International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR)

Working for the Danube River Basin and its People

The Danube River Basin-the most international river basin in the world

The Danube River Basin is the catchment area of the second largest river in Europe and covers 817,000 square kilometres in 19 different countries. This makes it the world's most international river basin. More than 82 million people-with different cultures, histories and languages-from the Black Forest in Germany down to the shores of the Black Sea, call the Danube Basin their home.

Since rivers know no borders, it is only through a joint effort of the Danube River Basin countries that the environmental problems of the region can be addressed.

The Danube River Protection Convention was developed as such a joint effort and came into force in 1998. Today, 14 Danube River Basin countries use it as the legal basis for their efforts geared towards the protection and sustainable use of water and other ecological resources. In addition to the European Union, parties to the Convention include: Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Montenegro, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.

ICPDR-part of the solution

The International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) was created to make the Danube River Protection Convention a living tool. Since its establishment, the ICPDR has grown into one of the largest and most active international bodies of river basin management. Its ambitious mission is to promote and coordinate sustainable and equitable water management, including conservation, improvement and rational use of waters for the benefit of the Danube River Basin countries and their people.

The ICPDR pursues its mission by making recommendations for the improvement of water quality, developing mechanisms for flood and accident control, agreeing on standards for emissions and by assuring that these are reflected in the Contracting Parties' national legislations and applied in their policies.

The ICPDR is formed by the contracting countries' national delegations, which are made up of representatives from the highest ministerial levels, technical experts, and by representatives of civil society and of the scientific community.

For information contact:

Benedikt Mandl
ICPDR Secretariat
Vienna International Centre
Room D415, PO Box 500, 1400 Vienna, Austria
Telephone: (+43-1) 26060-4373
Fax: (+43-1) 26060-5895
Email: benedikt.mandl@unvienna.org
Website: www.icpdr.org