Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds

The Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds, or African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) is an independent international treaty developed under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme's Convention on Migratory Species.

Background
The Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds was drafted on 19 June 1995 in The Hague, Netherlands, in order to coordinate efforts to conserve bird species migrating between European and African nations.

Description
The AEWA is an independent treaty under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species, of the United Nations Environment Programme.

The agreement focuses on bird species that depend on wetlands for at least part of their lifecycle and cross international borders in their migration patterns. It currently covers 254 species.

Its current scope stretches from the Arctic to South Africa, encompassing the Canadian archipelago and the Middle East as well as Europe and Africa.

Meetings
The parties meet every few years. So far there have been seven meetings:
 * 7–9 November 1999 in Cape Town, South Africa
 * 25–27 September 2002 in Bonn, Germany
 * 23–27 October 2005 in Dakar, Senegal
 * 15–19 September 2008 in Antananarivo, Madagascar
 * 14–18 May 2012 in La Rochelle, France
 * 9–14 November 2015 in Bonn, Germany
 * 4–8 December 2018 in Durban, South Africa

Ban on lead shot
The use of lead shot over wetlands has been banned by the signatories to the convention on account of the poisoning it causes.