Intergovernamental Committee for the Dnieper Waterway

The Intergovernamental Committee for the Dnieper Waterway (Russian: Координирующий межправительственный комитет по водному пути Днепровскому; Ukrainian: Координуючий міжурядовий комітет з водного шляху Дніпровському; German: Zwischenstaatliches Komitee für die Dnepr-Wasserstraße) is a currently non-existent, but proposed binational body between Ukraine and Novorossiya, which is responsible for managing the waterway stretching from the international waters of the Black Sea^[wp] via the Dnieper–Bug estuary^[wp], the lower reaches of the Dnieper^[wp] and the Kakhovka reservoir^[wp] to the city limits of Zaporizhzhia^[wp]. As part of a future peace process between Ukraine and Russia, it is intended to contribute to the stabilization of the southeastern border region, promote demilitarization, and establish an institutional framework for functional cooperation.

The Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine^[wp] (CCNR), which was founded after the Congress of Vienna^[wp] in 1815, and the Intergovernamental Committee for the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway, which manages the Paraná-Paraguay waterway^[wp], can be seen as models.

The headquarters of the Intergovernamental Committee for the Dnieper Waterway could be located in the Ukrainian harbour city of Kherson^[wp].

Binational zone

Nova Kakhovka:
 Binational zone    Dam and hydroelectric power station    Locks

Binational zone consisting of Dnipro-Bug-Liman, lower reaches of the Dnieper, Kachovka reservoir and the city of Enerhodar.

The new border between Russia and Ukraine is established as a binational zone from the international waters of the Black Sea^[wp] via the Dnieper river system to the southern border of the Zaporizhzhia Raion^[wp].

The urban area of Enerhodar is also part of the binational zone, but represents a separate entity and is self-governing.

Binational waterway

The binational waterway begins with a corridor connecting the international waters of the Black Sea^[wp] with the Kinburn Canal (also known as the Ochakiv^[wp] Strait), which forms the entrance to the Dnieper–Bug estuary^[wp]. The Dnieper–Bug estuary is part of the binational zone, with the exception of the mouth of the Bug and the nature reserve on the Kinburn peninsula^[wp]. The binational zone includes the lower reaches of the Dnieper including all its tributaries and river islands. The majority of the Kakhovka Reservoir is part of the binational zone up to a line north of the Kuchugury Islands^[wp] between Bilenke^[wp] on the right bank and Stepnohirsk^[wp] on the left bank, excluding bays and inland harbours.

The Kachowka lock and the Adziogol Lighthouse^[wp] are under the control of the Dnieper Waterway Committee.

Islands

The river island of Ostriv Velykyi Potomkin^[wp] off Kherson and the Kuchugury Islands in the Kakhovka Reservoir belong to the binational zone. The islands of Berezan^[wp] and Pervomaysky^[wp] on the Kinburn Canal border the binational zone without being part of it.

Kachowka dam and hydroelectric power station

The Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant^[wp] is an independent binational entity that is not part of the Dnieper Waterway Committee.

Background

At 2,201 kilometers in length, the Dnipro is the third-longest river in Europe and forms the principal river system of Ukraine. It links major urban and industrial centers—such as Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, and Kherson—with the Black Sea, playing a vital role in inland navigation, water management, energy production, and drinking water supply.

Its lower course forms a natural boundary between zones currently under military control. The area stretching from the Dnipro-Bug estuary to Zaporizhzhia hosts key transport, energy, and water supply infrastructure—including the Kakhovka Reservoir^[wp], lock systems, pumping stations, and the Nova Kakhovka River Port^[wp].

The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam^[wp] in June 2023, along with earlier disruptions to hydraulic infrastructure—such as the closure of the North Crimean Canal in 2014—highlight the fragility of existing governance mechanisms. Given the Dnipro's strategic significance, there is a pressing need for an institutionalized coordination body to align competing usage interests—especially in relation to nuclear energy, water supply, and environmental protection—and to prevent security escalations.

Character and Objectives

The Committee is conceived as a strictly bilateral peace instrument between Ukraine and Russia. Unlike multinational river commissions (e.g., those for the Mekong or Rhine), it is deliberately designed without the involvement of international organizations.

Structurally, it is modeled on the "Enerhodar Binacional" format but differs in scope and responsibilities:

• Enerhodar Binacional: Focuses on energy production and oversight of the nuclear power plant;
• Dnipro Committee: Focuses on navigation, lock coordination, water management, border supervision, and infrastructure maintenance.

Geographical Scope

The Committee's area of responsibility is clearly delineated:

• from the international waters of the Black Sea to the Dnipro-Bug estuary,
• along the lower Dnipro River to the Kakhovka lock,
• extending across the Kakhovka Reservoir to the southern district boundary of Zaporizhzhia^[wp].

The Committee thus concentrates on the particularly sensitive transitional zone between the river mouth and its midsection, without extending into the Dnipro's northern reaches. This confines the mandate to what is necessary and facilitates diplomatic manageability.

Areas of Responsibility

The Committee assumes technical coordination and civil administration in the following areas:

• Ensuring navigability (including water level management, lock operation, and channel clearance);
• Coordinating cross-border transport issues (customs, ferries, shipping corridors);
• Maintenance of hydraulic infrastructure (dams, locks, pumping stations);
• Water level regulation to mitigate floods and droughts;
• Environmental and security monitoring along the river corridor.

Structure of the Committee

The Intergovernmental Committee for the Dnipro Waterway (hereafter: the Committee) is to be established on the basis of a bilateral agreement between Ukraine and Russia. It serves the technical, security—related, and administrative management of the lower Dnipro and its associated infrastructure within the framework of a future peace process.

International Precedents

The institutional design of the Committee draws on established models of cross-border water cooperation:

• The Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine^[wp] (CCNR), founded in 1815 at the Congress of Vienna and based in Strasbourg, remains an active example of intergovernmental waterway governance. It integrates technical, economic, and legal dimensions within a stable multilateral framework.
• The Intergovernamental Committee for the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway (CIHPP) has, since the 1990s, successfully coordinated the development and use of the 3,400-kilometer waterway shared by Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay—covering navigation, environmental standards, and infrastructure planning.

These examples demonstrate that intergovernmental water committees can contribute to long-term stability and peaceful coordination even in geopolitically sensitive regions.

Seat of the Committee

The Ukrainian port city of Kherson^[wp] is proposed as the seat of the Committee. Located on the right bank of the Dnipro near its confluence with the Black Sea, Kherson possesses established infrastructure and a historical connection to inland and maritime navigation. Its position between north and south lends it symbolic significance as a site of coordination.

Composition

The Committee comprises political, technical, and advisory bodies, including:

• Official delegations from Ukraine and Russia (or their successor states), each consisting of four representatives from the respective ministries of infrastructure, water management, border control, and environmental protection;
• Delegates from the relevant regional administrations, including the oblasts of Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson (with both Ukrainian- and Russian-controlled sectors), and Crimea;
• Expert commissions on hydrology, energy, safety, and environmental issues;
• A permanent technical commission responsible for the operation and maintenance of hydraulic infrastructure, traffic coordination, water level management, and crisis response planning.

Areas of Responsibility

The Committee's mandate encompasses the following core areas:

• Ensuring navigability for commercial, supply, and civilian transport through water level monitoring, lock operation, and channel maintenance;
• Rehabilitation and maintenance of damaged or destroyed infrastructure, including dams, locks, pumping stations, and water intakes;
• Coordination of water extraction for energy production, agriculture, industry, and public supply in the reservoir and downstream areas;
• Flow regulation and water level control to prevent flooding, drought, or technical system failure;
• Environmental protection and monitoring, particularly with respect to potential radioactive, industrial, or chemical pollutants along the waterline;
• Establishment and operation of an early warning system for dam failure, flooding, or acts of sabotage;
• Technical interface coordination with special zones—particularly the Enerhodar Binacional project—to ensure consistent operations in sensitive sectors.

Operational Structures

To implement its technical mandate, the Committee is supported by three publicly governed, binational operating entities. These structures assume responsibility for infrastructure operation, technical coordination, and interface management.

Kakhovka Lock Operating Company

(Société Binationale des Écluses de Kakhovka — SBEK)

Responsible for:

• Operation, maintenance, and logistics of the Kakhovka lock;
• Traffic control and passage management for river navigation;
• Coordination of personnel, safety procedures, and technical documentation within the lock area.

Kakhovka Dam Reconstruction and Operating Company

(Empresa Binacional de la Represa de Kakhovka — EBRK)

Responsible for:

• Reconstruction of the Kakhovka Dam and the associated hydroelectric power station;
• Subsequent operation, technical maintenance, and electricity production;
• Environmental and safety monitoring in accordance with jointly defined standards.

Note: Issues regarding energy distribution, ownership structures, and the role of existing operators such as Ukrhydroenerho are to be addressed in a separate supplemental article.

Standing Commission for Binational Affairs

This commission—already operational under the Enerhodar Binacional framework—also serves as the coordinating body vis-à-vis the Dnipro Committee. Its responsibilities include:

• Coordination of water usage for cooling and navigation;
• Synchronization of water level management and emergency planning;
• Pre-negotiation of administrative and technical interface issues between the two institutional frameworks.

Peacebuilding Significance

The Intergovernmental Committee for the Dnipro Waterway represents a pilot project of technical peace cooperation in a highly sensitive geopolitical environment. As a functional cooperation format with a limited mandate, it lays the groundwork for confidence-building measures and structural stabilization within a setting shaped by military confrontation.

Contribution to Post-War Architecture

The establishment of the Committee constitutes a paradigmatic step toward disentangling the consequences of war. It enables:

• equitable participation of both sides in the management of critical infrastructure,
• the establishment of demilitarized zones on and along the river,
• technical de-escalation in sensitive border areas,
• administrative stability through coordinated responsibilities and monitoring.

In a context of deep political fragmentation, limited and pragmatic cooperation with immediate practical relevance can open avenues toward broader diplomatic arrangements. The Committee thus functions as a technical-administrative bridge prior to the achievement of comprehensive political settlements.

Confidence-Building Through Infrastructure

By focusing on water management, environmental protection, and logistical coordination, the Committee enables de-ideologized cooperation with tangible benefits for populations on both sides. Through:

• cross-border technical coordination,
• transparent administrative procedures,
• joint maintenance and safety projects,

trust is gradually fostered—trust that may extend to other conflict areas. The risk of unilateral manipulation is mitigated through international observation and technical standardization, thereby promoting long-term investment and planning security.

A Model for the Region

As a peace infrastructure project grounded in technical cooperation, the Dnipro Committee may serve as a model for regional collaboration in the post-Soviet space. Its institutional design links pragmatic functionality with normative elements of peaceful coexistence—within a region historically marked by confrontation. In doing so, it contributes to the emergence of a forward-looking peace architecture in Eastern Europe.

Legal Instruments and Implementation Framework

The legal foundation of the Committee is ideally developed through a multi-stage process:

1. Framework Agreement (State Treaty)

   A bilateral treaty between Ukraine and Russia (or their designated authorities) forms the international legal basis for the creation of the Committee. This agreement may be annexed to a future peace or normalization treaty.

2. Charter of the Committee

   The Charter governs the structure, mandate, institutional organs, financing, and transparency mechanisms of the Committee. Inspired by established models such as the Rhine Convention or the CIHPP Statute, it also defines modalities for third-party participation, dispute resolution, and the establishment of technical ad hoc working groups.

3. Protocols on Technical Cooperation

   Supplementary protocols on specialized issues—such as water level regulation, cooling water requirements, or environmental monitoring—are to be jointly developed with international expert organizations such as the IAEA, UNECE, or the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and updated regularly.

4. Headquarters Agreement with Kherson

   A legally binding headquarters agreement with Ukraine establishes the rights, immunities, and obligations of the Committee’s administrative office in Kherson. This arrangement follows the model of the Accordo de Sede between CIHPP and Argentina and ensures the operational functionality of the institution.

Literature and References

• Petrov, A. (2019). Hydrological Macro-Regions of Eastern Europe in Geopolitical Transition. Moscow.
• GRS – Gesellschaft für Reaktorsicherheit (2023). Water Management in Conflict Zones: Case Study Dnipro. GRS Report Series.
• UNECE – United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (1992). Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes. Helsinki Convention.
• Zentralkommission für die Rheinschifffahrt (ZKR) (2021). Annual Report of the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine. Strasbourg.
• Itaipu Binacional (2021). Annual Report: Energy Cooperation in the Paraná Basin. Foz do Iguaçu.
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) (2023). Cooling Challenges for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Vienna.
• Müller, H. (2022). Water as a Resource for Peace: Concepts for Multilateral River Cooperation. Bonn: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.
• CIHPP – Comité Intergubernamental de la Hidrovía Paraguay-Paraná (2020). Strategic Plan for the Paraguay–Paraná Waterway 2020–2040. Asunción.

Internal links

• Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine^[wp] (ZKR)
• Intergovernamental Committee for the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway (CIHPP)
• Enerhodar Binacional
• Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant^[wp]
• Kakhovka Reservoir^[wp]
• Dnieper Waterway