Overall goal of the project is to enhance GWP ToolBox with transboundary cooperation tools and to document and share lessons learned from IWRM implementation in the region of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).
The project is in line with the overall GWP Strategy 2009-2013 and Regional Strategy CEE Water Partnership.
While IWRM processes are well recognized in national water related legislations, complicated features of transboundary waters are far more challenging, including stakeholder participation, transboundary basins legal jurisdiction, harmonizing interest of international water users and implementation of environmental management tools.
The GWP ToolBox includes several recommendations and discusses implications of management of water resources in a transboundary context. However, the only tool, which specifically addresses transboundary cooperation, relates to institutional roles.
The current GWP ToolBox is limited in exploring other key tools, such as international water treaties, funding opportunities and challenges at transboundary basins, management and processing of hydrological and resource use data of transboundary basins
Other unrepresented tools include conflict management and stakeholder participation at transboundary level and joint basin planning and implementation of IWRM plans crossing administration, economic and social borders of an individual country.
The project builds on solid experience and regional technical expertise of CEE region in managing transboundary waters in CEE region.
The project is also a concrete contribution of GWP CEE region to enhance global technical knowledge, specifically, experience of CEE region in managing transboundary waters.
Over the next 12 months, GWP CEE will carry out analysis of ToolBox tools and recommend improvement in specific areas including legal aspects of transboundary cooperation, including arrangements of transboundary cooperation, institutional arrangements, stakeholder involvement and conflict management, and management tools for implementation of IWRM plans on the transboundary level.
In addition to analysis of tools, GWP CEE will develop six case studies and reference documents from two transboundary commissions in CEE, international Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) and Helsinki Commission (HELCOM).
The case studies will summarize experiences especially from transboundary water management planning process and when appropriate, adaptation to climate change and flood prevention.
GWP CEE Regional Secretariat will also identify potential case studies from IW:LEARN funded projects.
In the future, the project can be replicated in other GWP regions to enrich ToolBox with their region specific tools.
For more information, please contact GWP CEE Regional Secretariat atgwpcee@shmu.sk