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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development

Advanced system for floods and low flow forecasting in the transboundary Sava River Basin

International Sava River Basin Commission (ISRBC) (
Intergovernmental organization
)
#SDGAction50354
    Description
    Description

    In the Sava River Basin under the coordination of the ISRBC since 2018 has been operating, as a unique example in transboundary basins, Sava Flood Forecasting and Warning System– Sava FFWS with specific technical, technological, and governance characteristics.

    The Sava FFWS is the common platform, strongly contributing to national hydro-meteorological services and flood emergency authorities, ensuring improved preparedness and optimized flood risk mitigation measures. The Sava FFWS supports competent authorities in taking balanced decisions in flood emergency situations, and carrying out measures to prevent and mitigate severe flood events, based on accurate forecasts. The successful establishment and functioning of the Sava FFWS is based on the support and outstanding cooperation of all relevant stakeholders in the basin. The global scale uniqueness of the Sava FFWS is reflected in the fact that the designed system structure (1 central host and 3 back-ups in 4 countries) greatly contributes to the sense of ownership and shared responsibility for its functioning.

    During the successful operation, the possibilities for enhancement of the modelling tools for more accurate flood forecasts are recognized. In addition to flood forecasting and warning improvements, the Sava FFWS will be, in its second phase of development, significantly extended, upgraded with capabilities to provide clearer insight into low flow conditions, and will function as an auxiliary tool for various water management purposes.

    With better flood and low flow forecasting and warning capabilities, the Sava FFWS will be an essential tool in preparation of reliable scenarios to mitigate harmful consequences of extreme events to population and water dependent sectors e.g. navigation, agriculture, hydropower production and environment.

    The system will bridge the gaps in existing drought monitoring (and risk estimation) tools, which in most of the countries lack low flows forecasting and warning systems, ensuring in response to drought, much clearer inter-institutional scheme of data, responsibilities and communication on the transboundary basin level.

    Ambitions to achieve:
    - The Sava River Basin would be less vulnerable to extreme flow conditions by, inter alia, focusing on integrated water resources management and transboundary cooperation on flood and drought monitoring and mitigation, thereby making the countries more resilient to climate shocks. It would enable risk reduction of human lives' loss, damaged infrastructure, detrimental impacts on environment and cultural heritage, economic losses, and would increase resilience of communities, and social wellbeing.

    The ambitions will be achieved by:
    • Upgrading the flow forecasting platform through improvement of modelling tools to represent more accurate flood and low flow conditions.
    • Supporting enhanced warning system with a regionally harmonized procedures and innovative warning products.
    • Supporting advanced capacity development for relevant actors on water-related data, including the earth observations using the remote sensing, and modelling tools.
    • Giving emphasis on international and multi-sectoral stakeholder involvement, enhancing co creational approach, opportunities, identifying synergies and promoting transboundary solutions.
    • Creating momentum for further advancements of the basin wide cooperation mechanisms of the ISRBC.
    • Demonstrating and promoting the benefits of effective strategic regional dialogue for the sustainable development in the Sava River Basin.

    Expected Impact

    The initiative will significantly contribute to:
    - Further strengthening of the well-established cooperation mechanism of the ISRBC for integrated water resources management through transboundary cooperation in the Sava River Basin, developed as an effective, accountable and transparent organization, which enable inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making of all the members (SDG 6.5, 16.6 and 16.7).
    - Strengthening the resilience and adaptive capacity to water related climate- hazards and natural disasters by enhancing the flow forecasting and warning tools and procedures in all Sava River Basin countries, taking into account current climate variability and future climate change. Contributing to the awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on water related climate change adaptation measures, impact reduction, forecasting and early warning. Actions will enable risk reduction of human lives' loss, damages of properties and infrastructure, detrimental impacts on environment and cultural heritage, economic losses, and will increase resilience of communities, and wellbeing of the whole society (SDGs 13.1, 13.3, 11.5, 11.b).
    - Promoting the use of advanced and innovative information technologies to be more prepared for different flow related risks in the transboundary Sava River Basin. (SDG 17.8).
    - Creating possibilities to knowledge, information and experience transfer among wider or different regions creating the possibilities for integration within the framework of macro-regional strategies and dissemination of the lessoned learnt with other international basins.

    Partners

    Global Environmental Facility
    World Bank

    Goal 6

    Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

    Goal 6

    6.1

    By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all

    6.1.1

    Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services

    6.2

    By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations

    6.2.1

    Proportion of population using (a) safely managed sanitation services and (b) a hand-washing facility with soap and water

    6.3

    By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally

    6.3.1

    Proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater flows safely treated

    6.3.2

    Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality

    6.4

    By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity
    6.4.1

    Change in water-use efficiency over time

    6.4.2

    Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources

    6.5

    By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate

    6.5.1

    Degree of integrated water resources management 

    6.5.2

    Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation

    6.6

    By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes
    6.6.1

    Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time

    6.a

    By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies
    6.a.1

    Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance that is part of a government-coordinated spending plan

    6.b

    Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management

    6.b.1

    Proportion of local administrative units with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management

    Goal 11

    Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

    Goal 11

    11.1

    By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums

    11.1.1

    Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing

    11.2

    By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons
    11.2.1

    Proportion of population that has convenient access to public transport, by sex, age and persons with disabilities

    11.3

    By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries
    11.3.1

    Ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate

    11.3.2

    Proportion of cities with a direct participation structure of civil society in urban planning and management that operate regularly and democratically

    11.4

    Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage

    11.4.1

    Total per capita expenditure on the preservation, protection and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage, by source of funding (public, private), type of heritage (cultural, natural) and level of government (national, regional, and local/municipal)

    11.5

    By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations

    11.5.1

    Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population

    11.5.2

    Direct economic loss attributed to disasters in relation to global domestic product (GDP)

    11.5.3

    (a) Damage to critical infrastructure and (b) number of disruptions to basic services, attributed to disasters

    11.6

    By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management

    11.6.1

    Proportion of municipal solid waste collected and managed in controlled facilities out of total municipal waste generated, by cities

    11.6.2

    Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (e.g. PM2.5 and PM10) in cities (population weighted)

    11.7

    By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities
    11.7.1

    Average share of the built-up area of cities that is open space for public use for all, by sex, age and persons with disabilities

    11.7.2

    Proportion of persons victim of non-sexual or sexual harassment, by sex, age, disability status and place of occurrence, in the previous 12 months

    11.a

    Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning

    11.a.1

    Number of countries that have national urban policies or regional development plans that (a) respond to population dynamics; (b) ensure balanced territorial development; and (c) increase local fiscal space

    11.b

    By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels

    11.b.1

    Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030

    11.b.2

    Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies

    11.c

    Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials

    Goal 13

    Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

    Goal 13

    13.1

    Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries

    13.1.1

    Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population

    13.1.2

    Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030

    13.1.3

    Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies

    13.2

    Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning

    13.2.1

    Number of countries with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

    13.2.2

    Total greenhouse gas emissions per year

    13.3

    Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

    13.3.1

    Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment

    13.a

    Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible

    13.a.1

    Amounts provided and mobilized in United States dollars per year in relation to the continued existing collective mobilization goal of the $100 billion commitment through to 2025

    13.b

    Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities


     

    13.b.1

    Number of least developed countries and small island developing States with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

    Goal 16

    Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

    Goal 16

    16.1

    Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere

    16.1.1
    Number of victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population, by sex and age
    16.1.2
    Conflict-related deaths per 100,000 population, by sex, age and cause
    16.1.3

    Proportion of population subjected to (a) physical violence, (b) psychological violence and/or (c) sexual violence in the previous 12 months

    16.1.4

    Proportion of population that feel safe walking alone around the area they live after dark

    16.2

    End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children

    16.2.1

    Proportion of children aged 1–17 years who experienced any physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by caregivers in the past month

    16.2.2
    Number of victims of human trafficking per 100,000 population, by sex, age and form of exploitation
    16.2.3

    Proportion of young women and men aged 18–29 years who experienced sexual violence by age 18

    16.3

    Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all

    16.3.1

    Proportion of victims of (a) physical, (b) psychological and/or (c) sexual violence in the previous 12 months who reported their victimization to competent authorities or other officially recognized conflict resolution mechanisms

    16.3.2
    Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population
    16.3.3

    Proportion of the population who have experienced a dispute in the past two years and who accessed a formal or informal dispute resolution mechanism, by type of mechanism

    16.4

    By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime

    16.4.1
    Total value of inward and outward illicit financial flows (in current United States dollars)
    16.4.2
    Proportion of seized, found or surrendered arms whose illicit origin or context has been traced or established by a competent authority in line with international instruments

    16.5

    Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms

    16.5.1
    Proportion of persons who had at least one contact with a public official and who paid a bribe to a public official, or were asked for a bribe by those public officials, during the previous 12 months
    16.5.2
    Proportion of businesses that had at least one contact with a public official and that paid a bribe to a public official, or were asked for a bribe by those public officials during the previous 12 months

    16.6

    Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels

    16.6.1
    Primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget, by sector (or by budget codes or similar)
    16.6.2

    Proportion of population satisfied with their last experience of public services

    16.7

    Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels

    16.7.1

    Proportions of positions in national and local institutions, including (a) the legislatures; (b) the public service; and (c) the judiciary, compared to national distributions, by sex, age, persons with disabilities and population groups

    16.7.2
    Proportion of population who believe decision-making is inclusive and responsive, by sex, age, disability and population group

    16.8

    Broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance

    16.8.1

    Proportion of members and voting rights of developing countries in international organizations

    16.9

    By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration

    16.9.1
    Proportion of children under 5 years of age whose births have been registered with a civil authority, by age

    16.10

    Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements

    16.10.1
    Number of verified cases of killing, kidnapping, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention and torture of journalists, associated media personnel, trade unionists and human rights advocates in the previous 12 months
    16.10.2
    Number of countries that adopt and implement constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information

    16.a

    Strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacity at all levels, in particular in developing countries, to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime

    16.a.1
    Existence of independent national human rights institutions in compliance with the Paris Principles

    16.b

    Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development

    16.b.1
    Proportion of population reporting having personally felt discriminated against or harassed in the previous 12 months on the basis of a ground of discrimination prohibited under international human rights law

    Goal 17

    Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

    Goal 17

    17.1

    Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection

    17.1.1
    Total government revenue as a proportion of GDP, by source
    17.1.2
    Proportion of domestic budget funded by domestic taxes

    17.2

    Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries; ODA providers are encouraged to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries

    17.2.1
    Net official development assistance, total and to least developed countries, as a proportion of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee donors’ gross national income (GNI)

    17.3

    Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources

    17.3.1

    Additional financial resources mobilized for developing countries from multiple sources 

    17.3.2
    Volume of remittances (in United States dollars) as a proportion of total GDP

    17.4

    Assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress

    17.4.1
    Debt service as a proportion of exports of goods and services

    17.5

    Adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries

    17.5.1

    Number of countries that adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for developing countries, including the least developed countries

    17.6

    Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism

    17.6.1

     Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed

    17.7

    Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed

    17.7.1

    Total amount of funding for developing countries to promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies

    17.8

    Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology

    17.8.1
    Proportion of individuals using the Internet

    17.9

    Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation

    17.9.1

    Dollar value of financial and technical assistance (including through North-South, South‑South and triangular cooperation) committed to developing countries

    17.10

    Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda

    17.10.1
    Worldwide weighted tariff-average

    17.11

    Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020

    17.11.1

    Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global exports

    17.12

    Realize timely implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries, consistent with World Trade Organization decisions, including by ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from least developed countries are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access

    17.12.1

    Weighted average tariffs faced by developing countries, least developed countries and small island developing States

    17.13

    Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence

    17.13.1
    Macroeconomic Dashboard

    17.14

    Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development

    17.14.1
    Number of countries with mechanisms in place to enhance policy coherence of sustainable development

    17.15

    Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development 

    17.15.1
    Extent of use of country-owned results frameworks and planning tools by providers of development cooperation

    17.16

    Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries, in particular developing countries

    17.16.1

    Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks that support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals

    17.17

    Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships 

    17.17.1

    Amount in United States dollars committed to public-private partnerships for infrastructure

    17.18

    By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts

    17.18.1

    Statistical capacity indicators

    17.18.2
    Number of countries that have national statistical legislation that complies with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics
    17.18.3

    Number of countries with a national statistical plan that is fully funded and under implementation, by source of funding

    17.19

    By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries

    17.19.1
    Dollar value of all resources made available to strengthen statistical capacity in developing countries
    17.19.2

    Proportion of countries that (a) have conducted at least one population and housing census in the last 10 years; and (b) have achieved 100 per cent birth registration and 80 per cent death registration

    Name Description
    Upgraded the operational common platform Sava FFWS and establishment of the more efficient, innovative, advanced information technology-based forecasting and warning system for extreme flow conditions in the Sava River Basin.
    Improved skills and raised knowledge and experience of the relevant actors in the initiative implementation.
    Enhanced stakeholder discussion platform for facilitation of knowledge, information and good practices exchanges among relevant national and international institutions and organizations.
    Financing (in USD)
    GEF/World Bank
    Staff / Technical expertise
    ISRBC Secretariat
    False
    Action Network
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    Timeline
    30 March 2023 (start date)
    30 September 2025 (date of completion)
    Entity
    International Sava River Basin Commission (ISRBC)
    SDGs
    Region
    1. Europe
    Other beneficiaries

    National authorities in the Sava River Basin countries, ministries, river basin agencies, hydro-meteorological services, civil protection agencies and other organizations competent for different aspects of water resource management and emergency situations. National and transboundary water management specialists, and civil protection professionals. Competent authorities and representatives of the sectors that can be affected by different river flow conditions (human health protection, environmental protection, various economic sectors, e.g. industry, navigation, agriculture, hydropower production).
    Representatives of academia, scientific institutes, NGOs, local governments.
    Population resides in the Sava River Basin

    More information
    Countries
    Bosnia and Herzegovina
    Bosnia and Herzegovina
    Croatia
    Croatia
    Montenegro
    Montenegro
    Serbia
    Serbia
    Slovenia
    Slovenia
    Contact Information

    Dragan, Executive Secretary