UNUnited Nations Economic Commission for Europe

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Towards a shared vision on transboundary waters in Western Balkans: UNECE initiates the Drin Dialogue

Geneva, 4 December 2009 --

Ohrid Lake

Representatives of the ministries responsible for water management in Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Montenegro, the Lake Skadar/Shkoder Commission, the Lake Ohrid Committee and stakeholders from the Prespa Lake Basin met on 1 December 2009 in Podgorica, Montenegro, to launch the Drin Dialogue.

The Drin Dialogue is facilitated by UNECE and the Global Water Partnership-Mediterranean (GWP-Med) using the platform of the UNECE Water Convention and the Petersberg Phase II/Athens Declaration Process. The Dialogue is a structured consultation process that aims to develop a shared vision among the riparian countries and stakeholders for the sustainable management of the Drin Basin.

The Drin Basin covers a geographical area that includes Albania, Greece, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo (under UN Security Council resolution 1244). The Drin River is the “connecting body” of this water system, linking the lakes, wetlands, rivers and other aquatic habitats into a single ecosystem of major importance. The region is very rich in endemic species and exceptional in terms of biodiversity conservation, and so has great potential for the development of sustainable tourism.

The meeting established a coordinating body, the Drin Core Group, which will be composed of representatives of the ministries responsible for water management in the riparian countries as well as the formal and informal joint structures established in the shared sub-basins (the Prespa, Ohrid and Skadar/Shkoder Lakes), UNECE, GWP-Med and NGOs. As the agencies supporting the initiative, the European Commission, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and UNDP/GEF will be invited to participate as observers. It is expected that an agreed shared vision will be developed by the end of 2011.

Note to editors

The UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Water and International Lakes (Water Convention) is an important legal framework for transboundary water management in the pan-European region. Currently, 35 countries and the European Community are Parties to the Convention. In South-Eastern Europe, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are in the process of accession; Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Romania and Slovenia are already Parties.

The Global Water Partnership-Mediterranean (GWP-Med) is a platform bringing together competent organizations working on water issues in the Mediterranean region. Created in 2002, this NGO promotes and exchanges knowledge on integrated water resources’ management for the sustainable use of the region’s water resources. GWP-Med is the technical secretariat of the Petersberg Phase II/Athens Declaration Process for Southeast Europe, a framework for the development of transboundary water cooperation in the region. For more information, see http://www.gwpmed.org

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) unites 179 member Governments — in partnership with international institutions, non-governmental organizations and the private sector — to address global environmental issues. An independent financial organization, the GEF provides grants to developing countries and countries with economies in transition for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer and persistent organic pollutants.

Ref: ECE/ENV/09/P30