This document summarizes the challenges and opportunities of transboundary waters in the Nile River Basin. It discusses the main challenges facing Nile Basin countries like population growth, climate change, and political conflicts. It outlines the levels of cooperation within the Nile Basin Initiative and details some key areas of disagreement over the Cooperative Framework Agreement, including definitions of the Nile River System versus Basin. The document recommends strengthening policy and legal frameworks and jointly managing the shared water system to balance competing uses and enable sharing benefits from water resources utilization.

1. Near East and North Africa: Land and Water Days
Challenges and Opportunities of the Nile
Transboundary Waters
Prof. Dr. Abdalla Abdelsalam Ahmed,
Director General, UNESCO Chair in Water Resources, Sudan
aaahmed55@yahoo.co.uk, aaahmed55.aa@gmail.com
15 - 18 Dec. 2013, Amman , Jordan
UNESCO-CWR, Sudan
Prof. Dr. Abdalla Abdelsalm Ahmed
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2. T he Nile
Basin
1.Burundi, 2.Congo, 3.Egypt, 4.Ethiopia,
5.Eritrea, 6.Kenya, 7.Rwanda, 8.Sudan,
9.South Sudan, 10.Tanzania, and
11. Uganda.

Nile is the longest river in the world
(6671 km).

The total annual flow of the Nile River is
84 km3 (measured at Aswan High Dam).
Max. flow 120 km3/yr 1916, Min. 42
km3 /yr 1984.

This represents only about 2% of the
Amazon River, 6% of the Congo, 12% of
the Yangtze, 17% of the Niger, and 26%
of the Zambezi.
UNESCO-CWR, Sudan
Prof. Dr. Abdalla Abdelsalm Ahmed
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3. Main Challenges facing the NB Countries
1.Population growth (2.5 – 3.0%) and poverty.
2.Displaced people and refugees.
3.Climate change and food security.
4.Erosion and sedimentation.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.Natural disasters:
Flood devastation.
Drought and desertification
Watershed degradation
Institutional structures and capacity
building.
5. Political commitment and conflicts within the
region of the NB.
6. Lack of financial resources and technology.
7. Enabling environment for cooperation.
8. Trust and confidence building .

4. Nile Basin Countries in Gradual Process Towards Cooperation
Democratic
Republic of
Congo
Burundi
Egypt
Eritrea
Uganda
Ethiopia
Full member
Observer
UNESCO-CWR, Sudan
Kenya
Rwanda
Sudan
Prof. Dr. Abdalla Abdelsalm Ahmed
Tanzania
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5. Levels of Cooperation within the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI)
Global (ICCON and International
Discourse)
Ethiopia
Sudan
Burundi
Rwanda
Tanzania
Nile Equatorial Lakes Sub-Basin (NELSAP)
Eastern Nile Sub-Basin (ENSAP)
Egypt
Eritrea
Kenya
DRC
Uganda
Nile Basin
(SVP. Cooperative Framework)
UNESCO-CWR, Sudan
Prof. Dr. Abdalla Abdelsalm Ahmed
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6. Implementation of NB
Cooperation Framework Agreement (CFA)
Implementation faces some major legal problems and complications:1- One of the main objectives of CFA is to establish the NB Commission, to promote
and facilitate the implementation of the principles, rights and obligations set forth
in the CFA. Moreover, it serves as an institutional framework for cooperation.
2- Legal Issues: CFA states that upon entry into force of the CFA commission shall
succeed to all rights, obligations and assets of the NBI. The immediate question that
arises is: What will happen to the rights and obligations under the NBI of the states
that are not parties of CFA? it raises legal issues and exacerbate the existing
disputes over the CFA.
3- Egypt and Sudan argue that this is a draw back from NBI consensus.
UNESCO-CWR, Sudan
Prof. Dr. Abdalla Abdelsalm Ahmed
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7. Areas of Differences over the CFA
Four major issues were raised during the negotiations :
1.use of terms (River Basin Vs. River System);
2.prior Notification of Planned Measures;
3.the status of the existing agreements;
4.the CFA amendment.
Water Security
CFA defines water security as “the right of all NB States to reliable access to and use of
the Nile River system for health, agriculture, livelihoods, production and the
environment”.
***NB States therefore agree, in a spirit of cooperation (Article 14):(a) to work together to ensure that all states achieve and sustain water
security;
(b) not to significantly affect the water security of any other NB State.
UNESCO-CWR, Sudan
Prof. Dr. Abdalla Abdelsalm Ahmed
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8. Article 14 (b)
Egypt and Sudan demanded that Article 14 (b) should be
replaced by the following wording: (b) not to adversely
affect the water security and current uses and rights of any
other NB State,
14b original (not to significantly affect the water security of any other NB State)
It should also include notification of the planned projects
UNESCO-CWR, Sudan
Prof. Dr. Abdalla Abdelsalm Ahmed
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9. Nile River System Versus Nile River
Basin
CFA distinguishes between “NRB” and “NRS”.
1- NRB as “the geographical area determined by the watershed limits of the
NRS of waters”
2- NRS as “the Nile River and the surface waters and groundwaters which
are related to the Nile River”,
Egypt has been claiming that the definition of NRS applies to both
environmental protection and water allocation. This means that the Nile
waters is not only the 84 km3, (blue water), but more than 1,600 km3 (green
water).
UNESCO-CWR, Sudan
Prof. Dr. Abdalla Abdelsalm Ahmed
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10. THE GRAND ETHIOPIAN RENAISSANCE DAM
The Locations of the Ethiopian
Proposed Dams on the Blue Nile
Prior 2010
UNESCO-CWR, Sudan
Prof. Dr. Abdalla Abdelsalm Ahmed
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11. Opportunities in NB
Opportunities in the NB are too many for example:Integrated water resources development would grantee an
optimal and sustainable water use.
Poverty reduction through cooperation.
Shared programs and projects that lead to shared water
benefits, e.g. Food security, hydropower sharing, trade --etc.
Socio-economic development by managing the natural
resources in the whole NB as one unit.
Peace and political stability.
UNESCO-CWR, Sudan
Prof. Dr. Abdalla Abdelsalm Ahmed
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12. Successful Stories of Cooperation in the Nile (NBI)
1. NBI is a story of success
2. A forum for NB countries to dialogue
3. Established Regional institutions
4. Built capacity of water resources sector
5. Addressed development through its SAP
6. Enhanced the knowledge base & information sharing

13. Recommendations
In Transboundary Water two mean issues are essential:1. Strengthening Policy, Legal and Institutional frameworks.
2. Joint management of the shared water system to balance
competing uses and enabling sharing benefits from the water
resources utilization
UNESCO-CWR, Sudan
Prof. Dr. Abdalla Abdelsalm Ahmed
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14. A way
Forward
Build on the successful cooperative initiative (NBI) to
maximize the gain and to bridge the gap
and Move together

15. Thank you
for your
ATTENTION
UNESCO-CWR, Sudan
Prof. Dr. Abdalla Abdelsalm Ahmed
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