DIKTAS II Experts Align Year 2 Priorities

Countries align actions to protect the Dinaric Karst Aquifer System.

03 Jul 2026

In Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, UNESCO and national experts from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro met for the 3rd in-person DIKTAS II expert meeting to advance coordination and agree on next steps for the project’s second year, including a shared roadmap towards the mid-term review, planned for mid of 2026.

The Dinaric Karst Aquifer System is a shared groundwater resource, where pressures and risks extend across borders. Participants therefore focused on how to move from joint planning “to joint practice — ensuring that joint commitments translate into coordinated action on the ground.

A clear priority emerged: turning technical work into operational and coordinated action. This includes aligning approaches to monitoring, improving data exchange, and strengthening cross-border coordination so that institutions can act on a shared and reliable evidence base.

By bringing together countries and disciplines, and aligning expectations, the expert meeting highlighted as key outcome the agreement on a shared roadmap for the mid-term review. This will help take stock of progress, confirm priorities, and clarify how experts across countries will deliver the next phase of work through coordinated actions.

Discussions also highlighted that lasting protection of the aquifer depends on an enabling environment — not only strong science. Differences in technical capacity, gaps in long-term monitoring data, and governance arrangements continue to require strong engagement and expertise to guide. Collaboration is essential to ensure that shared objectives can be translated into consistent, day-to-day practices across borders.

In the coming months, national experts will carry out targeted field missions to gather additional data, complement draft technical reports, and conduct interviews to capture perspectives from across the basin. These efforts will be supported by strengthened outreach, including the launch of the DIKTAS II website and the project’s first newsletter.

Ultimately, DIKTAS II is about impact: supporting stronger groundwater governance and more resilient water management, while safeguarding drinking water supplies and groundwater-dependent ecosystems. By aligning approaches to monitoring, coordination and communication, countries are better equipped to protect this shared resource more effectively and equitably across the region.

Contact

Project contact: Sinisa Sesum, Head of UNESCO Antenna in Sarajevo, s.sesum@unesco.org

Boban Jolović, Project Manager, b.jolovic@unesco.org

About the project

DIKTAS II is a Global Environment Facility (GEF) International Waters project implemented by UNDP and executed by UNESCO. It supports transboundary cooperation to improve groundwater governance and promote sustainable management of the Dinaric Karst Aquifer System across Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro.

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DIKTAS II | Trebinje, Mar 2026: Experts from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia & Montenegro advanced Year 2 work to protect the Dinaric Karst Aquifer System—turning cooperation into shared monitoring, data exchange & governance.

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In Trebinje, national experts from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro met with UNESCO partners for the 3rd DIKTAS II expert meeting—advancing Year 2 work to protect the Dinaric Karst Aquifer System through shared monitoring, data exchange and stronger cross‑border coordination.

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🌍💧 Trebinje (March 2026) — DIKTAS II experts from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia & Montenegro met with UNESCO partners to advance Year 2 actions to protect the Dinaric Karst Aquifer System.

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