International Relations

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Browsing International Relations by Subject "Benefit Sharing"

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    Eastern Nile Basin: The Nexus between Water Sharing and Benefit Sharing Arrangements
    (Addis Ababa University, 2011-04) Abebe, Zerihun; Tesfaye, Aaron (PhD)
    The main objective of this thesis is analyzing the nexus between water sharing and benefit sharing approaches in the context of Eastern Nile Basin. While water sharing as an approach is associated with the volumetric allocation of water, benefit sharing is seen as an alternative approach which is based on the sharing of benefits from the uses and non-uses of water. In (Eastern) Nile Basin both approaches has been go parallel. The water sharing approach has to do with the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA); which is meant an agreement that turndown the unfair status quo which bases itself in old bilateral or colonial agreements, and installed a system based on the principle of equitable and reasonable utilization. The recently popularized benefit sharing approach in Eastern Nile Basin has also adopted through the different projects prepared by Eastern Nile Technical Regional Office (ENTRO), which is a technical wing of the Eastern Nile Subsidiary Action Program (ENSAP). The different positions, policies and strategies adopted by the Eastern Nile Basin states (Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan), however, are at odds and contradicting. While Ethiopia needs to change the unfair status quo and then to manage the Nile water together on equal footing, Egypt and Sudan wants to continue with the status quo by keeping the water they divided between themselves intact. Hence, it should be clear that the benefit sharing approach to be fruitful necessitates some conditions such as peaceful hydropolitical relations between riparians, generally agreed agreement on the water itself, trust and confidence etc which is lacking in the Eastern Nile Basin. Therefore, without meeting such conditions, any attempt at joint projects is short term solution and does not address the fundamental problems. Therefore, by analyzing the gap between the two approaches and their practicality on the ground with the existing situation, this study has come up with four scenarios in relation to the two approaches mentioned; water sharing and benefit sharing arrangements. These are, water sharing agreement without benefit sharing arrangement, benefit sharing arrangement without water sharing agreement, benefit sharing arrangement pending water sharing agreement and two agreements of water sharing and benefit sharing arrangements. Among the above scenarios, coming up with two agreements of water sharing and benefit sharing arrangements between the riparian states is a solution in solving the dispute over the Nile. Therefore, the signing of the CFA by all riparian states that destroys the real impediment of cooperation is a precondition for further upstream-downstream cooperation. Nevertheless, the divergent position of the riparians and their contradictory Nile policies and strategies have proved that unilateralism will remain the rule of the game till the near future and breedsconflict in the Eastern Nile Basin. Key words: Eastern Nile, water shari