Ukraine officially assumed the chairmanship of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River in 2026

On December 11, a ceremony was held in Vienna (Austria) to transfer the chairmanship of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) from the Republic of Slovenia to Ukraine. The Ukrainian delegation, led by Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine Iryna Ovcharenko, took part in the 28th meeting of the Heads of Delegations and the ceremony of transfer.

Ukraine's chairmanship will last for one year and be the second in the history of our state after 2011.

"For Ukraine, this is not just a rotating chairmanship – it is recognition of our role in protecting transboundary waters and our responsibility to the entire Danube community. The focus is on water security, environmental sustainability, and joint work on the consequences of russia's aggressive war. We will continue to uphold the principles of the Danube Convention and strengthen the partnership of all countries in the Danube basin," Iryna Ovcharenko emphasized.

During its chairmanship, the Ukrainian delegation will focus on three key areas:

• strengthening water management in the context of climate change, with an emphasis on floods, droughts, and water sustainability;
• assessing the environmental impact of russia's aggressive war against Ukraine on the Danube, its delta, and sub-basins;
• supporting the implementation of the updated Danube River Basin Management Plan for 2027 and developing cooperation between the countries of the basin.

As part of the ceremony, the traditional handover of a bottle of water from the Danube took place, presented by the President of the ICPD 2025, Lidija Globevnik from Slovenia. The tradition of exchanging a bottle of water symbolizes the new ICPD President's commitment to shared responsibility and ensuring sustainable management of the Danube River Basin.

In addition, the Danube flag was handed over to Ukraine. The creation of this flag was an initiative of our state during the previous Presidency in 2011. Now, after visiting all the countries of the basin, it has returned to Ukraine, symbolizing the solidarity of the Danube states in achieving a common goal: a safe, healthy, and clean Danube.

Ukraine's chairmanship emphasizes the strengthening of our country's role in European water policy and contributes to deeper integration into the European environmental space. The experience of the Danube countries will help synchronize policies and legal norms, strengthen Ukraine's position during the EU accession negotiation process, and draw attention to the problems and sustainable development of the Danube basin.

Background information

The International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River was established in accordance with the 1994 Convention on the Protection of the Danube River. It includes 14 countries from the entire Danube basin. The main objective of the Commission is to promote and coordinate sustainable and equitable water resources management. The ICPDR is one of the largest and most active international river basin management commissions in the world. The chairmanship rotates annually in alphabetical order of the English names of the countries.