Ukraine and Moldova launch a new phase of cooperation to protect the Dniester River Basin

Ukraine and Moldova are launching a joint project on transboundary water resources management in the Dniester River Basin. The initiative aims to ensure water security for 8 million residents of the region and to help the river’s ecosystem adapt to climate change.

The project “Enabling Transboundary Cooperation and Integrated Water Resources Management in the Dniester River Basin” is being implemented with the support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the OSCE, and the Water Convention of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The main goal is to establish a unified partnership model in which the Dniester is viewed as a single resource, regardless of national borders.

“For Ukraine and Moldova, this is not only an environmental issue but also one of community safety, stable water supply, and sustainable regional development. We must jointly respond to risks, modernize infrastructure, and implement modern water quality monitoring,” emphasized Iryna Ovcharenko, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine.

During the inaugural meeting with the newly appointed national project coordinator, Anna Zhovtenko, priority areas of work for the near future were identified:

• Ecological flow methodology: developing tools to maintain the necessary water level in the river.
• Investment opportunities: raising funds to improve the ecological condition of the basin.
• Water quality for the agricultural sector: developing recommendations for the treatment of water used for irrigation.

A separate area of cooperation will be the modernization of the Dniester Commission’s operation. An independent assessment of its activities is planned, along with the launch of an updated web portal that will provide open access to data on the river’s condition for citizens of both countries. Ukraine also plans to integrate the experience of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River into the Dniester management system.

It should be noted that the active phase of cooperation between the countries has been ongoing since 2017. During this time, a large-scale screening for pollutants was conducted, and a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) was prepared. In 2021, the states approved the Strategic Action Program through 2035, and in 2024, the Government of Ukraine officially approved the Dniester River Basin Management Plan for the Ukrainian part of the basin.