For the past century, Thailand had been experiencing constant severe floods which typically occurred in between August and December. Yet, the worst flood ever experienced in more than a half century in Thailand was the mega 2011 flood – indicating tremendous loss of lives and properties across socio-economic sectors.
During the 5th Meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Water Expert Group (WEG) in November 2015, a UfM Ministerial Conference on Water has been proposed to take place the first semester of 2017 in Malta. The technical process towards that was launched with the WEG mandating a Drafting Group to elaborate on technical contents, in case the political partners decide to convene the suggested ministerial meeting.
The transboundary Buna / Bojana Watershed is shared by Albania and Montenegro, as well as a long stretch of coastal zone of the Adriatic Sea. The watershed is faced with a variety of pressures, including unsustainable agricultural methods, increased tourism, and altered hydrological regimes from hydropower generation and flood control measures. Albania and Montenegro, while similar socially and economically, differ in their administrative, legal, and institutional frameworks. Regardless, both countries have recognized the need to strengthen their cross-border cooperation through the development of an integrated water resource plan (the Plan) for the watershed.