New project in the South Caucasus region - "Strengthening Transboundary Cooperation and Community Involvement for Sustainable Water Resources Management"

In June, CENN and its regional partners from Armenia (ESU) and Azerbaijan (Ruzgar) launched a new project - "Strengthening Transboundary Cooperation and Community Involvement for Sustainable Water Resources Management". The project is being implemented within the framework of the South Caucasus Water Program run by PA consulting Group and funded by USAID.

The implementing organizations have local partners on the community level as well – Public Environmental Information Centers (PEICs) in Bolnisi (Georgia) and in Akhtala (Armenia) and local coordinators in Kakheti (Georgia) and Kakhi (Azerbaijan) regions.

The overall goal of the Project is to support the development of sustainable water resources management practices in the Kura-Aras river basin through strengthening transboundary cooperation and active community involvement in the process.

The Project will work to address the problems hindering constructive three-lateral collaboration between the countries of the South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia) to establish coordinated management of transboundary water resources. The Project attempts to address the following issues:

• Low level of community participation in the activities supporting sustainable management of water resources

• Insufficient knowledge and skills of community members to utilize their natural resources in a sustainable manner

• Lack of bilateral and three-lateral initiatives to address the water resources management problems

• Lack of participation of young people (future decision makers) in the processes fostering regional cooperation and constructive dialogue between the parties

• Lack of effective informational outreach activities on local and regional levels

The leading NGOs from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia guarantee active participation of key stakeholders from all three countries. Most of the activities of the Project – development of Integrated Resource Management Plans (IRMP), biological river monitoring and public oversight of illegal landfills - will be carried out based on joint efforts and active participation of local communities from all three countries. The main emphasis will be made on a direct involvement of community members from the regions to guarantee their long-term commitment toward the issues addressed during the Project implementation period.