Objectives;
Situation Analysis;
Strategy;
(Expected) Results / Outcome;
Major activities |
Situation analysis: The Kura-Aras river system is the principal source of water for industry, agriculture, residential uses and energy in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as for a sizeable population in Iran. Integrated, inter-country efforts are urgently required to reverse the ongoing degradation of these river ecosystems. The current challenges facing the Kura-Aras river system include political, social and economic barriers to collaborative transboundary cooperation among the people of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Iran. A lack of coordinated management of these waters reduces the overall quality and quantity of this vital resource.
There is a need to increase the capacity for water management through wider public involvement, relying on multiple stakeholder inputs, enhanced NGO coordination and pilot projects that serve as key public educational components.
Proposed programme:
The UNDP project Reducing Trans-boundary Degradation of the Kura-Aras River Basin through Public Involvement and Stakeholder Inclusion in Governance is designed to enhance support for the public participation in environmental governance component of the GEF project Reducing Transboundary Degradation of the Kura Aras River Basin. The specific outcome is: improved environmental governance capacity pertaining to multi-stakeholder water resource management in the Kura-Aras basin. This builds on the GEF project through implementation of an NGO Forum to advise the project and create cross-boarder linkages, inclusion of stakeholder involvement mechanisms for identifying and designing pilot projects targeted at public involvement, and support for the region-wide stakeholder advisory group to the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) and Strategic Action Process (SAP), which are to be developed within the framework of the GEF project. Anticipated results: Activities take place in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and I.R. Iran, focusing on stakeholders within the Kura and Aras river basins. The objectives are to increase the capacity of these communities to manage water resources in a sustainable way through improved coordination and targeted educational opportunities. Linkages are sought with on-going community programmes at the sub-basin level implemented by USAID and Eurasia Foundation.
Current status:
Under implementation, closure expected during 2007. |
