Danube Watch 1/2020 - Talking with Two ICPDR Dinosaurs

Wolfgang Stalzer, Head of Delegation and two-time President of the ICPDR, as well as current Goodwill Ambassador and Ivan Zavadsky, current Executive Secretary of the ICPDR, sat down with Danube Watch to discuss the formation of the ICPDR from their first-hand experiences. 25 years since the signing of the Danube River Protection Convention, the fact the ICPDR was formed and has worked as successfully as it has over the years is surely a special case. In this second instalment of our multi-part sit down with Mr. Stalzer and Mr. Zavadsky, they focused on the special way in which the ICPDR operates and some of the personalities who have made the organisation a unique success story.

To begin with, the focus of the ICPDR itself has led to a unique set of circumstances. Water management and water-related issues demand long-term focus and commitment in order to see results. Mr. Stalzer sheds some light on the matter, “Water protection is not a political hot spot. It is amazing that the ICPDR has been able to get the focus and care for some of its activities that last 25 years (well beyond normal politically advantageous timelines). Normally, these things would be limited to four years maximum, but one cannot limit water protection projects to the short term”.

We hope these personal insights into the beginnings of the Danube River Protection Convention and the ICPDR were as entertaining to read as they were for us at Danube Watch to listen to! But we are not done yet. Mr. Stalzer and Mr. Zavadsky provided us with a wealth of memories and experiences that we plan to share in future instalments. Look to future Danube Watch issues to read about the particular modus operandi of the ICPDR that has made it successful. We will also focus on the individuals who made ICPDR a reality and Mr. Stalzer's and Mr. Zavadsky's personal connections to the Danube.

One reason why the activities of similar organisations are often kept on short timelines has to do with relationships with donors and other external concerns. “Among other organisations similar to ours, the divide between the highly politically motivated and decision-making processes is normally very large”, explains Mr. Zavadsky. “For example, donors often want to see results in a very short period of time”, he continues. Such outside pressures can lead to other organisational issues as well. “Within many organisations, political decisions and financing come from the outside and so participant countries do not feel invested”, explains Mr. Stalzer. “Furthermore, it is often the case that they rely on outside experts which further instils a feeling of lack of ownership among those participant countries”.

The ICPDR, however, operates differently. “Part of what has made the success of the ICPDR possible”, says Mr. Zavadsky, “is that we were lucky not to fall into the trap of becoming addicted to outside donors. A decision within the ICPDR in 2007 led the organisation away from this trap. We realised that we had reached a certain level and that we would actually be able to accomplish our work ourselves, without having to rely on outside financing”. “The way the secretariat is structured really brought the states on board and also means that they cannot distance themselves from the work of the ICPDR because, in the end, it is their own work”, adds Mr. Stalzer.

“Exactly, the Danube countries see the ICPDR as a joint exercise and feel a real sense of investment in everything that is done here”, confirms Mr. Zavadsky. He continues, “the fact is, whatever is being developed here – new methodologies, agreements on parameters, awareness and warning systems, monitoring, River Basin Management Plans, flood discussions – is all done by the countries themselves”. Of course, here too the ICPDR works in an idiosyncratic way. “The work here is not done in the commission itself, but by the expert groups”, explains Mr. Stalzer. “It is important that the experts have their say because in their hands, ICPDR's approach to water management is dynamic and never stays static”.

Wolfgang Stalzer
Intimately close to the waters of the Danube since childhood, bathing and fishing along the banks of the river, Wolfgang Stalzer's career naturally followed a path to water management and international water conservation. Its singular high point? Twice sitting as Austria's ICPDR president in 1998 and 2012. In 2014, Stalzer was also made one of the two first ICPDR Goodwill Amabassadors.

Mr. Zavadsky points out that “because of this structure, our policy arch is very specific and efficient. If you go to technical expert groups or policy expert groups to look at a technical issue, they discuss technical aspects and what can be done, and at the end of the day they make a proposal. The ICPDR thus has no problem approving such proposals because the countries themselves supply the experts and so there is no need for further bureaucratic consultation at different levels. When the decision is being made, it is smooth because all of our actions are being done at the national level”. This again highlights the ability of the ICPDR to successfully tackle myriad water-related issues within the Danube River Basin over the last 25 years: a seemingly impossible task.

The concept of centring the work of the ICPDR around expert groups made up of experts supplied by the various participating countries was put into place very early on in the establishment of the organisation itself. The Danube Environmental Programme, which operated parallel to the ICPDR, was itself made up of many experts in the field, and the lines between the two organisations were often, thankfully, a bit blurred. “Early on, it was very important for us at the ICPDR to get the expert groups that already existed in the Danube Environmental Programme transitioned here once we were officially established”, clarifies Mr. Stalzer. Due to a real feeling of investment and ownership among the Danube countries and the experts themselves, this was possible. “The expert groups received new names when they transitioned into the ICPDR, but they were the very same people”, remembers Mr. Stalzer. Of course, the people who were drawn to the ICPDR and who made up the staff and expert groups were always a special bunch. “Here, scientific-minded people of all levels discuss everything everywhere, not just in official sittings, and this brings people closer together through these sometimes work-related and sometimes personal discussions”, elaborates Mr. Stalzer. “I think that it is also wonderful that many countries within the region have a real culture of hospitality. When there's an official meeting somewhere, there's also an invitation to dinner or something like that after”, explains Mr. Stalzer. “All these unofficial moments together bring people closer personally, and the effect on working relationships is very positive”.

Ivan Zavadsky
Born on the Slovak banks of the Danube, Ivan Zavadsky came from a family of water managers. A vital part of his home country's EU accession process, and one-time project manager of the foundational Danube Regional Project – a key precursor to the ICPDR – Zavadsky has been our Executive Secretary since 2013.

Stressing the importance of the personal situation throughout the history of the ICPDR, Mr. Zavadsky says, “we were really lucky. I can't imagine what anyone could have done differently in all this time. We had wonderful people around us in the beginning (and still do!). All the hard work at ICPDR has always been driven by the capacity of wonderful people”. This notable personal commitment that bound the organisation together in the beginning was not limited to experts and permanent staff, however. “We were also lucky with political situation”, remembers Mr. Zavadsky. “Including the level of cooperation and the political people – ministers, etc., from different countries - who were always pushing for things to help solidify the work of the ICPDR”.

With the help of Mr. Stalzer and Mr. Zavadsky, the ICPDR clearly operates differently from many other similar organisations, and the key to this difference has always been a sense of investment. Participating countries in the region are invested because they make important decisions directly. The special working structure of the ICPDR attracts dedicated experts who do not have to stress over needless bureaucracy, and who develop closer working and interpersonal relationships because of the region's wonderful hospitality culture. In the end, however, it is the people themselves who have always made the ICPDR work well for its 25 years of existence – and we hope that stays the case.