Implementing
United Nations Development Programme
Agency
Region
Eastern Europe
Focal Area
International Waters
Project Title
Developing the Danube River Basin Pollution Reduction Program
GEF Allocation
US$3.9 million
Cofinancing
US$3.6 million
Total Financing
US$7.5 million
Dates
October 1996­September 1998
Environmental
· Deteriorating water quality of Danube river and tributaries, due to wastewater and other pollution
Problem
generated in thirteen-country river basin
Project Goals
· Develop prioritized pollution reduction projects for cofinancing by national and international sources
· Improve and develop policies for protection of river basin
· Increase public awareness and participation in solving the Danube's environmental problems
The waters of the Danube River Basin and its tributaries together make up a river-based ecosystem of great
economic, social, and environmental value. The more than 2,800-kilometer river drains a basin of 817,000
square kilometers, containing all of Hungary, most of Austria, Croatia, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia and
significant portions of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Moldova, Ukraine, and the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The river network supplies drinking water and supports agriculture, industry,
fishing, tourism, recreation, power generation, and navigation. At the same time, it receives wastewater from
a population of 85 million people in these thirteen countries.
Before the transition of Central and European countries to free-market economies began, countries of the
region paid little attention to degradation of the environment. The river system transported considerable
pollution across national borders and eventually into the Black Sea. This led to eutrophication of coastal
waters, algae blooms, fish deaths, and economic losses to the tourism industry. The economic transition,
including industrial and agricultural restructuring, has created opportunities to change policies and practices
to benefit the environment and people's quality of life, although developing the needed public awareness and
environmental policies will still be challenging.
The main problems in the basin include: (a) high loads of nutrients and eutrophication, (b) contamination by
hazardous substances, including oils, (c) microbiological contamination, (d) contamination by substances
causing heterotrophic growth and oxygen depletion, and (e) competition for available water.
The Project
Building on earlier efforts, such as the Danube Strategic Action Plan, this project was intended to stimulate
sustainable institutional and financial arrangements for the effective environmental management of the
Danube River Basin. The project's immediate goal is to prepare activities to prevent and reduce pollution
necessary to restore the Danube River Basin and protect the Black Sea environment. Prioritized pollution
reduction projects, set within a strategic policy framework for the Danube and Black Sea basin, will be
presented to national and international sources for cofinancing. The project's objectives are to (a) complete the
knowledge base for priority setting, (b) review policies for protecting the Danube Basin and Black Sea, (c)
increase public awareness and participation, and (d) develop financing for the pollution reduction program
within the context of the Danube Strategic Action Plan.
Activities
· Update and prepare national reviews of the Danube system and economic impacts on it in each country
· Analyze national action plans for existing and planned investments and work toward an agreed,
basinwide analysis of priority environmental issues in the basin and their impacts on the Black Sea
· Initiate review of the Danube Strategic Action Plan, and initiate development of an overall Black Sea
approach to managing international waters, pollution reduction, and ecological rehabilitation
· Issue newsletter on the river, supporting the Danube Environmental Forum and national NGO meetings
· Establish a Danube network on the Internet, and update the Danube Information System
· Provide small grants for community-based pollution reduction and awareness projects
· Develop financial strategies for reducing pollution in each country
· Prepare and propose projects on priority hotspots
· Develop long-term mechanisms to provide financial support for the Danube River Basin.
Benefits
· Improve quality of water and ecosystems in the Danube river basin
· Strengthen capacities of environmental NGOs
· Improve international cooperation on sustainable management of the Danube and Black Sea.
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a financial mechanism that provides grants and concessional funds to developing countries for projects and
activities designed to protect the global environment. GEF resources address climate change, biological diversity, international waters, and depletion of the
ozone layer. Activities concerning land degradation, primarily desertification and deforestation as they relate to the four focal areas, are also eligible for funding.
GEF is a joint venture of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Bank.
These three agencies implement GEF projects.
For more information on this project, contact:
For more information on GEF:
United Nations Development Programme
GEF Headquarters
Mahenau Agha
1818 H Street NW
Information Officer
Washington DC 20433 USA
One United Nations Plaza
Tel: (202) 473-0508 Fax: (202) 522-3240/522-3245
New York NY 10017 USA
Internet Home Page: www.gefweb.org
Tel: (212) 906-6112 Fax: (212) 906-6998
E-mail: mahenau.agha@undp.org
Chief Executive Officer: Mohamed T. El-Ashry
Internet Home Page: www.undp.org/gef
Senior External Relations Coordinator: Hutton G. Archer
E-mail: harcher@worldbank.org

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