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OSCE seminar in Belgrade discusses use of water resources and management of international waterways
BELGRADE 5 November 2001
BELGRADE, 5 November 2001 (OSCE) - Environmental issues are at the top of the agenda of an international seminar, which currently takes place in Belgrade, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). The two-day event, organized by the OSCE in co-ordination with the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, focuses on the use of water resources and the management of international waterways. During the seminar, participants will also discuss the effects on water quality of social and economic factors such as urban development, industry and agriculture.
"The development of regional co-operation at the level of environmental protection and the creation of a formal framework to establish security implications of water pollution in border rivers and water reservoirs can enhance the stability in the Balkans", said Goran Svilanovic, Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, in his opening address.
Ambassador Stefano Sannino, Head of the OSCE Mission to the FRY, stressed that "international waters are among the most sensitive issues of regional co-operation, which is illustrated by the number of conflicts associated to the use of water. The signing of the Sava river agreement demonstrates that challenges related to the management of international rivers can be turned into an opportunity".
Other key speakers included Ms. Andjelka Mihajlov of the Ministry for Health and Environmental Protection and Ms. Cristina Afonso West from the Portuguese Ministry for the Environment and Land Use Planning, representing the incoming Portuguese Chairmanship.
A representative of the current Romanian OSCE Chairmanship pointed at the fact that the relation between the protection of water and security is a two-way phenomenon: while the improved quality of water can contribute to heightened security, conflicts can impact on the quality of water. Marc Baltes, acting Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, underscored that it was of utmost importance for an Organization aiming at promoting comprehensive security - such as the OSCE - to tackle issues related to co-operation for the sustainable use and the protection of water quality.
During the opening session, a ceremony was held marking the accession of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to the international programme for the protection of the Sava River. This project - a "Quick Start Project" of the Regional Environmental Reconstruction Program (Stability Pact) - of which Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina have already been part, aims at facilitating a co-operative regional approach to environmental protection. The main goal of the project is to reduce water pollution and improve the protection of the water quality of the River Sava through an assessment of existing strategies and policies in water management. This includes the comparison and harmonization of water protection legislation of the three countries concerned with existing European Union legislation.
Following the assessment, a "Master plan" for the Sava will be prepared. In the Master plan, the Sava's present physical and socio-economical conditions will be evaluated, studies related to waste water collection and treatment and disposal systems be reviewed, while expected changes in quality and quantity of wastewater through the year 2015 will be forecast. The Master plan will include measures and necessary investments for the implementation of its objectives.
The seminar, which was organized by the OSCE Mission to the FRY and the
Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities on behalf of the incoming Portuguese OSCE Chairmanship, is the first of three preparatory seminars for the Tenth OSCE Economic Forum, to take place in Prague in May 2002. The main theme of the Forum will be the co-operation for the sustainable use and the protection of quality of water in the context of the OSCE.
One of the goals of the seminar will be to encourage greater local control and regional environmental co-operation. The discussions of the participants will also address the importance of greater public awareness and information dissemination, including increased use of the media, with regard to the risks and implications of water pollution.
"The development of regional co-operation at the level of environmental protection and the creation of a formal framework to establish security implications of water pollution in border rivers and water reservoirs can enhance the stability in the Balkans", said Goran Svilanovic, Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, in his opening address.
Ambassador Stefano Sannino, Head of the OSCE Mission to the FRY, stressed that "international waters are among the most sensitive issues of regional co-operation, which is illustrated by the number of conflicts associated to the use of water. The signing of the Sava river agreement demonstrates that challenges related to the management of international rivers can be turned into an opportunity".
Other key speakers included Ms. Andjelka Mihajlov of the Ministry for Health and Environmental Protection and Ms. Cristina Afonso West from the Portuguese Ministry for the Environment and Land Use Planning, representing the incoming Portuguese Chairmanship.
A representative of the current Romanian OSCE Chairmanship pointed at the fact that the relation between the protection of water and security is a two-way phenomenon: while the improved quality of water can contribute to heightened security, conflicts can impact on the quality of water. Marc Baltes, acting Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, underscored that it was of utmost importance for an Organization aiming at promoting comprehensive security - such as the OSCE - to tackle issues related to co-operation for the sustainable use and the protection of water quality.
During the opening session, a ceremony was held marking the accession of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to the international programme for the protection of the Sava River. This project - a "Quick Start Project" of the Regional Environmental Reconstruction Program (Stability Pact) - of which Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina have already been part, aims at facilitating a co-operative regional approach to environmental protection. The main goal of the project is to reduce water pollution and improve the protection of the water quality of the River Sava through an assessment of existing strategies and policies in water management. This includes the comparison and harmonization of water protection legislation of the three countries concerned with existing European Union legislation.
Following the assessment, a "Master plan" for the Sava will be prepared. In the Master plan, the Sava's present physical and socio-economical conditions will be evaluated, studies related to waste water collection and treatment and disposal systems be reviewed, while expected changes in quality and quantity of wastewater through the year 2015 will be forecast. The Master plan will include measures and necessary investments for the implementation of its objectives.
The seminar, which was organized by the OSCE Mission to the FRY and the
Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities on behalf of the incoming Portuguese OSCE Chairmanship, is the first of three preparatory seminars for the Tenth OSCE Economic Forum, to take place in Prague in May 2002. The main theme of the Forum will be the co-operation for the sustainable use and the protection of quality of water in the context of the OSCE.
One of the goals of the seminar will be to encourage greater local control and regional environmental co-operation. The discussions of the participants will also address the importance of greater public awareness and information dissemination, including increased use of the media, with regard to the risks and implications of water pollution.