Introduction

A continuum of cooperation

"The ultimate goal of the work in the Drin Basin is to reach a point in the future where the scale of management lifts from single water bodies to the hydrological interconnected system of the Drin Basin, eventually leading from the sharing of waters among Riparians and conflicting uses, to the sharing of benefits in an area physically, culturally and historically interconnected."

The establishment of cooperation

Coordinated action at the Drin Basin level was absent until the development of the Shared Vision for the sustainable management of the Basin and the signing of a related Memorandum of Understanding (Drin MoU) in 2011.

The discussions on an enhanced cooperation among the Riparians for the management of the Drin Basin started in 2006. The “Consultation Meeting on Integrated Management of the extended Drin River Basin” held on 24 November 2008, in Tirana, was a stepping stone in this regard.

The Drin Dialogue Process

An outcome of that meeting was the decision for the initiation of the “Drin Dialogue”, a structured multi-stakeholder process at both national and transboundary level. The Dialogue was initiated on 1 December 2009 and resulted in the development of the Shared Vision among the Drin Riparians.

The Drin Memorandum of Understanding

The Shared Vision became the objective of the Memorandum of Understanding for the Management of the Extended Transboundary Drin Basin (Drin MoU) signed by the Ministers responsible for water resources and environmental management and high level representatives of the Riparians, in Tirana, Albania, on 25 November 2011. The meeting for the signing of the Drin MoU concluded the Drin Dialogue.

The Drin Coordinated Action for the implementation of the Drin MoU

Succeeding the Drin Dialogue, a process called the “Drin CORDA” - Drin Coordinated Action - was put in place for the implementation of the Drin MoU. 

The GEF Drin Project

A Project financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and executed by the Global Water Partnership (GWP) through GWP-Mediterranean (GWP-Med) supported the realization of the Drin CORDA and the implementation of the Drin MoU. The Drin Core Group was the Steering Committee (SC) of the Project.