NGO REPRESENTATIVES FROM 13 DANUBE RIVER
BASIN COUNTRIES TO MEET AT THE UN
VIENNA 10 October (UN Information Service) -- “A strategy that links EU legislation (in particular the EU Water Framework Directive) and the EU accession process with the Danube Environment Forum’s (DEF) efforts to improve environmental quality in the region is vital,” says Mr. Johannes Wolf, Speaker, DEF.
This, and other key issues will be discussed at the upcoming bi-annual Board Meeting of the DEF, an umbrella organization of Danube River Basin (DRB) non-governmental organizations (NGOs), at the United Nations offices in Vienna, Austria from 13-15 October 2003.
A principle objective of the meeting is to build cooperation between Danube NGOs represented by DEF and the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR). “The meeting will provide a platform for the NGOs to interact with the ICPDR and brainstorm on methods that could help their activities in their home countries,” added Mr Wolf.
The DEF is a platform for Danube NGOs to work together across national borders to improve and protect the Danube River and its tributaries from Germany down to Romania and the Black Sea. It currently has over a 100 NGOs as members. The Board Meeting will be attended by the DEF National coordinators from the 13 participating countries.
An overlying theme is to improve the NGOs ability to work together across national borders on cross-border water quality issues.
The meeting is being hosted by the United Nations Development Programme and Global Environment Facility funded Danube Regional Project (DRP). The DRP is supporting the development of the DEF network as part of its broader programme of activities to enhance public involvement in environmental decision-making throughout the Danube River Basin.
The meeting is being held on the premises of the ICPDR, the inter-governmental organization created by Danube countries to collectively manage and improve water quality in the Danube River Basin.
For further information, please visit the DEF web site: www.de-forum.org, the ICPDR web site: www.icpdr.org or the DRP web page: www.icpdr.org/undp-drp.
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