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| Before becoming ICPDR Executive Secretary in 1999 Joachim Bendow had successfully managed the UNDP/GEF Danube Pollution Reduction Programme |
Following the entry into force of the DRPC in October 1998, which brought an end to the difficult interim period of the provisional application of the Convention, Joachim Bendow in August 1999 took charge of the ICPDR Secretariat as the Commission´s first Executive Secretary. When he took this position, Mr. Bendow was not a newcomer in the Danube Basin; he brought to his new job the experience of managing the UNDP/GEF Danube Pollution Reduction Programme. As Project Manager he was responsible, in cooperation with the Interim Commission and the participating countries, for developing a comprehensive programme including policies, strategies and actions for the protection and sustainable management of water resources in the Danube River Basin.
Joachim Bendow was born in 1937 and completed his degree in geography and economics at the universities of Münster (Germany) and Neuchâtel (Switzerland). He started his professional career in 1964 under the German Technical Assistance programme. In 1972 Mr.Bendow joined the United Nations and started working as consultant and project manager for various international projects which included natural resource assessment, regional and land-use planning, water management and the development of environmental action plans in Asia, South America and Africa. Joachim Bendow has travelled all over the world and worked under difficult conditions, which taught him to quickly and easily adjust to diverse cultural and political climates – an important prerequisite, in my opinion, for anyone aspiring to successfully respond to the socio-economic, political and cultural diversity of the Danube Basin.
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| Discussing the Danube Basin map on the shore of the Chiemsee lake (from left: Joachim Bendow, Jens Jedlitschka, Fritz Barth, Fritz Holzwarth) |
As Executive Secretary, Joachim Bendow played a key role in structuring the ICPDR and its Secretariat. The success achieved by the ICPDR would not have been conceivable without his leadership, his many years of experience and his strong personal commitment. The establishment of the first Joint Action Programme (2001-2005) which sets clear goals and defines specific measures for implementation in all areas of ICPDR's activity, the establishment and expansion of transnational monitoring networks (TNMN) and the Danube Accident and Emergency Warning Plan, the far-reaching restructuring of the ICPDR's work and the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive in the Danube region following its entry into force in December 2000 – all these processes and achievements happened during Mr. Bendow´s term in office and under his strong leadership.
Joachim Bendow has always attached great importance to cooperation between the ICPDR, the international organisations and the NGOs active in the Danube region. Among other things, he has worked on strengthening the link to the Black Sea Commission, which has led to the conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two Commissions. Another highlight on Mr.Bendow´s work agenda involved close cooperation with international financial institutions and donors, especially the UNDP/GEF Danube Regional Project, and with regional initiatives such as those in the Sava River Basin.
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| Looking for inspiration in nature |
No other river basin in the world encompasses so many countries with such different economic, social and cultural backgrounds as does the Danube River Basin. In spite of this high complexity, Mr. Bendow and his team at the Secretariat managed, in only four years, to bring the ICPDR to the point where it is already used worldwide as a prototype of successful, sustainable and integrated river basin management.
The early years of the ICPDR were considerably defined by Mr. Bendow´s personality. Beyond his internal management duties, Mr. Bendow was also a contact and driving force for sustainable development in the Danube area within the framework of various regional and international initiatives. He was thus able to make the ICPDR a credible partner in the region. He was seen by many as a sometimes contentious but always reliable partner. Joachim Bendow's work has left a deep mark on ICPDR’s history and has paved the way for future achievements in the Danube region. The secret of his success is perhaps best described in the words of George Bernard Shaw: "I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them."
An official farewell ceremony for Mr.Bendow will be held as part of the Ordinary Meeting of the ICPDR on December 1-2, 2003.