OSCE and partner organizations support progress in Moldovan-Ukrainian co-operation to strengthen sustainable development in the Dniester basin

Strengthening sustainable development in the Dniester basin was the focus of the OSCE-supported second meeting of the Transboundary Dniester Commission held on 4 April 2019 in Kyiv, Ukraine.

The meeting brought together high-level representatives from Moldova and Ukraine, along with officials of different agencies and representatives of other international projects, civil society and academia from both countries. The Commission is supported by the Global Environment Facility and by the OSCE in partnership with UNDP and UNECE. 

 “Regular meetings of the Commission are of great importance for dialogue in order to catalyze win-win solutions essential to the sustainable development and stability of the region and for people of both states,” saidOSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine Henrik Villadsen. 

Representatives of the OSCE’s project team presented a transboundary diagnostic analysis of the Dniester and its basin and planned project activities in 2019. 

The aim of the transboundary project is to further support Moldova and Ukraine in implementing the bilateral Dniester Treaty and in enhancing the water sector on both sides of the border. Current co-operation efforts, supported by the project, include an integrated analysis of the state of the river and improving approaches to mutually beneficial use of water resources of the whole Dniester basin.

The Co-chairs of the Dniester Commission, Valentyna Tapis and Mykola Kuzio, high-level representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment of Moldova and of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine, presented interim results of joint work accomplished under the aegis of the recently established Dniester Commission and noted contributions of other international technical assistance projects relevant in the context of the Dniester basin. 

Representatives of Moldova and Ukraine discussed draft rules for the operation of hydropower reservoirs and opportunities for addressing current challenges from the national perspectives. Members of the Dniester Commission agreed on modalities of marking International Dniester Day on 26 May 2019 in Chisinau, Moldova. 

Supporting the Dniester Commission as a tool for achieving the sustainable development and protection of the Dniester River basinis one of the most important project objectives. The Commission will provide an opportunity to fulfill the obligations undertaken by Moldova and Ukraine under the  UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (1992) and the EU Water Framework Directive(2000).

This Global Environment Facility funded project is implemented by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities in close co-operation with the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, the OSCE Mission to Moldova and in partnership with UNDP and UNECE.

For more details, please visit https://dniester-commission.com/en/joint-management/dniester-commission/.