UN marks Danube Day by inviting countries to get active for safer Danube

VIENNA - 28 June 2019: The International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River said that 81 million people in all 14 Danube countries are invited to "Get active for a safer Danube" as part of the celebrations for the 14th annual Danube Day, said a statement by the United Nations.

The theme of this year is a "Safer Danube", inspired by the 2016 Danube Declaration. The declaration made it a priority for all Danube Basin countries to work on making the Danube River Basin cleaner, healthier, and safer for all citizens to enjoy.

Danube Day celebrates the Danube and the rivers that flow into it, and the vital role they play in providing water, food, power, recreation and livelihood.

This year however, Danube Day is especially notable for commemorating the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Danube River Protection Convention in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1994.

The International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River is an International Organization, consisting of 14 cooperating states and the European Union.

Since its establishment in 1998, it has grown into one of the largest and most active international bodies engaged in river basin management in Europe. Its activities relate not only to the Danube River, but also the tributaries and ground water resources of the entire Danube River Basin.