Resolution
of the "Dniester-99"
First Environmental NGOs Forum
(Kishinev, October 9-10, 1999)

 

The Forum participants representing non-governmental environmental organizations from Republic of Moldova, the Ukraine, and Russia,

 acknowledging extreme importance of the Dniester river for the present and future generations,

 taking into consideration the generality of nature protection problems in the whole basin of the Dniester River,

 asserting the increasing activity of environmental NGOs in the region,

are adopting the following resolution:

  • 1. To facilitate signing London Protocol on water and health by the Republic of Moldova and to lobby signing Helsinki Convention on transboundary water streams by the Ukraine.

    2. To apply efforts to harmonizing environmental and nature-protecting legislation of Moldova and the Ukraine, especially regarding the issues of rational usage of water and biological resources and conserving landscape and biological diversity of the Dniester River basin.

    3. To facilitate prompt completion of elaboration, signing and ratification of the Moldavian-Ukrainian Dniester Convention embracing the whole complex of natural resources.

    4. To expedite by all measures the development of information exchange between non-governmental organizations and increasing public access to environmental information. In order to achieve those purposes, the following actions are proposed:

     To create aggregate joint database on environmental conditions of Dniester River basin;

     To establish pollutants' register and to identify all major sources of pollution;

     Basing on the public environmental monitoring questionnaire, to develop standard methodology of collecting and processing information over the whole Dniester River basin;

     To set up an information network of Dniester River basin;

     To publish regularly information bulletins on the issues of Dniester River basin environmental conditions;

     To perform regularly publications' exchange between environmental NGOs of the region, including materials published by the NGOs and media information on the issues of Dniester River environment.

    5. To research conditions of dams and especially dangerous chemical warehouses and to lobby necessary decision on such objects aiming to prevent possible environmental disasters in the region.

    6. To develop ecological tourism in the region, particularly:

     Each year to set up summer ecotourist camps;

     To handle the series of seminars on preparing instructors on ecotourism, trainers, and specialists on working with public environmental monitoring questionnaire;

     To perform certification for instructors on ecotourism;

     To distribute the methods of public environmental monitoring over the whole Dniester River basin;

     To promote ecotourism among central and local authorities as well as among general public as a tool of sustainable development of the region, ecological education of the youth and involving local inhabitants into public environmental monitoring.

    7. Aiming to bringing attention of state authorities and public to environmental problems of Dniester, enhancing cooperation between NGOs, performing public environmental monitoring and strengthening ecological education of the youth, to organize International ecotouristic expedition "Dniester 2000" from the river's sources to the Black Sea with the wide involvement of regional NGOs.

    8. To facilitate by all measures the development of ecological NGOs network in the region.

    9. To charter International Environmental Association of River Keepers "Eco-Tiras", bringing together the efforts of all interested regional non-governmental organizations and expediting regional cooperation and stability, elaborating and implementing concepts of sustainable development in using natural resources.