: 22-03-2005

Sierra Leone

• Ratification: 13-12-1999 (A)
• Entry into force: 13-04-2000

Slovakia

• Ratification: 31-03-1993 (Su)
• Entry into force: 01-01-1993

Slovenia

• Ratification: 05-11-1992 (Su)
• Entry into force: 25-06-1991

South Africa

• Ratification: 12-03-1975 (S)
• Entry into force: 21-12-1975

South Sudan

• Ratification: 10-06-2013 (A)
• Entry into force: 10-10-2013

Spain

• Ratification: 04-05-1982 (A)
• Entry into force: 04-09-1982

Sri Lanka

• Ratification: 15-06-1990 (A)
• Entry into force: 15-10-1990

Sudan

• Ratification: 07-01-2005 (A)
• Entry into force: 07-05-2005

Suriname

• Ratification: 22-07-1985 (A)
• Entry into force: 22-11-1985

Sweden

• Ratification: 05-12-1974 (S)
• Entry into force: 21-12-1975

Switzerland

• Signature: 21-02-1974
• Ratification: 16-01-1976 (R)
• Entry into force: 16-05-1976

Tajikistan

• Ratification: 18-07-2001 (A)
• Entry into force: 18-11-2001

Tanzania

• Ratification: 13-04-2000 (A)
• Entry into force: 13-08-2000

Thailand

• Ratification: 13-05-1998 (S)
• Entry into force: 13-09-1998

Togo

• Ratification: 04-07-1995 (A)
• Entry into force: 04-11-1995

Trinidad and Tobago

• Ratification: 21-12-1992 (A)
• Entry into force: 21-04-1993

Tunisia

• Ratification: 24-11-1980 (A)
• Entry into force: 24-03-1981

Türkiye

• Ratification: 13-07-1994 (A)
• Entry into force: 13-11-1994

Turkmenistan

• Ratification: 03-03-2009 (A)
• Entry into force: 03-07-2009

Uganda

• Ratification: 04-03-1988 (R)
• Entry into force: 04-07-1988

Ukraine

• Ratification: 15-07-1997 (Su)
• Entry into force: 24-08-1991

United Arab Emirates

• Ratification: 29-08-2007 (A)
• Entry into force: 29-12-2007

United Kingdom

• Signature: 06-09-1973
• Ratification: 05-01-1976 (R)
• Entry into force: 05-05-1976
• Akrotiri and Dhekelia (Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus)
  Entry into force: 28-10-2002Anguilla
  Entry into force: 15-06-1991Antigua and Barbuda (< 01-11-1981)
  Entry into force: 05-05-1976
  Termination: 01-11-1981Belize (< 21-09-1981)
  Entry into force: 05-05-1976
  Termination: 21-09-1981Bermuda
  Entry into force: 05-05-1976British Indian Ocean Territory
  Entry into force: 08-01-1999British Virgin Islands
  Entry into force: 15-06-1991Brunei (< 01-01-1984)
  Entry into force: 05-05-1976
  Termination: 01-01-1984Cayman Islands
  Entry into force: 05-05-1976Falkland Islands
  Entry into force: 05-05-1976Gibraltar
  Entry into force: 05-05-1976Guernsey
  Entry into force: 10-09-1979Hong Kong (< 01-07-1997)
  Entry into force: 10-09-1979
  Termination: 01-07-1997Jersey
  Entry into force: 05-05-1976Man, Isle of
  Entry into force: 01-10-1992Montserrat
  Entry into force: 05-05-1976Pitcairn Islands
  Entry into force: 05-05-1976Saint-Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
  Entry into force: 05-05-1976Solomon Islands (< 07-07-1978)
  Entry into force: 05-05-1976
  Termination: 07-07-1978Turks and Caicos Islands
  Entry into force: 05-05-1976

United States of America

• Signature: 13-09-1985
• Ratification: 18-12-1986 (R)
• Entry into force: 18-04-1987

Uruguay

• Ratification: 22-05-1984 (A)
• Entry into force: 22-09-1984

Uzbekistan

• Ratification: 08-10-2001 (A)
• Entry into force: 08-02-2002

Vanuatu

• Ratification: 04-07-2019 (A)
• Entry into force: 04-11-2019

Venezuela

• Ratification: 23-11-1988 (A)
• Entry into force: 23-03-1989

Vietnam

• Ratification: 20-09-1988 (A)
• Entry into force: 20-01-1989

Yemen

• Ratification: 08-10-2007 (A)
• Entry into force: 08-02-2008

Yugoslavia (< 25-06-1991)

• Ratification: 28-03-1977 (A)
• Entry into force: 28-07-1977

Zambia

• Ratification: 28-08-1991 (A)
• Entry into force: 28-12-1991

Zimbabwe

• Ratification: 03-01-2013 (A)
• Entry into force: 03-05-2013

Argentina

• Signature: 04-05-1992
• Ratification: 04-05-1992 (R)
• Entry into force: 04-09-1992
• Reservations / Declarations: Yes
• Objections: No

• reservation
  26-07-1976
  […] the Government of Argentina […] contested the mention, in the instrument deposited by the United Kingdom, of the Malouines Islands, the South Georgia Islands and the South Sandwich Islands under the erroneous denomination of 'Falkland Islands and dependencies' and their being presented as part of the overseas territories which the United Kingdom administrates, and it declared that this mention in no way affected the Argentine Government's rights over these islands, which are an integral part of its territory and which are under forceful occupation by a foreign power, a situation concerning which the General Assembly of the United Nations, by Resolutions 2065(XX) and 3160(XXVIII) noted a conflict of sovereignty over the archipelago and asked that negotiations be opened immediately between the Argentine Republic and the occupying State in order to find a definitive solution to that conflict.

Bulgaria

• Ratification: 24-09-1975 (S)
• Entry into force: 24-01-1976
• Reservations / Declarations: Yes
• Objections: No

• reservation
  24-09-1975
  The Government of the People's Republic of Bulgaria considers it necessary to state that Article 9 of the Convention restricts the possibility of some States to become parties to it and contradicts the universally recognized principle of the sovereign equality of States.

Denmark

• Ratification: 02-09-1977 (A)
• Entry into force: 02-01-1978
• Reservations / Declarations: Yes
• Objections: No

• reservation
  02-09-1977
  […] in spite of the great importance attached by the Danish Government to the Vadehavet (a marshy maritime plain situation in the southern part of the west coast of Jutland) as a wetland, it has decided not to include the Vadehavet for the time being in the above-mentioned List. 'This decision has been taken on account of the negotiations under way between the Governments of the Kingdom of Denmark and the Federal Republic of Germany concerning the construction of an advanced dyke in that area, and also on account of the trilateraI negotiations between the Governments of Denmark, the Netherlands and the Federal Republic of Germany concerning a special agreement for the protection of the Vadehavet. The Danish Government is convinced, however, that the Vadehavet, or certain parts thereof, should be included in the aforesaid List once the above-mentioned negotiations have been concluded.

Germany

• Signature: 28-11-1974
• Ratification: 26-02-1976 (R)
• Entry into force: 26-06-1976
• Reservations / Declarations: Yes
• Objections: No

• reservation
  26-02-1976
  The Federal Republic of Germany in becoming a party to the Convention interprets and understands the provisions of this Convention as being of a nature not to prevent measures to be taken to protect the population of the regions concerned against floods nor to interfere with well-established rights the inhabitants of these regions may have.

Hungary

• Ratification: 11-04-1979 (A)
• Entry into force: 11-08-1979
• Reservations / Declarations: Yes
• Objections: No

• reservation
  11-04-1979
  Article 9 of the Convention, which restricts the freedom of certain countries to become Parties to the Convention, contradicts the generally accepted principle of the sovereignty of States.

Mauritius

• Ratification: 30-05-2001 (A)
• Entry into force: 27-09-2001
• Reservations / Declarations: Yes
• Objections: No

• reservation
  14-01-2020
  […] to register its strong objection against the extension by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the so-called "British Indian Ocean Territory", of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat, Ramsar, 2 February 1971 in respect of which the Director-General is the depositary. The Government of the Republic of Mauritius considers that by extending the Convention to the so-called "British Indian Ocean Territory" on 8 September 1998, the United Kingdom purported to exercise sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago - a claim which is untenable under international law. The Government of the Republic of Mauritius wishes to reiterate in emphatic terms that it does not recognize the so-called "British Indian Ocean Territory". The fact that the Chagos Archipelago is, and has always been, part of the territory of the Republic of Mauritius, and that the United Kingdom has never had sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, has been authoritatively established by the International Court of Justice in its Advisory Opinion of 25 February 2019, on the Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965. In this authoritative legal determination, the Court declared that the decolonization of the Republic of Mauritius had not been lawfully completed in 1968, since the Chagos Archipelago had been unlawfully detached in 1965, in violation of the right of self-determination of peoples and the Charter of the United Nations, as applied and interpreted in accordance with UN General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960, resolution 2066 (XX) of 16 December 1965, resolution 2232 (XXI) of 20 December 1966 and resolution 2357 (XXII) of 19 December 1967. Accordingly, it went on to hold that the United Kingdom's ongoing administration of the Chagos Archipelago, as the so-called "British Indian Ocean Territory", was an internationally wrongful act, of a continuing nature, that engaged the State responsibility of the United Kingdom. It determined that the United Kingdom is under a legal obligation to terminate its unlawful colonial administration "as rapidly as possible". The Court further determined that all UN Member States have an obligation to cooperate with the United Nations in facilitating the completion of the decolonization of the Republic of Mauritius as rapidly as possible, including an obligation not to support the continuing wrongful conduct of the United Kingdom in maintaining its colonial administration in the Chagos Archipelago . On 22 May 2019, the General Assembly, by an overwhelming majority of 116 votes to 6, adopted resolution 73/295. By this resolution, it endorsed the Court's Advisory Opinion, affirmed that the Chagos Archipelago forms an integral part of the territory of the Republic of Mauritius, and demanded that the United Kingdom terminate its unlawful colonial administration within a maximum of six months, that is, by no later than 22 November 2019. That deadline has now expired. Moreover, the General Assembly in its resolution called upon Member States to "cooperate with the United Nations to ensure the completion of the decolonization of Mauritius as rapidly as possible" and to refrain from conduct that might impede or delay the completion of decolonization. It further called upon the United Nations and all its specialized agencies to recognize that the Chagos Archipelago forms an integral part of the territory of the Republic of Mauritius, to support the decolonization of the Republic of Mauritius as rapidly as possible, and to refrain from impeding that process by recognizing the so-called "British Indian Ocean Territory". Lastly, the resolution also called upon "all other international, regional and intergovernmental organizations, including those established by treaty," to recognize that the Chagos Archipelago forms an integral part of the territory of the Republic of Mauritius, to support its speedy decolonization, and to "refrain from impeding that process" by recognizing the so-called "British Indian Ocean Territory". The Republic of Mauritius has, over the years, consistently asserted, and hereby reasserts, its full sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago. The Government of the Republic of Mauritius therefore unequivocally protests against the United Kingdom's extension of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat to the so-called "British Indian Ocean Territory" and against the purported exercise by the United Kingdom of any sovereignty, rights or jurisdiction within the territory of the Republic of Mauritius. For the above stated reasons, which arise from established principles of international law as authoritatively interpreted and applied by the International Court of Justice and endorsed by the UN General Assembly, the Government of the Republic of Mauritius does not recognize the United Kingdom's extension of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat to the so-called "British Indian Ocean Territory", reserves all its rights in this regard, and calls upon all Contracting Parties to the Convention to reject the United Kingdom's extension of the Convention to the so-called "British Indian Ocean Territory". The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade of the Republic of Mauritius kindly requests that the present objection be duly recorded, circulated and registered with the Secretariat of the United Nations pursuant to Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations […].

Russian Federation

• Signature: 13-02-1974
• Ratification: 11-10-1976 (R)
• Entry into force: 11-02-1977
• Reservations / Declarations: Yes
• Objections: No

• reservation
  13-02-1974
  The Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics deems it necessary to declare that the provisions of Article 9 of the Convention restricting the possibility of some countries becoming Parties to it, contradict the universally recognized principle of the sovereign equality of States.

  reservation
  11-10-1976
  ln its instrument of ratification, the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics indicated that it ratified the Convention while maintaining that declaration.

Syria

• Ratification: 05-03-1998 (R)
• Entry into force: 05-07-1998
• Reservations / Declarations: Yes
• Objections: No

• reservation
  05-03-1998
  Accession to this Convention shall not under any circumstances be taken to mean that Syria recognizes Israel or establishes with it any relations that may derive from the provisions of this Convention.