OSCE helps implement Dniester river basin project

ODESA, Ukraine, 1 December 2005 - A meeting of national working groups in Odesa today marks the end of a project aimed at enhancing regional co-operation between Ukraine and Moldova on integrated water resources management in the Dniester river basin.

Supported by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, the project, "Transboundary Co-operation and Sustainable Management of the Dniester River," was implemented with the help of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

Environmental officials of different levels, local authorities, representatives of the civil society, and foreign donors that took part in the Odesa meeting, discussed the next steps in achieving sustainable development of the Dniester river basin.

"The project helped enhance regional co-operation between Ukraine and Moldova on integrated water resources management and discuss outstanding transboundary issues in the Dniester river basin," said Raul Daussa of the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities.

"It also served as a forum for environmental agencies working in the field."

Under the project, a diagnostic study of the river basin was produced by national and international experts, which incorporated a number of recommendations for boosting environmental co-operation in the region.

The Dniester River, one of the major rivers in Eastern Europe and an important source of drinking water, is facing serious environmental problems. The river is shared between Ukraine and Moldova, including the conflict-ridden Transdniestrian region, which makes it difficult to achieve a coherent approach to solving the existing problems and improve river management.