UNDP/GEF Integrated River Basin Management in the Tisza
Inception Project Steering Committee Meeting
UNDP/GEF Tisza Medium Sized Project:

Integrating multiple benefits of wetlands and floodplains into improved
transboundary management for the Tisza River Basin

9th December 2008, Vienna

Minutes from UNDP/GEF Tisza MSP Project Steering Committee Meeting

Participants: Annex 1
Agenda: Annex 2
Presentations: http://www.icpdr.org/undp-gef-tisza
The purpose of the meeting was to provide a briefing to senior representatives of the beneficiary
countries and to receive formal high-level endorsement for the work planned under the project.
This second Project Steering Committee meeting covers the period June ­ December 2008. In
particular approval was sought from the Project Steering Committee for:
ˇ Inception Report
ˇ Work plan
ˇ Budget
ˇ Demonstration projects (see later).
Background Documents:
Prior to the meeting the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) uploaded the following documents to
the project web site to ensure an efficient and effective meeting.
ˇ Inception Report;
ˇ Workshop 1 (Kosice, September 2008) Report;
ˇ Progress Report;
ˇ Summaries of three short-listed demonstration projects;
ˇ Project Budget;
ˇ Project Work Plan;
ˇ Project Timetable with links to the ICPDR Tisza Group;
ˇ Information on proposed indicators to be used for reporting to UNDP/GEF.

Summary or Progress:
The project progress report provides detailed information on all the project activities and was
uploaded to the web site before the meeting to provide background information to the Project
Steering Committee. The project manager (Peter Whalley) gave a presentation on the MSP. The
main activities undertake in the first six months of this MSP are:



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UNDP/GEF Integrated River Basin Management in the Tisza
Component 1: Integrated River Basin Management
ˇ Flood Strategy ­ Table of Content drafted ­ work under development
ˇ Pollution Strategy ­ Table of Content drafted ­ drafting of strategy from 2009
ˇ Integration discussion document ­ drafted available for further discussion/national reports
by 2009
ˇ Five National Experts ­ contracted
ˇ Agreed outline of the ITRBM Plan in the frame of the Tisza Group
ˇ Drafting of the chapters are under development
Component 2 ­ Demonstration Projects
ˇ
Issue of `call for proposals';
ˇ
Assessment criteria for project selection developed and issued
ˇ
Evaluation of 16 proposals
ˇ
Total proposals grant requested by 16 projects 1,477,000 $ with a total co-funding
2,594,000 $
ˇ
UNDP co-funded activities in support of the demonstration projects
ˇ
Summaries of three proposed short-listed demonstration projects were distributed on the
web.
Co-funded activities
UNDP
Ms Klara Tothova presented a summary of the work undertaken by UNDP in support of the
demonstration project proposal development.
UNDP supported an international consultant (Mr Georg Rast) to assist all three project teams in
developing a detailed proposal. In addition UNDP provided resources to enable the three project
teams to each organise two local stakeholder meetings to further develop the proposals and to
widen the understanding of the proposed activities by the local communities.
UNDP will continue to support the demonstration projects during the Inception Phases and
providing external evaluation at the mid and final point of the projects. In 2009 and 2010 UNDP will
organise wider (regional) stakeholder meetings to present the progress and results of the
demonstration projects.
UNEP
The planned links between the UNEP work (Carpathian Convention Secretariat) and the
UNDP/GEF MSP was summarised by Andreea Bucur.
European Commission
The previous and on-going work linked to the MSP supported by the European Commission is
presented in the Progress Report and was summarised by the project manager. Mr Helmut Bloch
(European Commission) stressed the importance of this project as a demonstration of integration
of water quality and water quantity in Europe.
Discussion
Component 1: Integrated River Basin Management
The activities under this component were acknowledged as being important to the current activities
of the ICPDR Tisza Group and the work plan presented, showing close integration with the Tisza



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UNDP/GEF Integrated River Basin Management in the Tisza
Group, was recognised. The activities presented by the MSP PIU were accepted and the proposed
work plan for 2009 was endorsed.
Component 2 ­ Demonstration Projects
The interest in the demonstration project call was appreciated, as was the desire by the Tisza MSP
to seek additional funds for future support of further projects.
Three short-listed demonstration projects were presented:
ˇ
Making space for water in the Bodrog river basin (SK, HU, UA);
ˇ
Selected measures towards integrated land and water management in upper Tisza (UA,
RO);
ˇ
Integrated land development (ILD) programme to improve land use and water management
efficiency (HU, RS, RO).
Whilst it was recognised that considerable work had been done by the project teams (greatly
supported by the co-funded work by UNDP and their consultant) further refinement and adherence
to the overall budget (maximum 350,000 USD) was needed.
The Project Steering Committee endorsed the three project ideas subject to revision of the
budgets and the addressing of some weakness in the proposals. Revised proposals would be
distributed by the end of January 2009 (by email) and formal approval provided by the Project
Steering Committee in writing.
Project Management
The project inception report, progress report, work plan, budget and timetable were accepted by
the Project Steering Committee.
The outline of the indicators that are planned for future reporting on Monitoring & Evaluation
activities to UNDP and GEF were presented and feedback on these was requested by the project
manager.
Conclusion
The Project Steering Committee for the UNDP/GEF Tisza project approved:
ˇ The project Inception Report;
ˇ The project Progress Report;
ˇ The proposed work plan and budget for 2009;
The Project Steering Committee requested additional revisions to the three demonstration
project proposals (including ensuring the budget was within the maximum allowed) and these
are to be circulated by email for approval by the end of January 2009.
The Project Steering Committee acknowledged the indicators for reporting to UNDP and GEF
and will provide comments where necessary.




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UNDP/GEF Integrated River Basin Management in the Tisza
Annex 1
List of Participants

9th December 2008, Vienna

Country
Name
Institute
Contacts
UA
Alxei Iarochevitsch Ukrainian Center of
Tel: +380 67 209 1208
Environment and Water
Fax: +380 44 537 5917
Projects
pripyat@i.kiev.ua
Pushkinska street 11, office 17
01034 Kyiv
Ukraine
RO
Gheorghe
Director, Water Directorate
Tel. +40 21 335 2691
Constantin
Ministry of Environment and
Fax +40 21 410 2032
Water Mgmt
gconstantin@mappm.ro
12, Libertatii Blvd., Sector 5
040129 Bucharest, Romania
RO
Victor Popescu
Romanian Water Authority
+ 40 21 315 1301
Edgar Quinet str. I District
victor.popescu@rowater.ro
Bucharest
RO
Ovidiu Gabor
Romanian Water Authority
+ 40 21 315 1301
Edgar Quinet str. I District
ovidiu.gabor@rowater.ro
Bucharest
SK
Boris Minarik
Representative of the Tisza
boris.minarik@shmu.sk
Group Slovak
Tel.: +421 2 594 15 415
Hydrometeorological Institute
Fax: + 421 2 4524 8946
Jeseniova 17
SK-83315 Bratislava, Slovakia
HU
Mária Galambos
Chief Counsellor
Tel. +36 1 457 3489
Ministry of Environment and
Fax +36 1 201 2846
Water
galambos@mail.kvvm.hu
Fö utca 44-50, POB 351

H-1011 Budapest, Hungary
HU
Gyula Holló (HoD) Head of Department
Tel. +36 1 457 3428
Ministry of Environment and
Fax +36 1 201 4008
Water
hollo@mail.kvvm.hu
Fö utca 44-50, POB 351
H-1011 Budapest, Hungary
RS
Miodrag
Insitute `Jaroslav Cerni'
mmjcerni@EUnet.yu
Milovanovic
Jaroslava Cernog street 80, PO

Box 3354
11226 Belgrade, Serbia
RS
Dragana
Ministry of Agriculture
+ 381 11 213 4903
Milovanovic
Forestry and Water
Management
RS
Milan Dimkic (Dep Director - Insitute `Jaroslav
jdjcerni@eunet.rs
HoD)
Cerni'
Jaroslava Cernog street 80, PO
Box 3354
11226 Belgrade, Serbia
RS
Mladen Vucinic
PWC ' Vode Vojvodine'
Tel.: +381 21 4881 424
Bul. Mihajla Pupina 25
Fax: +381 21 4881 459
CS - 21000 Novi Sad,
mvucinic@vodevojvodine.com
Serbia and Montenegro



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UNDP/GEF Integrated River Basin Management in the Tisza
Country
Name
Institute
Contacts
EC
Helmut Bloech
European Commission
Tel. +32 2 2990672
(HoD)
DG Environment ­ BU9, 3/154
Fax +32 2 2968825
Rue de la Loi 200
helmut.bloech@ec.europa.eu
1049 Brussels, Belgium

UNDP/GEF
Vladimir Mamaev
Dr. Vladimir Mamaev,
Tel: +421 2 59337 267
GEF Regional Technical
Fax: +421 2 59337 450
Advisor UNDP, Europe and the vladimir.mamaev@undp.org
CIS
Bratislava Regional Centre
Grosslingova 35, 81109
Bratislava, Slovak Republic
UNDP
Klara Tothova
Klara Tothova, CST
Tel: +421 2 59337 220
Environmental Officer, UNDP,
Fax: +421 2 59337 450
Europe and the CIS
klara.tothova@undp.org
Bratislava Regional Centre
http://europeandcis.undp.org
Grosslingova 35, 81109
Bratislava, Slovak Republic
UNEP
Andreea Bucur
United Nations Environment

Programme - Regional Office
for Europe - Vienna Office,
UNEP Vienna Room D0426
PO Box 500
A 1400 Austria
ICPDR
Philip Weller
ICPDR Permanent Secretariat
Tel. +431 26060 5730/5738
VIC PO Box 500
Fax +431 26060 5895
A-1400 Vienna, Austria
philip.weller@unvienna.org
icpdr@unvienna.org
ICPDR/
Peter Whalley
ICPDR Permanent Secretariat

UNDP/GEF
VIC PO Box 500
pdwhalley@btinternet.com
A-1400 Vienna, Austria

ICPDR
Michaela Popovici
ICPDR Permanent Secretariat
Tel. +431 26060 4502/5738
VIC PO Box 500
Fax +431 26060 5895
A-1400 Vienna, Austria
michaela.popovici@unvienna.org
icpdr@unvienna.org
ICPDR
Diana Heilmann
ICPDR Permanent Secretariat
Tel. +431 26060 5207/5738
VIC PO Box 500
Fax +431 26060 5895
A-1400 Vienna, Austria
diana.heilmann@unvienna.org
icpdr@unvienna.org





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UNDP/GEF Integrated River Basin Management in the Tisza
Annex 2 - Agenda
Project Steering Committee Meeting
UNDP/GEF Tisza Medium Sized Project:

Integrating multiple benefits of wetlands and floodplains into improved transboundary management
for the Tisza River Basin

9th December 2008, Vienna
17:30-18:30

Place: Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management,
Marxergasse 2, A-1030 Vienna, Room: 126
Date: 9th December 2008, 17:30-18:30
Chair: Mr Philip Weller

Agenda Items:

1. Update on Project progress
a. Component 1
b. Component 2
c. Consultants / contracts
d. Reports
e. Co-funded activities ­ summary
f. Project management

2. Co-funding organisation presentations (EC, UNDP, UNEP)

3.Future activities

4.Budget summary

5 .Approval from the PSC is sought for:
a. Inception Report
b. Demonstration project implementation
c. Use of indicators for reporting to UNDP/GEF (June 2009)
d. Future activities

RECEPTION



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