A Shared Strategic Vision for the Management of the Drin River Basin was agreed at high level

The Drin Dialogue is a structured consultation process that aims to develop a shared vision among Riparians and stakeholders for the sustainable management of the Drin Basin. The Drin Dialogue is facilitated by UNECE and the Global Water Partnership-Mediterranean (GWP-Med) using the platform of the UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) and the Petersberg Phase II/Athens Declaration Process. It is part of the work programmes of the Mediterranean Component of the EU Water Initiative (MED EUWI) and the GEF MedPartnership and is financially supported by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. The Drin Core Group, with representatives from all Riparians, has guided the process to establish the Shared Strategic Vision for the sustainable management of the basin.

The Drin Basin covers a geographical area that includes Albania, Greece, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo (United Nations administered region, Security Council resolution 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.

The UNECE Water Convention is an important legal framework for transboundary water management in the pan-European region. The Drin Dialogue is part of its work programme. Currently, 35 countries and the European Union are Parties to the Convention.

The Global Water Partnership is an intergovernmental organization promoting integrated water resources management worldwide. GWP Mediterranean (GWP-Med) is a regional partnership bringing together competent organizations working on water issues in the Mediterranean region. Created in 2002, GWP-Med 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 South-East Europe, a framework for the development of transboundary water cooperation in the region, and of MED EUWI. Furthermore it serves as the secretariat of the Drin Core Group.

For more information, see http://www.gwpmed.org or http://themedpartnership.org.

View the Memorandum of Understanding.