Bi-lateral Meeting between Armenia and Georgia on Cooperation in the Khrami-Debed River Basin OVERVIEW OF THE ARMENIAN-GEORGIAN WATER COOPERATION Vahagn Tonoyan EUWI+ Project Local Representative in Armenia Yerevan, 14 October 2019 REGIONAL/TRANSBOUNDARY PROJECTS • Water Management in the South Caucasus (USAID, 2001-2004) • Joint River Management Programme on Monitoring and Assessment of Water Quality on Transboundary Rivers (EU TACIS, 2002-2003) • Trans-boundary Cooperation for Hazard Prevention in the Kura-river Basin (Federal Environmental Agency of Germany, 2003-2006) • Science for Peace Program - South Caucasus River Monitoring (NATO/ OSCE, 2002-2008) • Development of Transboundary Cooperation for Hazard Prevention in Kura-Aras Basin countries (German Ministry of Environment, 2003- 2006) • Reducing Transboundary Degradation in the Kura-Aras Basin. UNDP/GEF. 2003-2008 • South Caucasus Water Program (USAID, 2005-2008) 2 REGIONAL/TRANSBOUNDARY PROJECTS (CONTINUED) • Water Governance Project (EU/TACIS, 2008-2010) • Trans Boundary River Management Phase II for the Kura River (EU/TACIS, 2008-2011) • Fostering Transboundary Cooperation in the Kura-Aras River Basin (UNDP/ENVSEC, 2010-2011) • Trans Boundary River Management Phase III for the Kura River (EU/TACIS, 2012-2013) • Reducing Transboundary Degradation in the Kura-Aras Basin (UNDP/GEF, 2011-2014) • Environmental Protection for International River Basins (EU, 2012- 2016) • European Union Water Initiative Plus for Eastern Partnership (EU, 2016-2020) 3 STRATEGIES FOR PROMOTING TRANSBOUNDARY COOPERATION • Initial approach of donors’ community was to develop and establish legal and institutional frameworks for multilateral cooperation in which all countries of the basin would participate • A number of attempts (e.g. meeting in Tbilisi in March 2008 organized in the framework of UNDP/ENVSEC project) revealed that Countries are not prepared to formally establishing legal and institutional frameworks for cooperation on multilateral basis • Countries show more willingness to cooperate on bilateral basis and on technical aspects, such as joint monitoring of transboundary water resources, etc. 4 OUTCOMES OF THE ENVSEC PROJECT • Guidance document on the joint river monitoring programme: • Armenian-Georgian Joint transboundary monitoring program of water quality in Ktsia (Khrami)-Debed River basins • Monitoring approach • Debed-hydrological post between Aktakla and Ayrum (AM 1), • Debed-Ayrum (AM 2), • Debed-Sarakhlo (GE 1), • Ktsia-Khrami-Imiri Bridge (GE 2) • Monitoring frequency • 8 times simultaneous monitoring • 4 times joint monitoring • Other technical details • Data reporting; Quality control/quality management; Dissemination of the results 5 COOPERATION BETWEEN ARMENIA AND GEORGIA • General agreement on cooperation in environmental management between Armenia and Georgia (1998) • Draft Protocol (Agreement) on Cooperation between the Ministry of Nature Protection of the Republic of Armenia and the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the Republic of Georgia on Protection and Sustainable Use of Transboundary Water Resources (2011) • Establishment of joint Commission on cooperation in the sphere of transboundary water resources; • Development of cooperation between the systems of the countries, in charge of monitoring of water resources; • Support to sharing of information on the status of water resources and further scientific-technical cooperation in that sector; • Taking measures for prevention and reduction of the impacts of emergency situations of anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic nature, including flooding, mudflows, landslides, droughts and other impacts of water 6 COOPERATION BETWEEN ARMENIA AND GEORGIA • Article 2: Scope of the Protocol (Agreement) • Article 4: Principles of Cooperation • Article 5: Monitoring and Ecological Assessment • Article 6: Emergency Situations • Article 7: EIA • Article 9: Data Exchange • Article 10: Scientific-Technical Cooperation • Article 11: Financing • Article 14: The Commission 7 THANK YOU FOR ATTENTION! www.facebook.com/euwiplus www.euwipluseast.eu 8.