I look forward to the next 20 years.

Bruce

As a non-governmental environmental organization from China, MCF is deeply honored to stand alongside partners across 22 countries and regions along this crucial flyway. Along this network, the dedication of every partner organization and conservationist inspires us deeply. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Secretariat and all partners for your trust, which has granted us the privilege to serve as a member of the Management Committee. This trust is both a profound honor and a shared responsibility to serve the flyway alongside you.

Since joining in 2020, with the guidance and support of our fellow partners, MCF has actively contributed to the collective efforts of the EAAFP Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force (SBSTF) and the Shorebird Working Group (SWG). In the transboundary conservation of the critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper, we have played a modest part. We fully realize that the efforts of any single organization are humble, and only by relying on the collaborative network of all partners can we safeguard the entire lifecycle of migratory birds.

Furthermore, we have always been learning from our partners on how to better connect the public with wetlands. Looking ahead, we look forward to integrating more deeply into the global CEPA network, drawing valuable experience from international peers, and working together to inspire more people to become active guardians of the flyway.

Once again, we express our heartfelt appreciation to every partner for your unwavering dedication over the past two decades. Together, let us foster closer connections to sustain our vibrant wetlands and ensure the safe return of migratory birds.

May we continue to fly high together!🎉🪽

As we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the East Asian–Australasian Flyway Partnership, Indonesia looks back with a special sense of pride and gratitude. It was in Bogor, in 2006, where this journey formally began. It was there that we came together with a simple but powerful belief: that migratory birds do not recognize national borders, and therefore their conservation requires cooperation that transcends borders as well.

In Bogor, we made a promise to build a regional partnership with global relevance. Over the years, we have seen that promise grow, from early working groups into a vibrant community of technical expertise; from individual wetlands into a connected Flyway Site Network; and from shared conservation concerns into meaningful international cooperation across one of the world's most dynamic regions.

Indonesia was honoured once again to welcome the Partnership to Palembang, South Sumatra, for the 6th Meeting of Partners in March 2012. Together, Partners and experts strengthened our resolve to address one of the greatest challenges facing the flyway: the rapid loss of intertidal mudflats and coastal wetlands that serve as vital feeding grounds for migratory waterbirds. The commitments made in Palembang continue to resonate today in our efforts to safeguard flyway sites and strengthen conservation across the region.

For Wetlands International, this journey is deeply personal. We are proud to have supported the establishment of the Partnership from the very beginning and to have walked alongside so many dedicated individuals and institutions throughout these twenty years. Over the last decade, we have also been privileged to facilitate the establishment of the National Partnership on Migratory Birds and Their Habitats in Indonesia, coordinated by the Ministry of Forestry.

But perhaps the greatest achievement of these twenty years is not measured only by the number of sites designated, strategies adopted, or meetings convened. It is measured by the friendships built, the trust nurtured, and the shared conviction that protecting migratory birds means protecting the wetlands and coastal ecosystems upon which both nature and people depend.

The flyway itself teaches us an important lesson: every journey depends on safe places to rest, refuel, and continue onward. In many ways, the Partnership has become one of those safe places—a place where governments, scientists, communities, and organizations come together with a common purpose.

Congratulations on twenty years of the East Asian–Australasian Flyway Partnership.

From Bogor to Palembang, and across the many wetlands and coastlines that connect our countries, thank you for this extraordinary journey.

May we continue to walk hand in hand in the years ahead, united by our shared responsibility to ensure that migratory birds will always find a welcoming sky above them and healthy wetlands beneath their wings.

Yus Rusila Noor

Wetlands International Indonesia

We are equally proud of the connections forged between ICLEI's Journeys for Life initiative and the EAAFP Sister Site Network, showcasing how cities can work together along migratory flyways to protect critical habitats and strengthen ecological resilience throughout the flyway.

As biodiversity loss and climate change continue to threaten migratory species, partnerships like EAAFP are more important than ever. We look forward to deepening our collaboration, unlocking new opportunities for joint investment and innovation, and accelerating collective action to conserve migratory species and the ecosystems that sustain both nature and people.

Congratulations once again on this outstanding achievement. We wish EAAFP every success as it embarks on its next chapter of inspiring conservation leadership and impact.

The memory closest to me, too, is from a coastal community in the Philippines, where children living beside abandoned wetlands went birdwatching for the first time despite being in the vicinity. During World Migratory Bird Day (2025) we asked, “If you were a bird, what would you wish for?” where many spoke of food, freedom, safety, balance, and a peaceful home to return to.

These answers heightened my belief that conservation often begins with noticing. Before people protect a place, they must first be invited to see themselves as part of its story.

That same idea shaped Flyway Friends: A Long Journey Home: migration is not only about the destination and journey, but about connection, trust, and the many places that make so many things possible. Home, sometimes, is not always one point on a map. Migratory birds teach us that it can be an entire line of flyways, wetlands, coastlines, communities, care-- and people whom we weave connections.

A place is only as good as the people in it-- and EAAFP has been wonderful in making our place in this world a home. For EAAFP’s next 20 years, I hope we continue helping more people see that wetlands are not empty spaces, but homes; that we share this home with others, and reweave our own identity with nature by seeing our place in it, leading to an act of stewardship that helps keep a much larger journey possible. I will end with the words I wrote in one of my essays for EAAFP, “Birds can only follow the line. We help decide if it remains.”

As a proud Partner of EAAFP, EFG deeply values the close collaboration we have built over the years. We sincerely appreciate EAAFP's continued support for the World Coastal Forum (WCF) and our shared efforts to strengthen international cooperation on coastal ecosystem conservation. Together, we have worked to raise the profile of coastal wetlands, foster dialogue among diverse stakeholders, and promote integrated approaches that benefit both biodiversity and people.

The challenges facing coastal ecosystems and migratory species require stronger partnerships than ever before. We are confident that by building on the solid foundation established over the past 20 years, EAAFP will continue to inspire collaboration and drive meaningful action across the Flyway and beyond.

EFG looks forward to working even more closely with EAAFP in the years ahead to support the conservation and restoration of coastal wetlands, enhance international cooperation, and contribute to a more sustainable future for migratory birds, coastal ecosystems, and the communities that depend on them.

Congratulations once again on your 20th anniversary. We wish EAAFP every success in the years to come!

The time at the EAAFP Secretariat as an intern will always hold a special place in my heart. It taught me the importance and urgency of migratory waterbird conservation, introduced me to the joy of birdwatching, and motivated me to deepen my expertise in water research.

It also gave me many wonderful friends—both staff and fellow interns—many of whom have since migrated onto their own flyways, carrying the spirit of EAAFP with them.

Heartfelt applause and congratulations to the entire EAAFP network for all the hard work, dedication, and achievements over the past 20 years! Wishing all the very best for many more decades ahead :) I hope the youth will continue to have the opportunity to experience the same invaluable journey that I was fortunate to have, and become part of the shared mission of conserving our flyway.

Best, Eunjin