NILE BASIN INITIATIVE Claire Stodola UNH ‘11, Environmental Conservation Studies April 29, 2011

Research Question How has the Nile Basin Initiative influenced the riparian states’ management of the Nile River resources?

Outline of Presentation  Background on the Nile River Basin region  History of Cooperation  Overview of Nile Basin Initiative (NBI)  Achievements  Challenges and Current Events

Printing, Graphics, and Map Design Unit, The World Bank Challenges Poverty Climatic variation Population growth Climate Change

Upstream states Low water needs Downstream states High water needs

Historical Context  1902 – First international cooperation on the Nile  1929 – Permission required for upstream states  1959 – Still only BILATERAL  1960s to 1990s - Increasing frustration by upstream states

What is the Nile Basin Initiative? “to achieve sustainable socio-economic development through the equitable utilization of, & benefit from, the common Nile Basin water resources”

Is the NBI making a difference?  Gathering and sharing of information  Collaboration with other groups  Encouragement of civil society

Challenges and Criticisms  Multiple objectives  Decision-makers of NBI ≠ Decision-makers of member states  Increasing tension between Egypt and upstream states

Current Status  Cooperative Framework Agreement  Egypt in transition  Sudan - split into two states

“As the citizens of these countries demand fairness from their rulers, let them extend the same to their neighbors.” -Editorial, Business Daily

Sources  Bhat, Kiran. “Dwinding Oasis: Egypt’s Water Politics.” Harvard International Review Spring 2007: 13. Print.  Howell, P. P. and J. A. Allan. The Nile – Sharing a Scarce Resource: A historical and technical review of water management and of economic and legal issues. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Print.  Kung, Ruedi. “Addressing the Dimensions of Transboundary Water Use: The Nile Basin Initiative.” Mountain Research and Development 23.1 (2003): 4-6. JSTOR. Web. 2 Oct  Metawei, Abdel F. “History of Co-operation in the Nile Basin.” International Journal of Water Resources Development (2004): EBSCOhost. Web. 3 Oct  Nile Basin Initiative. Nile Basin Initiative. Web. 24 Sept  Sadoff, Claudia W. and David Grey. “Beyond the river: the benefits of cooperation on international rivers.” Water Policy 4 (2002):  Swain, Ashok. “Mission Not Yet Accomplished: Managing Water Resources in the Nile River Basin.” Journal of International Affairs (2008):  Teshome, Wondwosen B. “Transboundary Water Cooperation in Africa: The Case of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI).” Alternatives: Turkish Journal of International Relations 7.4 (2008): EBSCOhost. Web. 1 Oct  Thompkins, Gwen. Ethiopia Claims High Ground in Right-To-Nile Debate. NPR. 19 Sept Web. 24 Sept  Waterbury, John. The Nile Basin: National Determinants of Collective Action. Yale University Press, Print.  The World Bank and NBI. The World Bank. Web. 30 Nov