The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Project prepared by UNDP, UNECE and GWP Mediterranean is part of the Work Programme adopted by the GEF Council on 13-15 November 2012 in Washington. UNDP is the GEF Implementing Agency, and UNOPS, UNECE and GWP Mediterranean the Executing Partners of the Project. With a total budget of 27 million USD and the participation of three UN agencies, GWP Mediterranean is the key technical partner.
The GEF Project will be developed on the following Components:
1. Consolidating a common knowledge base
2. Building the foundation for mutli-country cooperation
3. Institutional strengthening for Integrated River Basin Management
4. Demonstration of technologies and practices for IWRM and ecosystem management
5. Stakeholder Involvement, Gender Mainstreaming and Communication Strategies
The GEF Project builds on the work led by GWP Mediterranean and partners since 2006 under the Petersberg Phase II / Athens Declaration Process, and through the formal procedure of the ʽDrin Dialogueʼ since 2009. That process led to a ‘MoU for the Management of the Drin Basin’ signed by Ministers of Albania, FYR Macedonia, Greece, Montenegro and Kosovo in November 2011, in Tirana, Albania. GWP Mediterranean serves the Secretariat of the Drin Core Group.
GWP Mediterranean in October organized the first Meetings of three Expert Working Groups, established in support of the Drin Core Group, i.e. on (i) Water Framework Directive Implementation, (ii) Monitoring and Information Exchange, and (iii) Biodiversity and Ecosystems.
GWP Mediterranean implements this agenda with the financial and political support of UNECE and other partners.