Europe & CIS

In coordination with the GEF Kura-Aras River basin project, the project will explore with the countries possible options for development and establishment of legal and institutional frameworks for the joint management of the natural resources of the basin.

Specifically the project will assist the countries to develop  a preliminary legal and institutional framework for coordination of regional action for the protection of the Kura-Aras basin environment. It is hoped that this project provide the basis for future negotiations , supported by the GEF and other donors, for a lasting agreement and institution structure.

Although there are numerous water resource project initiatives in the Kura-Aras basin, the GEF project is the only one in which all four major basin countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Islamic Republic of Iran) are involved. It is for this reason that the GEF is taking the lead, agreed with other donors, in assisting the countries to develop options for future basin management. The river basin is facing a number of priority transboundary problems which at present cannot be addressed because of a lack of a regional management framework. These problems include:

1.       Non rational use of water

2.       Ecosystem Degradation

3.       Deterioration in water quality

4.       Flooding and bank erosion

5.       Decline in bio-resources

An initial Strategic Action Programme (SAP) has been developed to address these issues in the two major sub-catchments but its  progress is  hindered by the lack of a agreement, other than the GEF project document, in implementation.

Currently there are bi-lateral agreements between the countries regarding water sharing, in particular between IR of Iran and Armenia and Azerbaijan, but there are no multi-lateral agreements. Furthermore, although three of the countries are signatories to the UNECE Convention on management of transboundary waters and are committed to the EU Water Framework directive, and despite having been significant international support, there are still no basin-wide agreements on water quality.

The GEF project is committed to initiating a dialogue on possible management options between the four major basin countries and possibly the fifth basin country Turkey. It has been proposed that two workshops be held, led by UNEP’s Regional Office for Europe to discuss possible options for future long-term legal and institutional frameworks and, in the shorter term, structures for implementation of the Strategic Action Plan. One possible option would be the formation of a Kura-Aras Environmental Programme, similar to the Caspian Environment Programme, under a UN umbrella, to which all basin countries and the key donor organisations would be members. The formation of the Kura-Aras Environmental Programme would be agreed under a declaration signed by the countries and major donors.

In the ENVSEC context, there will be specific coordination with other efforts undertaken by the partner organisations to ensure that the activities complement each other. The UNECE Convention on management of transboundary waters will also be addressed through activities led by UNECE, and this project will coordinate closely with those activities. OSCE and NATO are implementing a project on scientific monitoring of pollution at various points in the river basin in ENVSEC. The way in which this project can draw upon those results for the formation of a multilateral agreement in the river basin will be carefully explored.

The GEF project is seeking funds to support the following related activities:

-          Regional SAP review meeting

-          Preparation of a working paper on Kura-Aras for basin management options and SAP implementation

-          Regional meeting to discuss management options (long and short-term)

-          Preparation of short term options paper and draft documents

-          Meeting in Geneva to discuss options and draft documents

-          Preparation of final documents and submission to countries

Representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the executing Ministry will be invited to both the regional and the Geneva management options meetings. An experienced international consultant will be hired to prepare the documents and to facilitate both meetings.

The project deliverables will be:

-          Management options paper

-          Reports from regional meetings

-          Short term options paper and draft documents

-          Final documents for submission to countries for signature

UNDP CO, Ministries of Environment and Foreign Affairs in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia

www.envsec.org