A boat for fisheries inspectors and a water sampling platform on the Dniester River were formally handed over to authorities in the Republic of Moldova today by representatives of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and its partner organizations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in a small ceremony.
Funds made available through the “Transboundary cooperation and sustainable management in the Dniester River Basin” project supported the purchase of the motorboat “AMUR-M” for the Fisheries Service of Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Moldova. Making it possible to cover one of Eastern Europe’s longest rivers, the boat will allow the Fisheries Service to protect the rich fish population, including a number of valuable species, from poaching. In a recent report funded by the Dniester project it was concluded that the number of fish species in the River had declined by 50% over the past 10 years. The boat will also make it possible to undertake much-needed conservation measures in coordinated actions with Ukrainian partners.
The water sampling platform (a flight of steps and platform in the water from which to take water samples at a specially selected site), installed in Palanca, Republic of Moldova, will be used by both the Moldovan and the Ukrainian health and environmental monitoring authorities. Joint sampling and analysis is important for the further improvement of cooperation and coordination between health authorities in the region responsible for the quality of drinking water. The need for the platform was identified during cooperation supported by the project between the Moldovan and Ukrainian sanitary-epidemiological services. The Centre of Public Health of the Stefan Voda district, in the Republic of Moldova, is responsible for maintaining the installation.
For further information please visit: http://www.unece.org/env/water/eeurope.html or contact:
Mr. Bo Libert, UNECE
Phone: +41 (0)22 917 2396
E-mail: [email protected]
Note to Editors
Traversing 1,362 kilometres, the Dniester River is one of the largest Eastern European rivers. Along with supply of drinking water, hydropower generation and fisheries are other important sectors it serves. The river starts in the Ukrainian Carpathian mountains, flows through the Republic of Moldova and re-enters Ukraine where it discharges into the Black Sea. In the Republic of Moldova, the river marks the informal border with the breakaway region of Transnistria.
The joint OSCE-UNEP-UNECE project, “Transboundary cooperation and sustainable management in the Dniester River Basin: Phase III — Implementation of the Action Programme”, is the third and final phase of a programme to develop transboundary water cooperation on the Dniester, and was funded by the Finnish and Swedish Governments. Dniester III was implemented in the framework of Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC) and the work programme of the UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention). Project achievements include:
Development of a bilateral treaty on the sustainable management of the Dniester River, which is presently going through approval processes in the two countries.
Improved cooperation and coordination between health authorities in the region responsible for the quality of drinking water.
Developed transboundary cooperation on biodiversity, including the management of fish stocks.
Improved access to and exchange of information in the basin.
Raised awareness among stakeholders and the public about the values and threats related to the Dniester basin.
ENVSEC (see envsec.org) was established in 2003 and includes OSCE, the Regional Environmental Centre for Central and Eastern Europe, the United Nations Development Programme, UNECE and UNEP. ENVSEC works to assess and address environmental problems that threaten or are perceived to threaten security, societal stability and peace, human health and/or sustainable livelihoods, within and across national borders in conflict prone regions.
The UNECE Water Convention of 1992 aims to strengthen national measures and transboundary cooperation for the protection and ecologically sound management of transboundary surface waters and groundwaters. Thirty-seven States and the European Union are Parties to the Water Convention.