Drin dreams to deeds: A defining step towards a Shared Vision for the Management of the Drin River Basin

On 25 November 2011 in Tirana the five Drin River Riparians signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a Shared Strategic Vision for the Sustainable Management of the Drin River Basin aiming to protect the shared water resources. 

Fatmir Mediu, Minister of Environment, Forests and Water Administration, Albania; Abdilaqim Ademi, Minister of Environment and Physical Planning, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; Ilir Mirena, Deputy Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, Kosovo (United Nations administered region, Security Council resolution 1244); Andreas Andreadakis, Special Secretary for Water, Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change, Greece, and Velizar Vojinovic, Deputy Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development, Montenegro, signed the Memorandum (download attachment on the right), which represents a significant step towards the development of transboundary cooperation in the "Extended" Drin River Basin.

The Shared Strategic Vision identifies the challenges at transboundary level and lays out the actions that need to be taken to address them. These include:

• Improving access to comprehensive data and adequate information to fully understand the current state of the environment and the water resources and the hydrologic system (including surface, underground and coastal waters), as well as ecosystems of the Drin Basin;
• Establish conditions for the sustainable use of water and other natural resources;
• Develop cooperation and measures to minimize flooding, especially in the lower parts of the Drin Basin;
• Improve management and appropriate disposal of solid wastes;
• Decrease nutrient pollution deriving from untreated or poorly treated wastewater discharges and unsustainable agricultural practices;
• Decrease pollution from hazardous substances such as heavy metals and pesticides;
• Minimize effects of hydro-morphologic interventions that alter the nature of the hydrologic system and the supported ecosystems, resulting in their deterioration.
  

The Shared Strategic Vision includes specific objectives in the short, medium and long term and institutes the Drin Core Group with representatives from all Riparians to manage its implementation.

The signing took place during a Multi-stakeholder Consultation Meeting of the Drin Dialogue, with the participation of representatives of national, regional and local authorities, water users associations, academia, members from the private sector, NGOs as well as representatives of international organizations and donor agencies.

On the previous day (24 November 2011), the 5th Drin Core Group Meeting discussed the steps towards the implementation of the MoU, as well as MIO-ECSDE’s proposed Communication Activities, in support of the MoU realization.

Find more info on the Drin Dialogue process in the leaflet (on the right) that has been develped by MIO-ECSDE.

Additional Information

The Drin Dialogue is a structured consultation process launched on December 1st, 2009 which aims to establish a Shared Vision for the management of the extended Drin River Basin. The Drin Dialogue is conducted within the frameworks of the UNECE Water Convention and the Petersberg Phase II / Athens Declaration Process. Activities within the Dialogue contribute directly to and are part of the Mediterranean Component of the EU Water Initiative and of the MedPartnership. The Drin Dialogue is facilitated by UNECE and the Global Water Partnership-Mediterranean (GWP-Med) and is financially supported by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. It is also supported by MIO-ECSDE.

The Drin Basin covers a geographical area that includes Albania, Greece, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo (U.N. administered region, S.C. Res. 1244) and Montenegro. 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.