The 14th International Conference "Europe-INBO 2016" was organized around a preparatory workshop and 4 roundtables dealing with the updated issues of the field Implementation of the WFD and other European Water Directives.
During the session “International and Regional Initiatives”, GWP Moldova’s Chair Mr. Dumitru Drumea presented the SDG Preparedness Facility (SDG PF) and the programme’s implementation in Moldova in order to support the relevant authorities in the development of water related SDG activities.
He outlined the mission of the GWP Moldova within the GWP preparedness facility and presented the results obtained by GWP Moldova in cooperation with local public and sectoral authorities during the first stage of the SDG in Moldova.
In the first phase of the SDG PF, GWP Moldova has identified the obstacles for developing the SDG activities in Moldova: the impact of climate change, especially droughts, which have become more frequent in the last 20 years, insufficient capacities (financial, technical and institutional) of local public authorities to implement water related activities.
During the discussions, issues of the development of the networking and partnership were presented as an option for improvement of the current situation. In this context expertise of the INBO could also be applied in Moldova.
The participants engaged into a lively debate over the economic analysis, which could lead to better prioritization of the proposed measures and thus could make the SDGs more efficient for the development of water infrastructure, especially in rural areas. In this context, experiences were shared from the Lower Danube region, including Moldova and based on the Danube nutrient reduction program.
The discussions at the 14th International Conference "Europe-INBO 2016" showed high commitment of basin water authorities for further cooperation. At the roundtables a number of questions were, especially about capacity strengthening. It was clear there is need of cooperation among more skilled partners and experts in order to improve the capacities of less experienced authorities to implement the WFD provisions and SDG goals.