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Statement of the High
Level Meeting in Moscow, 26-27 february 2004
on “strategic partnership on water for sustainable development”
EU- EECCA component of the EU Water Initiative
1. We, representatives of countries of Eastern
Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA), participating EC member states, Switzerland,
Norway, the European Commission, international and non-governmental organisations, have
gathered in Moscow, Russian Federation, on February 26th and 27th
2004 to discuss the status for implementation of the “Strategic Partnership on Water for
Sustainable Development” for EECCA countries, implementation of decisions taken at the
High Level Meeting-I in March 2003, short-term and long-term challenges, resources and
capacity for implementation and development of the Partnership in the region.
We recognise the challenges for EECCA countries of preparing
Integrated Water Resources Management and Water Efficiency Plans by 2005, as called for in
the plan of implementation adopted at WSSD. The recent surveys, carried out by Global
Water Partnership (GWP) and Denmark, on the preparedness among EECCA countries for
preparing such plans indicate a large variation in the capacity to do so and a risk of
some countries not reaching this important intermediate 2005 target towards reaching the
Millennium Development Goals by 2015 without substantial support. Therefore, we urge EECCA
countries and other countries to work to ensure general achievement of the 2005 target
among EECCA countries. To this end, we recognise the need to establish national
interdisciplinary steering groups for the development of IWRM 2005 plans and for their
step-by-step implementation beyond 2005. We invite Denmark and GWP to forward this message
and present the findings of the surveys at the 12th session of UN’s
Commission on Sustainable Development in April 2004.
We request the Secretariat of the Partnership to place on the website
models on IWRM and basic documents concerning this issue, and links to sites with existing
IWRM curricula and examples of existing IWRM successful demonstration projects.
4. While acknowledging the importance of external
support and of building upon existing programmes and projects funded by donors and IFIs,
we want to stress that domestic sources are and will continue to be the dominant provider
of finance for the water sector. Generally, achieving the Goals requires a dedicated
effort from all stakeholders and steady economic growth. It is apparent that no single
source of financing alone will be able to meet substantial investment requirements, and
that realistic national strategies need to be developed that address policy, institutional
and investment needs. It is of paramount importance, that the EECCA countries assign a
sufficiently high priority to the water sector that could help facilitate additional
domestic and international support in line with internationally agreed targets. Some key
policy measures that need to be addressed include: measures to revise outdated or
unrealistic water-related standards (while ensuring appropriate attention paid and
measures taken to promote human health); improve cost-recovery through user charges, while
ensuring access to water of the poor; provide support for the establishment of water
utilities as autonomous, commercially run entities; strengthen the capacity of
municipalities to better manage their responsibilities with respect to water supply and
sanitation, and strengthen public information, awareness and participation on water
issues.
5. We welcome the willingness of some donors and IFIs
to contribute to the water sector in the EECCA countries, as reflected in the survey
prepared for this meeting. It indicates that funds for water investment in EECCA are and
will continue to be available. However, we call on the donor community to increase the
water share in their total funds contribution. We encourage donors and IFIs to consider
the possibilities for funding Building Blocks identified under the Partnership. The
contribution from donors and IFIs will be most efficient if it is well coordinated and
focused on projects that can demonstrate how to achieve the MDGs in the most
cost-effective way. Especially activities with a replicatory potential may prove useful in
transferring experience and building capacity.
6. In this respect we welcome the role of the EU
Commission and its contribution through the TACIS Regional Programmes (2004-2006) under
which 35Mˆ have been earmarked for integrated water resources management and water
supply and sanitation; the 6th Framework Programme for Research and
Technological Development (2002-06); as well as the Neighbourhood Programme and
Environment Policy as important milestones in the implementation of the Partnership. To
this effect we note with satisfaction the envisaged additional TACIS Water Investment
Support Facility of 3Mˆ.
7. We welcome the establishment of the Working Group on
Integrated Water Resources Management under the UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use
of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes and its commitment to working with
IWRM in the EECCA region. We welcome the “Action Programme for Development of Integrated
Management of Transboundary Waters in the Countries of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and
Central Asia”, developed under the Convention. Moreover, those of us who are
representatives of countries of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia commit
ourselves to its targets and its implementation. We call upon the relevant authorities to
update agreements on transboundary waters, to conclude and ratify new ones in accordance
with the provisions of the Convention and other international environmental agreements, to
strengthen the work of joint bodies; and to develop river basin management plans taking
into account, as appropriate, the EU Water Framework Directive. Taking into account the
high priority of transboundary issues in activities of the IWRM Working Group, we invite
UNECE, UNEP, UNDP, WHO, OSCE and GWP to define further their cooperation on the national
dimension of IWRM and the regional seas issue within the Partnership.
8. We also welcome the role of the EAP Task Force in
the implementation of the Partnership’s water supply and sanitation pillar and in
providing a link to the EECCA Environment Strategy. We welcome the work programme for
2003-07 recently adopted by the Group of Senior Officials for Reform of the Water Sector
in EECCA countries that works under the EAP Task Force, and will work to help implement
the agreed activities. We welcome the broadening of the Group’s work to include rural as
well as urban issues, which is important in relation to achieving the internationally
agreed targets for water supply and sanitation. We look forward to the meeting of EECCA
Environment Ministers and their partners that will take place in Tbilisi, 21-22 October,
2004. This meeting will review progress in implementing the EECCA Environment Strategy,
including in the areas of water supply and sanitation and IWRM, and we expect it will
provide additional political momentum to these efforts.
9. We appreciate the great interest and active participation of other
similar water-related initiatives, such as Central Asian Initiative on Sustainable
Development, and the civil society, especially NGOs, in preparation of the outcomes of
this meeting and as full partners of the initiative, and confirm our commitment to working
in co-operation with all stakeholders on further development and implementation of the
Partnership. The participating NGOs express their separate opinion on the importance of
financial support to NGO activities on implementation of the Partnership
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