Welcome to site of Eco-Tiras
Rivers are alive. Their organism is a basin. Recently in frames of joint project of Eco-TIRAS and Center for Transboundary Cooperation (Tartu, Estonia) with support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia the Eco-TIRAS developed and published a map of Dniester River basin for educational scopes. (picture - 1.5 Mb)
Draft of new Law on Water, comments should be sent until October 30, 2007 to address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
(links Rom, Rus).
Celebrating Dniester River Day
The new tradition appeared in Dniester River basin: 11th of July is recognized as a Dniester River Day. In this day
two expeditions were organized along the river: by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Moldova and by
World as Mirror for Moldova Foundation . In Chisinau the press-conference
is organized which provoked a dozen of articles and broadcasts in national media on river basin problems
In the beginning of August, 2007, Eco-TIRAS and its member NGO ‘Generatia PRO’ from the Village of Olanesti,
Stafan Voda Region of Moldova and with leadership of Polish rural NGO Stowarzyszenie Ekologiczno-Kulturalne ZIARNO
www.ziarno.org.pl from Slubice near Plotzk, organized a study trip to Poland for young NGOs members from Moldova
(Olanesti, Talmaza, Crocmaz, Rezina, Straseni, Dubasari and Bender). The summer school will include workshops
about sustainable development, ecology, organic farming, developing the strategy, study tour through Poland
including Rospuda river and canoeing and summary of experience received, developing the ideas for strategy for
the rural communities of Moldova. The Project is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland.
On July 2007 in the OSCE-Moldova Office in Chisinau Eco-TIRAS in cooperation with the Center for Transboundary Cooperation (Tartu, Estonia) www.ctc.ee organized round table to transfer Estonian experience in the sphere of transboundary cooperation on waters for Moldavian governmental structures. Agenda and presentations.
Estonian Act on Environmental Charges (En).
From May 2007 Eco-TIRAS in cooperation with Estonian NGO „Center of Transboundary Cooperation“ (Tartu) www.ctc.ee starts realization of the project «Promoting cooperation in Dniester River basin management through public participation and raising environmental awareness». The project is supported by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On 12th of March in the Committee on Environment of the Parliament of Moldova took place hearings on construction of Dniester Hydro Pumped Storage Station - Rus
In the result of consultations of Moldavian and Ukrainian delegations in February 2007 in Chernovtsy, Ukraine, in frames of OSCE and UNECE Dniester-2 Project the version of Dniester River basin agreement draft was perfected (Rus). It was coordinated the draft of regulation on stakeholders participation in ‘old’ agreement on border waters (1994) – Rus.
Dniester action plan draft Rus.
In frames of the Eco-TIRAS project, supported by National Endowment for Democracy, 5 websites were designed for NGO Resource Centers in Transnistria. Their addresses are:
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Tiraspol-based NGO EKUT www.ekut.vox.md,
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Bendery – NGO Leo Berg Foundation and Pelican www.berg.bendery.md,
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NGO Turunciuc in Cioburciu www.turunciuc.vox.md,
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NGO AcvaVita - Dnestrovsk and Nezavertailovka www.acvavita.vox.md and
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NGO EDEM - Dubasari www.edem.vox.md
Eco-TIRAS with support of National Endowment for Democracy announces the round of small grants’ competition for the NGOs of Transdniester region. Deadline is May 5, 2007. Conditions - Rus. ,
In the end of 2006 in frames of the project, supported by the European Commission and realized in partnership with the German NGO ‘Ecologic’ www.ecologic.de , Eco-TIRAS published in Russian a brochure ’EU Water Framework Directive, Integrated Management of Water Resources of Dniester River and Public Participation’. It is directed to raising of public awareness on the key Dniester problems. In the end of brochure are presented examples of practical activities of NGOs for the Dniester. Download, 2.5 Mb,
Draft on new Dniester River basin agreement (Rus),
elaborated as a result of Dniester-2 project www.dniester.org under OSCE / UNECE leadership
Comments with noting of article, its part, proposed text and amendments should be sent to the addresses: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Public discussions of the draft will take place in December in Chisinau, Odessa, Bender and one of towns of the Dniester upstream in Ukraine.
The proceedings of International Conference “Organic Agriculture, Agrotourism and Genetically Modified Organisms: Polish Experience for Moldova”. Chisinau, October 29, 2005. Chisinau: Eco-TIRAS, 2005.
FOLLOW-UP OF THE OSCE-ECE UN PROJECT FOR THE DNIESTER RIVER BASIN
In August 10-11, 2006, in the office of OSCE in Kiev took place the first session of Moldavian and Ukrainian Working Groups to reform legal framework of transboundary cooperation for the Dniester River basin.
The first phase of the Dniester project (2004-2005 гг.) has led to development of the report, which included a common evaluation by riparian countries of the status of Dniester River basin, as well as measures to be taken to improve it. Among priorities the harmonization of legal and institutional frameworks with internationally recognized instruments are noted, including the drafting of modern bilateral river basin agreement. The last measure became the target of the second project step.
Working groups, which included representatives of Ministries of environment, national water management agencies and NGOs from Moldova, Transdnistria and Ukraine, concluded the necessity of the second project phase (August 2006 – January 2007) to draft the new transboundary water agreement to manage the Dniester River basin, as well as to improve by bylaws of existing bilateral water agreement to insure the public participation and ecosystem approach to acting agreement on boundary waters (1994).
The next meeting of Working Groups will take place in Odessa in September. The draft of transboundary agreement should be ready for this time for discussion. NGOs hope that the new text will contain mechanisms of public participation in river basin management.
Earlier the group of NGOs, Eco-TIRAS members, - initiated proclamation of the Dniester River Day, which proposed to celebrate every year on 11 of July. In present this initiative is in the Parliament of Moldova.
(report)
Grants’ competition for Transnistrian NGOs rus
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE DEDICATED 130 YEARS OF BIRTH OF THE FAMOUS SCIENTIST ACADEMICIAN LEO BERG. BENDER, MARCH 14, 2006 INFORMATION
Public discussion of the Dniester Report Draft
PROGRESS IN TRANSBOUNDARY WATER COOPERATION ON DNIESTER RIVER
The final meeting of Working Groups of Moldova and Ukraine of the project “Transboundary Cooperation and Sustainable Management of the Dniester River”held in Odessa on December 1-2, 2005. It was approved the final report and signed a Protocol of Intentions (Mold, Rus, Ukr, Eng) concerning cooperation in field of improvement of the state of the environment in the Dniester River basin, which became a final point in the 15-months transboundary OSCE and UNECE project.
The project was initiated with the scope to initiate regional partnership of the Dniester River riparian states – Ukraine and Moldova, including Transdniestrian region, to implement the integrated river basin management. The project has attract attention of international organizations and donors to the river basin problems. The project working groups were presented by representatives of environmental ministries and their departments, national water agencies and NGOs. During working groups meetings the report on the Dniester River basin status was drafted. The priority needs and future actions were formulated. The draft of the report was widely discussed on the retroactive Eco-TIRAS website and during four NGO meeting held in Moldova and Ukraine with support of Norwegian Embassy and OSCE. The great majority of NGO proposals (about 150) were supported by WGs.
It is necessary to note that both environmental ministries and NGOs were in favor of drafting of a new river basin agreement, when the state water agencies fought to preserve the current format of negotiations on the basis of empowered governmental representatives and their deputies, who are today the only decision makers in accordance with Moldovan-Ukrainian 1994 agreement on transboundary waters. The last ones were in favor of perfection of existing mechanism. Current 1994 agreement is related not to the whole river basin, but only to segments of the river playing the role of the state border. It does not include information and participation of public, as well as other stakeholders.
WGs members noted that the project activity was a good example of constructive cooperation of non-governmental organizations of Moldova, including Transnistria, and Ukraine, with governments and experts.
The signing of Protocol by ministers of environment and heads state water agencies permits to initiate the second project stage directed to harmonization of existing agreement with the Helsinki Water Convention and EU Water Framework Directive.
From September 2004 the governmental working groups of Moldova and Ukraine in
frames of the project managing by OSCE and UNECE, are working on drafting of the report
reflecting common view on environmental status and problems of the transboundary
Dniester River basin and ways toward sustainable management of natural resources
in the river basin. More information on project is on its site www.dniester.org.
In present exists a preliminary version in Russian, in two versions
(without figures – 0,2 Mb (rar archive), 1,2 Mb (Word file) and with figures – 1,5 Mb (rar archive), 2,5 Mb (Word file)).
The numbering of pages in both versions is the same.
Some texts are not still finalized and it is noted in the text.
In the last decade of August 2005 the ‘Eco-TIRAS’ organized with support of Norwegian Embassy
three seminars in Dniester basin (on the North, South and in the central part of Moldova)
to discuss this document with NGOs and other stakeholders. Here you can find amendments and proposals (in Russian only as working language of WGs) received from NGOs and experts
during and after public hearings in Moldova (23-29 August, 2005). These proposals were
reported to the Moldavian and Ukrainian governmental Working Groups during their session
in Vadu-lui-Voda near Chisinau on August 30-31, 2005. Ukrainian NGOs have a possibility to
present their comments and amendments until September 13, 2005 and take part in public
discussion to be held in Odessa on September 17, 2005. We ask to send all comments and
proposals to the address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with reference to the correspondent page and
paragraph of the draft. All proposals will be systematized and proposed for the
attention of working groups. Please, send comments as soon as possible, but not later than
September 13, 2005. The organizer of public hearings in Odessa, Ukraine, is Svetlana
Slesarenok, Mama-86 and Mama-86-Odessa, E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Here is placed the text of the reports’ draft redrafted by the WGs in accordance with NGOs and experts proposals received until August 31.
Report, revised during WGs session on August 30-31 taking into consideration majority of Moldavian NGOs’ comments (in Russian only). Some chapters are incomplete.
Introduction and ContentChapter 1.1
Chapter 1.2
Chapter 1.3
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapters 4 and 5
Chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, Conclusions, Recommendations and Bibliography
To reach better results and simplify the work on your proposals, please:
1) Note, what version you used for analysis;
2) Present your proposals as a horizontal table, as it has done during public hearings in Moldova: page and line; content of comment; reasons for comment. Also please, check, if your proposal is new and was not presented by other NGO or expert during public hearings in Moldova;
3) Do not present comments to the section 8.3. of the Report draft, because it is already excluded by WGs as a result of the insistence of NGOs.
International Conference "Integrated Management of Natural Resources in the Transboundary Dniester River Basin"
The Dniester River is the river of first importance
for Moldova and the second major river for Ukraine. It starts in Ukrainian
Carpathians, crosses Moldova and streams to the Black Sea again in
Ukraine.
NGOs of the two neighboring countries are committed to closer co-operation.
That is why, in the end of October’99 International Conference "Biodiversity Conservation of the Dniester River Basin" many of them with support of REC-Moldova gathered to the first Eco-Forum
“Dniester-99” to discus the river problems and co-operation on their
resolution, but also to establish International Environmental Association
of the River Keepers “ECO-TIRAS” (“Tiras” is the ancient Greek name
of the Dniester River), which is registered now in accordance with
Moldovan Law.