Ukraine Presented the Project on Restoration of Water Navigation on the Danube 02.11.2004, 18-04/ Delovaya Nedelya
Ukrainian MFA Press Service Head Markiyan Lubkivskyy announced at a briefing that Ukraine had presented a project on restoration of water navigation in the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta at the 18th session of the International Co-ordination Council of UNESCO Man and Biosphere Program. According to Lubkivskyy, the members of the Council esteemed Ukrainian project positively. It was noted at the presentation that Ukraine fulfilled its obligations and took measures to enforce nature protection functions of the Da-nube Biosphere Reserve.
The Ukrainian delegation drew the European community’s attention to the complex environmental situation in the Ukrainian Danube area resulting from Romania’s anthropogenic activities and suggested to engage international experts in a study and monitoring of the situation in the Danube’s Delta.
In coordination with the UNESCO Secretariat, Ukrainian suggested to hold a joint meeting of representatives of administrations of the Ukrainian and Romanian parts of The Danube Delta transboundary biosphere reserve with as-sistance of UNESCO and Ramsar Convention’s Bureau to develop a joint action plan for the Danube Delta’s transbon-dary reserve. Later on, this action plan will have to be approved by the two countries’ central executive bodies and taken for implementation as envisioned by respective UNESCO decisions.
Lubkivskyy also told that the International Council Bureau of the Man and Biosphere Program supported Ukraine’s proposal to hold in mid-December an international conference on preservation and development of the Danube Delta with UNESCO’s assistance and suggested to use this forum to continue consultations between the Ukrainian and Ro-manian parties on their cooperation within the transboundary reserve.