DrinCorda

Author: kpavlides

  • Project Identity

    Action for the implementation of the Drin MoU was financed by the Global Environment Facility through the Full Size Project “Enabling Transboundary Cooperation and Integrated Water Resources Management in the extended Drin River Basin” and the Medium Size Project “Enabling Transboundary Cooperation and Integrated Water Resources Management in the White Drin and the extended Drin Basin”. The title “Enabling Transboundary Cooperation and Integrated Water Resources Management in the extended Drin River Basin” (Drin Project) shall refer to both projects hereafter.

    The objective of the Project was to “Promote joint management of the shared water resources of the transboundary Drin River Basin, including coordination mechanisms among the various sub-basin joint commissions and committees”.  

                

    The Project came at a critical point, as a vehicle to facilitate: 

    The GEF Drin Project had five components:

    1. Component 1: Consolidating a common knowledge base
    2. Component 2: Building the foundation for multi-riparian cooperation
    3. Component 3: Institutional strengthening for integrated river basin management
    4. Component 4: Demonstration of technologies and practices for IWRM and ecosystem management
    5. Component 5: Stakeholder involvement, gender mainstreaming and communication strategies.

     

    The project was implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and executed by the Global Water Partnership (GWP), through GWP-Med. UNECE was a partner to this process. The Drin Core Group acted as the project’s Steering Committee.

     

                                 

     

     

  • The Drin Strategic Action Programme

    Read the Drin Strategic Action Programme here PDF icon

    The Endorsement of the Drin Strategic Action Programme 

    The SAP was a negotiated policy document that established clear priorities for action to resolve the priority transboundary problems identified in the TDA. The Drin Strategic Action Programme was endorsed by Ministers and high-level representatives of the Drin Riparians during an on-line ceremony on 24 April 2020.

    Long-term vision

    The Riparians reaffirmed the objective of the Drin MoU, as the long- term over-arching vision being a clear representation of the characteristics desired for the future environment. The long-term vision was a political objective to be achieved within a 10–15 years timeframe and aspired to inspire the peoples of the Drin Basin and their leaders.

    THE VISION OF THE DRIN RIPARIANS

    “The Parties, through their Ministers and their representatives, commit to promote joint action for the coordinated integrated management of the shared water resources in the Drin Basin, as a means to safeguard and restore to the extent possible the ecosystems and the services they provide, and to promote sustainable development across the Drin Basin.”

    Drin Memorandum of Understanding (25 November 2011, Tirana)

     

    Goals to achieve the long-term vision and objectives to meet the goals

    The Riparians reaffirmed the MoU’s ‘Common Concerns for sustainable development of the Drin Basin’ as seven High-level Long-term Goals to achieve the vision and reduce the impact of each transboundary problem.

    A number of specific, measurable, time delineated Objectives were developed under each Goal. Management Actions responding to these Objectives were presented in detailed SAP action tables (see annex 1 of the SAP) to facilitate future SAP implementation. For each Objective, a series of Management Actions were detailed which included: timescale; priority; location; responsible organization; financing; budget; indicators; impact of action on water resources/ecosystem. The key components of the SAP and the linkages with the Drin MoU are shown in the diagram below (click on the figure to enlarge it).

     

     

    Drin Basin SAP development approach

    The SAP was developed through a series of inputs from experts from the Drin Riparians, international experts, the PCU and ultimately, representatives of key stakeholder groups. The SAP development and adoption process including key milestones, is depicted in the figure below (click on the figure to enlarge it).

     

     

     

    ­­­­[1] Outputs of Action 1 under Goal 3, Objective 1: Management of floods risks and droughts risks by 2030 will be used for the preparation of the study.

    [2] Hazardous sites with the risk of accidental release identified under Goal 2 sub-objective 1.1

    [3] Building also on results of projects that have addressed monitoring e.g. Drin project for surface and groundwater, GIZ projects etc.

    [4] The Drin Pollution Model developed under the Pilot activity “Preparation of a wastewater management decision support tool” of the GEF Drin project will be used as basis.

    [5]  Officially designated by the competent ministries or other authorities

    [6] Officially designated by the competent ministries or other authorities

    [7] Officially designated by the competent ministries or other authorities

     

     

     

     

     

  • 7th Multi-stakeholder Conference

    The 7th multi-stakeholder conference was held in Tirana on 28-30 January 2020 by the Drin Core Group with the assistance of its Secretariat (GWP-Med) and the support of the GEF Drin Project. It brought together over 120 participants.

    The event allowed interaction among stakeholders on the developments regarding the implementation of the Drin MoU as  well as the on-going and planned activities under the Drin Project.

    Further, the stakeholders:

    – were consulted on the draft Drin Strategic Action Program.

    – discussed the issue of droughts in the Drin Basin including reference on the level of importance of the incidents in terms of the effects to society and the economy; the extent to which drought management is addressed by the Riparians; response by the state and the communities; risk of recurrence.

    View the Agenda here

     

  • 5th Multi-stakeholder Conference

    The 5th multi-stakeholder conference was organized in Podgorica on 20-21 November 2017 by the Drin Core Group with the assistance of its Secretariat (GWP-Med) and the support of the  GEF Drin Project. It brought together approximately 140 participants.

    The event:

    – Informed stakeholders on the developments regarding the implementation of the Drin MoU as well as the on-going and planned activities under the Drin Project and received their input.  

    – Presented important findings of the Thematic Reports developed as part of the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA);stakeholders were asked to provide  input.

    – Raised awareness and gained input on flood risk management planning, prevention & preparedness. The conference discussed the:

      •  historical floods;
      •  governance of floods and flood risks in each of the Drin Riparian as well     as at the transboundary level;
      •  technology and tools -available or in the making- assisting in the   management of flood risk and floods such as e.g. early warning system,   flood risk management plans etc.

    View the Agenda here

     

  • 4th Multi-stakeholder Conference

    The 4th multi-stakeholder conference was organized in Pristina on 14-15 December 2016 by the Drin Core Group with the assistance of its Secretariat (GWP-Med) and the support of the GEF Drin Project. It brought together 110 participants.

    The event:

    – Informed stakeholders on the developments regarding the implementation of the Drin MoU as well as the on-going and planned activities under the Drin Project and received input by them.

    – Provided a platform for the discussion of on-going initiatives and projects for the preparation of river basin management for the sub-basins of the Drin Basin. The management of Protected Areas in the Drin Basin was an additional important item of discussion.

    – Provided a forum for a fruitful discussion on options for gender mainstreaming in the Drin Basin management.

    View the Agenda here

     

  • 3rd Multi-Stakeholder Conference

    The 3rd multi-stakeholder conference was organized in Tirana on 16 December 2015, by the Drin Core Group with the assistance of its Secretariat (GWP-Med) in cooperation with UNDP and the support of the GEF Drin Project. The conference was kindly hosted by the Albanian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. It brought together approximately 100 participants.

    The event was the Inception Meeting signaling the initiation of the GEF Drin Project. The latter was designed to provide the means for the implementation of the Drin MoU.

    The event:

    – Reminded the participants of the Project’s objectives and content.

    – Presented the Project’s governing structure and workplan for 2015.

    – Enabled stakeholders to provide input regarding the implementation of the project.

    – Identified opportunities for the Drin MoU process to provide a practical platform of reference and coordination among on-going initiatives and projects across the Drin Basin and sub-basins.

    View the agenda here: 

  • 2nd Multi-stakeholder Conference

    The 2nd multi-stakeholder conference was held in Tirana on 10-11 December 2013 and brought together approximately 100 participants. The event was organized by the Drin Core Group with the assistance of its Secretariat (GWP-Med) and the support of the GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit) and UNECE.

    The event:

    – Presented the activities for the implementation of the Drin MoU in the period 2011-2013 and sought input from the stakeholders in this regard.

    – Promoted coordination of action among national and international actors as well as processes and projects implemented in the Drin and its sub-basins.

    – Facilitated cross-fertilization among national and regional stakeholders on management and development related issues e.g. management of protected areas, monitoring, and challenges in implementing the WFD, sustainable tourism etc. 

    Further, it assisted in updating the list of national and international stakeholders and enlarging the group of those actively involved in the process for the implementation of the Drin MoU, ensuring enhanced information flow and steering of the process by the Drin Core Group. 

    The event marked the initiation of the GEF support for the management of the Drin Basin through the Project “Enabling Transboundary Cooperation and Integrated Water Resources Management in the Extended Drin River Basin” (Drin Project). The stakeholders were consulted on the content and structure of the Drin project.

    View the Agenda here

     

  • The Drin Coordinated Action

    for the implementation of the Drin MoU

     

    Succeeding the Drin Dialogue, a process was put into place called the Drin Coordinated Action (Drin CORDA), for the implementation of the Drin MoU.

     

     

    An institutional structure comprising joint bodies with officially appointed members, established in 2012 by the Drin MoU, guided and steered the Drin CORDA:

    • The Meeting of the Parties was comprised of “the Ministers responsible for the management of water resources and/or environment of the five Parties” that “shall meet annually to review progress in the implementation of the present MoU and its provisions” (Article 6, Drin MoU).
    • The Drin Core Group (DCG) was given the mandate to coordinate actions for the implementation of the MoU. The decisions of the DCG were taken by the representatives of the Parties to the MoU (i.e. the Drin Riparians) by consensus. There were two regular DCG meetings per year.
    • Four Expert Working Groups (EWG) have been established to assist the DCG in its work.
    • The DCG Secretariat provided technical and administrative support to the DCG; GWP-Med served by appointment of the Parties, according to the MoU, as the Secretariat.

     

  • Introduction

    A continuum of cooperation

    “The ultimate goal of the work in the Drin Basin is to reach a point in the future where the scale of management lifts from single water bodies to the hydrological interconnected system of the Drin Basin, eventually leading from the sharing of waters among Riparians and conflicting uses, to the sharing of benefits in an area physically, culturally and historically interconnected.”

          

    The establishment of cooperation

    Coordinated action at the Drin Basin level was absent until the development of the Shared Vision for the sustainable management of the Basin and the signing of a related Memorandum of Understanding (Drin MoU) in 2011.

    The discussions on an enhanced cooperation among the Riparians for the management of the Drin Basin started in 2006. The “Consultation Meeting on Integrated Management of the extended Drin River Basin” held on 24 November 2008, in Tirana, was a stepping stone in this regard.

    The Drin Dialogue Process

    An outcome of that meeting was the decision for the initiation of the “Drin Dialogue”, a structured multi-stakeholder process at both national and transboundary level. The Dialogue was initiated on 1 December 2009 and resulted in the development of the Shared Vision among the Drin Riparians.

    The Drin Memorandum of Understanding

    The Shared Vision became the objective of the Memorandum of Understanding for the Management of the Extended Transboundary Drin Basin (Drin MoU) signed by the Ministers responsible for water resources and environmental management and high level representatives of the Riparians, in Tirana, Albania, on 25 November 2011. The meeting for the signing of the Drin MoU concluded the Drin Dialogue.

    The Drin Coordinated Action for the implementation of the Drin MoU

    Succeeding the Drin Dialogue, a process called the “Drin CORDA” – Drin Coordinated Action – was put in place for the implementation of the Drin MoU. 

    The GEF Drin Project

    A Project financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and executed by the Global Water Partnership (GWP) through GWP-Mediterranean (GWP-Med) supported the realization of the Drin CORDA and the implementation of the Drin MoU. The Drin Core Group was the Steering Committee (SC) of the Project.

     

     

     

  • The Drin Memorandum of Understanding

    Read the MoU for the Management of the Extended Transboundary Drin Basin here PDF icon 

    The political leadership responds

    The Ministers of the water and environment management competent ministries of the Drin Riparians i.e. Albania, North Macedonia (then Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), Greece, Kosovo1 and Montenegro signed in Tirana on 25 November 2011, the Memorandum of Understanding for the Management of the Extended Transboundary Drin Basin (Drin MoU). The Drin MoU provided the political framework for and defined the context of cooperation among the Drin Riparians.

    The Strategic Shared Vision for the management of the Drin Basin, as developed in the framework of the Drin Dialogue, formed the Objective of the Drin MoU:

    “To promote joint action for the coordinated integrated management of the shared water resources in the Drin Basin, as a means to safeguard and restore to the extent possible the ecosystems and the services they provide, and to promote sustainable development across the Drin Basin”.

    The Parties to the MoU agreed to undertake concrete short-, medium- and long-term actions to address the transboundary issues, towards the integrated management of the Basin; the preparation of an Integrated Drin Basin Management Plan was the long-term objective. 

     

     

     

    [1] This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.