OSCE meeting on water governance to take place in Serbia

VIENNA, 7 May 2015 – From 11 to 12 May, officials and key stakeholders from 57 OSCE participating States will meet in Belgrade, Serbia, to discuss water governance in the OSCE area from the security perspective, followed by a field visit on 13 May to the areas affected by the 2014 flood in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.

The meeting, hosted by Serbia’s Chairmanship, will be opened by the Serbian State Secretary of Interior Ministry, Aleksandar Nikolić and the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, Dr. Halil Yurdakul Yigitgüden, followed by keynote speeches of the President of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River Basin, Dražen Kurečić, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Environment Division Director, Marco Keiner.

The meeting will focus on water governance in the context of disaster risk reduction and on raising awareness of the importance of water governance. One year after the unprecedented flooding disaster in South Eastern Europe, participants will share experiences of transboundary co-operation in flood response in the region and beyond.  Water governance in the context of foreign and security policies, investments and development assistance and the upcoming Sustainable Development Goals, along with public participation and awareness-raising in water governance are among the issues that will be addressed in this meeting.

On 13 May, the participants will visit Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Sremsko-Macvanski district in Serbia, one of the most affected regions during the May 2014 floods.

The Second Preparatory Meeting will be followed by the Concluding Meeting of the 23^rd Economic and Environmental Forum on 14-16 September 2015 in Prague.

Journalists are invited to the opening session of the meeting on 11 May, Monday, from 09:00 to 10:30, at the Palace of Serbia, in Belgrade.

Media interested in attending the opening session should register by sending an e-mail to dinfmsp@gmail.com, by Sunday, 20:00, 10 May 2015.

Press opportunity in Bosnia and Herzegovina will take place on 13 May at 10:30 in village Raca, (next to old mill), Bijeljina municipality. Please register via Zeljka.Sulc@osce.org