10%

Pristina Drin Stakeholders Conference

GEF/UNDP Drin River

By IW:LEARN

January 24^th, 2017

A great Momentum for the Process towards Enhanced Transboundary Cooperation for the Basin’s Management

The 4th Stakeholders Conference in the framework of the Drin Coordinated Action (CORDA) for the implementation of the Drin Memorandum of Understanding for the management of the Drin Basin (Drin MoU) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) supported project “Enabling Transboundary Cooperation and Integrated Water Resources Management in the extended Drin River Basin” (GEF Drin Project) took place on 14-15 December 2016, in Pristina.

Five years from the signing of the Drin MoU (25 November 2011) and one year from the launch of the GEF Drin Project, more than 120 Drin stakeholders gathered in Pristina, in an indication of the great momentum the Drin MoU process and the Drin CORDA have gained over the last years. Their operationalisation via the GEF Drin Project - with an implementation horizon of four years and a budget of $5.5 million for the beneficiary Drin Riparians - allows for a critical progress towards enhanced transboundary cooperation for the Drin Basin’s management.

It is in this spirit that Mr. Stevo Temelkovski, Deputy Minister of Environment and Physical Planning, highlighted in his opening remarks: “We are committed to raise the level of water and natural resources management in the Drin Basin to benefit future generations. This project is a significant political, scientific and managerial driving force with the potential to deliver significant results towards this objective. The present event is a reflection of the strengthened capacities in all Drin Riparians with regards to the coordinated management of the Basin. We have to take advantage of this key milestone to build the ground for improvements. The exchange of views today will facilitate a deeper understanding of the stakeholders’ perceptions, priorities and aspirations related to that.”

Representing the Drin Riparians’ institutions, stakeholders, as well as intergovernmental, international and regional organizations supporting activities in the Drin River Basin, the participants to the Conference reviewed developments over the last year, as well as planned actions, with regards to the management priorities in the Drin Basin. Moreover, they discussed ongoing and planned activities for the preparation of management plans in the Drin Basin, as well as possibilities for coordinated action for the management of protected areas at the Drin sub-basin level.

The 4th Stakeholders Conference was organized back-to-back with the 12th Meeting of the Drin Core Group (DCG) / 3rd Meeting of the Steering Committee of the GEF Drin Project on 15 December and the 3rd Meeting of the Expert Working Groups (EWGs) of the Drin Core Group on 13 December. Stakeholders have been central in the establishment of coordinated action in the Drin Basin. In this context, the 4th Stakeholders Conference follows up to three similar multi-stakeholder events at regional level in 2011, 2013 and 2015, while further stakeholder conferences are to be held once per year throughout the GEF Drin Project implementation period.

The ultimate goal of the work under the Drin CORDA and the GEF Drin Project is to see the management surpassing the sub-basin level of single water bodies towards the hydrological interconnected system of the Drin Basin. This will eventually lead from the sharing of waters among Riparians and conflicting uses, to the sharing of benefits among stakeholders in an area physically, culturally and historically interconnected. Unlocking the potential for coordinated management could lead to minimizing risks in basin and flood management, and have a profound positive effect on ecosystems and a number of economic sectors.