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- The International Roundtable on “Stakeholder / Public Participation for the Integrated Management of Shared Water Resources – The Case of Mesta / Nestos River Basin
The International Roundtable on “Stakeholder / Public Participation for the Integrated Management of Shared Water Resources – The Case of Mesta / Nestos River Basin” took place in Sofia, Bulgaria, 15-16 April 2008. It was jointly organised by the Global Water Partnership-Mediterranean (GWP-Med) and GWP Bulgaria with the financial support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation within the framework of GEF IW:LEARN.
The Roundtable is part of the activities within the Petersberg Process Phase II / Athens Declaration Process .
The International Roundtable aimed at:
- sharing international experience and best practices from within and outside the Southeastern Europe region on stakeholder / public participation in shared water resources management;
- elaborating on the progress achieved until now for the management of the Basin in each one of the countries and through their joint efforts;
- enhancing the involvement of the local stakeholders and identify possible next steps for their systematic engagement in accordance to the provisions of EU WFD;
- eventually assisting in identifying next steps for the enhancement of the cooperation between the two countries at national and local levels for the integrated management of the Basin in the context of EU WFD.
Based on the findings of the survey, two preparatory local consultation meetings with the major stakeholders of the respective part of the Basin were organised, one in Gotze Delchev, Bulgaria (28 February 2008), and another one in Kavala, Greece (20 March 2008) to sound interests, extract experiences on the subject and provide feedback into the International Roundtable.
The activity contributes to the work of the Mediterranean Component of the EU Water Initiative (MED EUWI) as well as to the new GEF Strategic Partnership for the Mediterranean Sea Large Marine Ecosystems.
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Participants  were representatives of national and local (e.g. national and local authorities, water users associations, academia, private companies, NGOs and civil society organizations etc.) as well as international and regional institutions and organizations.
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Day 1 –Tuesday, 15 April 2008
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09.00
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Introductory Remarks
- Ms. Lubka Katchakova, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Environment and Water of Bulgaria
- Mr. Panagiotis Georgiadis, Director, Water Resources Management Directorate, Region of the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Greece
- Mr. Ron Hofer, Environment and Water Advisor, Europe and Central Asia Region, World Bank
- Ms. Janot Mendler de Suarez, Deputy Director, GEF IW:LEARN
- Prof. Michael Scoullos, Chairman, Global Water Partnership - Mediterranean |
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10.00
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Purpose of the Roundtable and organization of work
Mr Michael Scoullos, Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean
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Management of Shared Water Resources |
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10.20
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Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) – stories of success
Ms Ana Drapa, UNECE
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10.50
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The UNESCO’s “Man and the Biosphere” Programme
Mr Karl-Heinz Gaudri, UNESCO
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11.20
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Coffee break
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11.50
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Water resources management in the Basin – Assessment of the managerial actions undertaken and the challenges currently faced in the context of the EU WFD implementation
Mr Giorgos Zalidis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki / Balkan Environment Center
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Public Participation in Integrated Water Resources Management Presentation of Experience at the National level - Understanding the Issues
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12.20
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Lessons learned / Practical experiences from implementing Public Participation in Integrated River Basin Management in Austria
Ms Susanne Brandstetter, Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management
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12.50
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Discussion
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13.30
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Lunch break
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14.45
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The involvement of stakeholders in the Integrated Water Resources Management
(Conversation table dialogues - Participants will discuss in groups framing questions and will identify key roadblocks to involving stakeholders in integrated water resources management at national level. Each table will report key points made by the group.
Facilitated plenary discussion will follow.)
- 14.45 Introductory presentation
- 15.00 Discussion in groups
- 15.45 Presentation of the outcomes of the group discussions
- 16.15 Discussion in Plenary
Facilitator: Ms Janot Mendler de Suarez, GEF IW:LEARN
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17.30
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Conclusions of Day 1
Mr Michael Scoullos, Global Water Partnership - Mediterranean
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19.30
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Folk Dinner
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Day 2 – Wednesday, 16 April 2008
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Public Participation in Integrated Management of Shared Basins. Presentation of Experience at the International Level - Understanding the Issues, moving to Action
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09.30
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Involving stakeholders in the Management of Shared Basins - Initiatives / Experiences
Experiences of Public Participation in shared basins management
(A presentation by each of the participants will be followed by facilitated panel discussion on key topics. The panel will interact with the participants)
Case studies:
- Public Participation under the EU-WFD in the Elbe River Basin - Experiences on the International and national Level (Czech Republic, Germany), Ms Wenke Karstedt, German Ministry of Environment
- Danube River Basin Ms Milena Dimitrova, Danube Environmental Forum
- Peipsi/Chudskoe Lake Basin (Estonia, Russia), Ms. Margit Sδre, Peipsi Center for Transboundary Cooperation
- Prespa Lake Basin (Albania, Greece, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), Ms Daphne Mantziou, Society for the Protection of Prespa
- Shkoder Lake Basin (Albania, Montenegro), Mr Dimitris Faloutsos, GWP-Med
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11.30
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Coffee break
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12.00
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Multipurpose use of shared water bodies – The Sava river basin
Mr Dejan Komatina, International Sava River Basin Commission (ISRBC)
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12.30
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Lunch break
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Public Participation for the Integrated Management of the Basin
Facilitator: Mr Michael Scoullos, Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean
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14.00
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Stakeholders involvement in the management of the Basin – a Stakeholders survey
Mr Dimitris Faloutsos, GWP-Med
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14.50
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Plenary Discussion: Using the existing frameworks to enhance involvement of stakeholders in the Integrated Management of Shared Basins
Key Question: What are the main steps needed to advance a roadmap for the enhancement of stakeholders’ involvement in the integrated management of the Basin?
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16.30
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Presentation of the Conclusions of the International Roundtable – Next steps
Mr Michael Scoullos, Global Water Partnership - Mediterranean
Ms Galia Bardarska, Global Water Partnership - Bulgaria
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17.00
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End of the Roundtable
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Stakeholder / Public Participation for the Integrated Management of Shared Water Resources The Case of Mesta / Nestos River Basin
