The “Protecting Rivers” group started to operate non formally as such in 2015 by coordinating joint actions, lobbying, advocating, civic reaction, etc., against the big boom of Hydro Power Plants construction. In the last decade mostly by political directives rather than by scientific studies, planning of more than 500 hydro-power plants are spread across the territory of Albania turning out into an extraordinary pressure on our rivers.
© Arion Sauku / Milieukontakt Albania
The organizations with the support of international organizations have reacted in regard to the situation by taking action, campaign and joint projects which consist on the request for the accountability of the decision makers and increase of pressure to reconsider plans to build hydro-power plants.
The Environmental organizations, part of the group were gathered on 9th September, 2016 to formalize it and discuss about the next steps and joint initiatives. The meeting aimed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the initiating organizations of the group and new organizations that have expressed willingness to join the group.
The memorandum aims to establish a framework for cooperation between member organizations and facilitate their interactions, on a non-exclusive basis, in areas of common interest, especially in monitoring and enhancing the implementation of environmental horizontal legislation in order to secure and conserve water resources. NGOs, through this document, agree to combine human, financial and logistic resources, as well as their efforts to maximize the achievement of common objectives.
The meeting was held in the frame of the project Horizontal Enforcement Legislation Promotion- CSO implemented by Milieukontakt Albania, EcoAlbania and LexFerenda and financially supported by the European Union through ACHIEVE program implemented by the Regional Environmental Center – REC Albania.
