BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 17. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is supporting Azerbaijan with the economic and financial dimensions of water management, OECD told Trend.
A source at the OECD said that the following key outcomes were discussed at the latest meeting towards water’s role as an instrument of green growth:
- The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources committed to revise and finalize the country’s water strategy, promoting alignment with the EU
- Water Framework Directive and the guiding principles of Integrated Water Resources Management.
- To finalise the delineation of basin districts and create an enabling environment for the enhanced application of the basin management approach through River Basin Management Plans.
- The need for the application of prioritized and equitable water allocation with due attention to ecosystem flow needs and environmental flows and supported by flexible economic instruments.
- Agreement for water users to consider the economic dimensions of water to ensure the benefits and costs of water management are properly evaluated.
- Support for furthering transboundary cooperation through, for example, increased and joint water monitoring and information sharing.
- A commitment to revisit the current approach and legal framework for managing water and environmental data to make it more accessible to national stakeholders.
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