Water in the South Caucasus is a shared resource - the region's major rivers cross borders, and their health and governance affect communities, agriculture and ecosystems in more than one country. Developing management plans that reflect this reality, meet international standards and have genuine buy-in from the stakeholders who depend on these rivers is complex, long-term work. It is also exactly the kind of work REC Caucasus is positioned to lead - combining technical capacity, regional knowledge and the relationships needed to bring diverse stakeholders into a shared process.

We are currently leading the development of River Basin Management Plans for Georgia's Rioni and Enguri basins, two of the country's most significant river systems, under EU Water Framework Directive standards. The work includes comprehensive basin characterisation, assessment of human activity pressures, economic valuation of water ecosystem services, and validated monitoring programmes for both water quality and quantity. By the end of 2024, both plans had reached approximately 75 percent completion, with draft Programmes of Measures under broad stakeholder review involving municipalities, sector bodies and communities across the basins. The process has been deliberately participatory throughout, because management plans that communities and institutions have helped shape are far more likely to be implemented than those handed down to them. We also contribute to Black Sea water quality work through the World Bank PROBLUE programme, including diagnostics on marine litter and regional pollution sources.