The African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) was adopted in 1995 under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). It is a means of restoring and/or maintaining waterbird populations to ensure their conservation.

The Agreement’s Secretariat, located in Bonn since 2000, is its motor and is administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The staff initiates and coordinates AEWA projects and oversees how countries implement the Agreement.

The Secretariat also organises meetings of Parties and manages information exchange. AEWA provides the framework for long-term sustainable solutions, which integrate the needs of people with migratory waterbird conservation. This can, for example, involve the creation of nature reserves or national parks. The Agreement protects 255 species of waterbirds in 119 countries from Europe, parts of Asia and Canada, the Middle East and Africa. Countries signing AEWA agree to adopt measures to protect migratory birds and their habitats. In general, these measures concern species and habitat protection, management of human activities, research and monitoring, as well as education and information. As of June 2012, the Agreement has 66 Parties.