Principles and ways of the integrated water management implementation in Ukraine

On Decembers, 4, 2006 in Kyiv a seminar on principles and ways of integrated water resources management (IWRM) implementation in Ukraine took place. It was organized by "MAMA-86" in cooperation with both the State Committee on water management — Derzhvodgosp of Ukraine and the State institute of management and economy of water resources funded by GWP and Country Water Partnership of Ukraine. 35 representatives of NGOs, public and experts took part in the event.

During the seminar the following issues were presented and discussed: principles of IWRM, water strategy and management plans developed by GWP; ways of IWRM introduction in Ukraine: legislative, institutional, economic and other aspects. Experts Andriy Demydenko, Natalia Zakorchevna   Olena Zakorko were invited to make the key presentations of the issues. Representatives of NGOs: Ukrainian River Network, "MAMA-86", Ukrainian organization "Wetlands International" and Crimean Republican Association of "Ekologiya i Mir" were presented their experience on public participation in water problems solution at local level.

The recommendations were made by the participants of seminars, such as:

• To provide the electronic versions of the seminar presentations and info materials to all participants for further dissemination them among NGOs, and to carry out an active education work among members and activists of the NGOs and stakeholders at local level, especially among young people who studies at the university, speciality "ecology" and related ones;
• to raise an item regarding to the progress of the development of the Conception of water resources protection in Ukraine at the next meeting of Public Council at the Ministry of natural resources, and to invite a representative of the Ministry I. Bol'shakov.
• to select the basin management development in the context of introduction of IWRM in Ukraine as a theme for the national water policy dialogue planed by Ukrainian Water Partnership in 2007;
• NGOs dealing with water problems should start the introduction of the ideas of IWRM or sustainable water consumption from active education work to increase their own knowledge and understanding of IWRM, the education work and practical IWRM implementation can be started in the small river basins and based on the implementation of solution of priority local problems of water management at the level of rural communities. NGOs should lead the introduction of multistakeholders’ approach and involvement of rural authorities, communities and stakeholders to the integrated water resources management implementation;  
• NGOs’ have to run an active education campaign on promotion of integrated management as an important stage of society understanding of the modern approach to the natural resources management, including water management.