Experience Note: The Dnipro Agreement: Negotiations and Technical Cooperation Surpassing Expectations

The concept for the Dnipro Basin Environment Programme (DBEP) was approved in December 1999. The project was established by the three riparian countries to develop a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) for the Basin and to achieve agreement on a Strategic Action Programme (SAP) for protection and recovery of the river and its tributaries. The DBEP project was implemented during a time of considerable change in the region. In particular, the political and economic relationships between the three former Soviet republics changed dramatically. A decision was reached prior to project launch that the effort should proceed despite there being no legal basis in place for joint development and implementation of a Dnipro Strategic Action Plan. Even without a formal legal basis, the DBEP created and maintained strong country buy-in and ownership. The DBEP experience provides valuable lessons for managing transboundary projects in areas facing political upheaval and shifting alliances. The TDA/SAP development approach taken, including the gradual introduction of a legal framework, can be replicated in cases where agreements at project commencement are not achievable. The Dnipro project has demonstrated how GEF projects can proceed to build acceptance for TDA/SAP processes in the absence of a convention or other legal structures in place, enabling a common understanding to be forged concerning water quality issues, and paving the way towards negotiations on binding agreements. Alan Fox