Kickoff Meetings memo 118.96 KB - Environmental Protection of ...

Environmenatl Protection of
International River Basins Project
Contract No. 2011/279-666
This project is
funded by
The European
Union
A project implemented by a Consortium
led by Hulla & Co. Human Dynamics KG
Kick off meetings
Several the EPIRB Project kick off meetings have been held from 2 nd to 29 th of March. The meetings
took place in all 6 beneficiary countries – Ukraine, Georgia, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan and
Moldova.
The first meeting was organized in the Ministry of the Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine
(MENR) on 2 nd of March 2012.
The meeting was attended by the representatives of the Ministry of the Ecology and Natural
Resources of Ukraine, Ministry of Emergency Situation of Ukraine, officials from the State Agency of
Water Resources of Ukraine, Representatives of EU Delegation to Ukraine, Project Team members
and the Experts from the other ongoing EU funded Projects, implemented in the field of
Environmental protection/water recourses.
Following issues were discussed during the meeting:
1 National Coordination Committee composition (by MENR order)
2 Pilot basins selection
3 Coordination with SBS and other projects
4 Relations with water agencies/River Basin Organizations dealing with
monitoring and River Basin Management Plans
5 Comments to the Terms of Reference and project documents
Kick off meetings in Georgia have been held on 6-7 March, 2012. The Project Team
met the representatives of the beneficiary institutions as well the International
Organizations working in this field in Georgia and the members of the other
ongoing UNDP/GEF project: Reducing Trans boundary Degradation of the Kura
Aras River Basin and USAID/Global Water for Sustainability (GLOWS) Program:
Integrated Resources Management in Watersheds of Georgia – INRMW.
The meetings with the representative of the Ministry of Environment Protection of
Georgia was mostly focused on the expected project results and the benefits. Georgia’s
role and specific informal ‘mandate’ of bridging upstream and downstream river basins of
the South Caucasus was particularly praised by the participants. Another meeting in the
Ministry of Environment has focused more on technical issues. The project team explained
in detail the project goals, the activities to be carried out and the methodology. The team
has first and foremost paid attention to the idea that the project is not of demonstration
character and all activities of beneficiaries will take place in reality to address some key
principles of the EU WFD in a selected pilot area.
The meeting with the National Environmental Agency (NEA) was important as the agency
will be a key institution for the implementation of the project Activity 1. The NEA is the only
existing legitimate institution in Georgia responsible for all types of monitoring activities for
surface, ground and coastal waters (including hydrological, chemical and hydro-biological),
as well as for collection, processing and dissemination of environmental data and
information. Therefore, discussion on the project activities and expected outcomes was
very detailed. Expectations from this project are high; and therefore all relevant

Kick off Meetings
departments guaranteed their willingness to actively participate and provide all necessary
data and human resources for its successful implementation.
The Project team held the meeting with the Agency of Natural Resources, which is a new
institution working under the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. As the Agency is
responsible for licensing and management of groundwater resources in Georgia, it is one of
the key beneficiary institutions for the project. The meeting had introductory character.
The Kick off meetings in Armenia took place on 12-13 March 2012. The First meeting has
been held with the Water Resources Management Agency - WRMA, Ministry of
Nature Protection of Armenia. The Water Resources Management Agency (WRMA) is
part of the Ministry of Nature Protection of Armenia. After the team of the Project
presented objectives and main technical activities of the project, as well as the expected
outcomes of the mission in Armenia: establishment of the project National Coordination
Committee; nomination of representatives in the Regional Steering Committee, selection of
a trans-boundary pilot basin for Armenia, it was mentioned that the project understands
the complications of the political situation in the region and the difficulty of selecting a pilot
area bordering Azerbaijan. It was advised to consider the possible effect of upstream to
downstream relationship, however selection will be completely up to the beneficiaries and
the project activities will concentrate in the pilot area.
The meeting was focused on the details of the proposed pilot area – the Akhurian river
basin, which was suggested by the Armenian beneficiary institutions. The composition of
the project National Coordination Committee and possible synergy with the EU’s ongoing
project - ‘Support to the EU Water Initiative in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central
Asia (EUWI EECCA)’ was discussed as well.
List of the Meetings:
State Committee of Water Systems - SCWS, Ministry of Territorial Administration
of Armenia;
Environmental Impact Monitoring Centre - EIMC, Ministry of Nature Protection of
Armenia;
Armenian State Hydrometeorological and Monitoring Service, Ministry of
Emergency Situations
Hydrogeological Monitoring Centre, Ministry of Nature Protection of Armenia;
Ministry of Nature Protection of Armenia – MNP;
USAID Clean Energy and Water Program – CEW
Topics of the discussions:
• Objectives of the project and the planned activities, especially emphasising the
role of the beneficiary institutions for the successful implementation of the
project activities.
• Potential pilot areas in Armenia (specifically the Akhurian Basin proposed by the
Ministry of Nature Protection);
• Difference between the accomplished or on-going similar projects and EPIRB in
terms of introducing three types of monitoring activities required by WFD:
surveillance, operational and investigative monitoring;
• Proposal to use data obtained from hydro-biological, hydro-morphological and
groundwater surveys, in addition to regular physico-chemical parameters, for
analysis of baseline situation and detection of ecological status of water bodies.
The meeting in the Ministry of Nature Protection (MNP) focused mostly on the project
management and administrative/budgetary issues.
On 15-16 March the Project Team organized the kick off meetings in Azerbaijan.
Important meeting have been held with the representatives of Ministry of
Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan; EPTISA Engineering, EU
Kura-III Project Office for Azerbaijan; National Environmental Monitoring
Department of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of
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Kick off Meetings
Azerbaijan; State Water Resources Agency of the Ministry of Emergency
Situations of Azerbaijan.
Issues discussed during the meetings included:
1. Composition of the project National Coordination Committee and Regional Steering
Committee;
2. Official nomination of the Project Focal Point from the project target institution of Azerbaijan;
3. Results achieved during the Kura Phase II project and plans for the Phase III.
Ways for cooperation and how to avoid overlapping initiatives as the two
water projects have some similarities in their objectives and expected
outcomes.
4. Possible options for pilot area selection and specific activities to be carried
out for implementation of EU WFD compliant monitoring programs in
beneficiary countries, including assessing ecological status of surface water
bodies based on hydro-morphological, chemical and biological monitoring
systems.
5. Ways of involving irrigation and agriculture institutions in the project National
Coordination Committee meetings, as well as in developing a pilot RBMP and
their close cooperation with other beneficiary institutions
On 26 th of March two big sessions of the meetings have been held to kick off the Project in the
Republic of Belarus. The first session was attended only by the project team and the representatives
of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the
Republic of Belarus (MNREP).
Topics of discussion:
• Changes in the Environmental Legislation of Belarus in 2011 (MNREP)
• EPIRB Project registration related issues (MNREP)
• Project budget presentation (Human Dynamics)
• Selection of the pilot river basins (exchange of opinions)
• Make up of water and economic budgets (brief discussion)
At the second session of the Meeting were also invited the representatives of local
stakeholders.
The meeting was introductory in general. At the end of the meeting it was promised by Head of
Department of Regulation on Impact on Atmospheric Air and Water Resources, that
they will select the pilot basin and the composition of the National Steering
Committee by June 20, 2012.
Five kick off meetings with the Ministry of Environment (MoE) of the Republic
of Moldova; State Hydro-meteorological Service of the Republic of
Moldova, National Environmental Center, the Agency “Apele Moldovei”
(Agency of MoE) and the Irrigation Sector Reform Project, Millennium
Challenge Corporation have been held in Moldova on 29-30 March, 2012. Mainly
the purpose of the meetings was in presentation of the Project main activities and
goals to the beneficiaries and the stakeholders.
The issues related to the selection of pilot basins have been discussed during the meeting with
the MoE. The Prut basin was suggested as the trans-boundary pilot basin for Moldova in cooperation
with Ukraine. Ukraine has no objections regarding the Prut basin; however, during the kick-off
meeting in Ukraine it was mentioned that the Dniester basin is also of interest for this country. It was
mentioned that selection of joint pilot basin should be made during the inception phase.
Additionally, during the inception phase each country should delegate representatives to the
Regional Steering Committee and National Coordination Committee. Preferably, the members have
to represent main direct project beneficiaries which are water management and monitoring
agencies, basin organizations, etc., especially those representing the pilot basins etc. This is
essential in order to ensure ownership of RBMP.
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Kick off Meetings
During the meeting with the “Apele Moldovei” (Agency of MoE) it was mentioned
that the The purpose of the mission and the main tasks of the inception phase in general and
particularly in Moldova are the following:1) present the project to the key beneficiary of the project
(MoE), the main water stakeholders – Agency “Apele Moldovei” and State Hydrometeorological
Service, and other organizations taking part in water resources management and monitoring; 2)
collect all remarks, questions, suggestions related to the ToR of the project from all interested
parties; 3) get a joint decision of the beneficiary counties on the selected trans-boundary pilot
basins; and 4) initiate the creation of the Regional Steering Committee and National Coordination
Council.
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