Eastern Nile Basin: The Nexus between Water Sharing and Benefit Sharing Arrangements
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Date
2011-04
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
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
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Keywords
Eastern Nile, Water Sharing, Benefit Sharing, Cooperative Framework Agreement, Unilateralism, Conflict