Europe - UNEP

Dnieper Delta near the Black Sea, at Kherson, Ukraine. Photo credit: Uaquantum, via Wikimedia Commons.
legal arrangements and promote the sustainable
management of the waters of the Dnieper
agreement.
The poor environmental state of the basin
as well as the problems related to the provision
of good quality drinking water supply and the
conservation of the biological diversity of the
landscape are highlighted in the preamble of the
draft Dnieper agreement. The preamble also
recognises that current local, national, and
international level efforts are insufficient to ensure
the substantial improvement of the environmental
state of the Dnieper basin, and that rehabilitation
can only be ensured through focused and
coordinated action at the international and
national level. Interestingly, despite the fact that
the Dnieper countries are not EU member
countries, the preamble makes reference not only
to the bilateral and multilateral agreements
(mentioned above) but also to the guiding
principles and approaches of the EU WFD.
If implemented, the Dnieper agreement
would require the basin countries to implement
the SAP for the Dnieper basin in order to achieve
sustainable natural use and environmental
conservation of the basin. The agreement would
also oblige countries to establish the adequate
legal and institutional framework for the
international management of the basin, including
a sound legislative framework for multi- and
bilateral cooperation, enhanced cooperation with
international donor agencies in the field of
environmental rehabilitation of the Dnieper basin,
and the provision of a sufficient framework to
encourage and promote public participation in
decision-making processes at the national and
international level. Furthermore, the draft
agreement would require countries to convene a
conference with the involved parties as a supreme
body responsible for managing the Dnieper
basin, and establish the International Dnieper
Basin Commission, assisted by a permanent
secretariat. A number of related organisations
would support the work of the commission, some
of which already exist. For example, the
International Dnieper Council currently acts as a
consultative body to ensure the effective
implementation of cooperative arrangements
focused on the rehabilitation of the Dnieper
basin. Other institutions envisaged include the
International Dnieper Basin Thematic Centres and
the International Forum of Non-Governmental
Organisation.
Chapter 5. Hydropolitical Vulnerability and Resilience Case Studies — 69