La Coopération Multilatérale et la Question de l'Eau au Bassin du Nil

Début du dialogue international sur le développement du bassin du Nil

IUCN

The World Conservation Union / Union Mondiale pour la Nature

The International Discourse on the development of the Nile River Basin takes off

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has just signed an agreement with IUCN to support the initiation of the «Nile International Discourse Desk» to facilitate the involvement of civil society in a development planning process for the Nile River Basin.

The Nile - the longest river in the world - has a drainage basin of over 3.2 million km in northeastern Africa. It includes ten riparian countries and more than 140 million people. It supplies most of the water for Egypt and Sudan and millions of the inhabitants of north-eastern Africa depend on it for natural resources, fishing, agriculture, irrigation, hydropower and industry. The Nile is a large river but one with limited water compared to other large rivers: with so many dependents there is a potential scarcity for those downstream.

For centuries, there have been disputes and worries about the distribution and availability of the Nile waters. Many treaties and agreements have been developed which have not always benefited all the countries involved. Most recently, the World Bank supported the Nile Basin Initiative, bringing together the governments of the Nile to work out development priorities for the basin and to foster harmony in improving the livelihoods of the people of the Nile, many of whom live in the poorest countries of the world. This Initiative is progressing with the government agencies responsible for water, energy and agriculture but has had, to date, very little involvement of civil society in the planning processes.

In January 2001, IUCN (together with WWF and WB) hosted the first meeting - an «International Discourse» - at its headquarters in Switzerland. The Discourse is designed to bring civil society into the development planning process for the Nile Basin and to involve local, national and international NGOs and other civil society agencies in information exchange about the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI). IUCN facilitated a further meeting of the same group which took forward the idea of the International Discourse and a programme of activities that would be coordinated by a «Discourse Desk» located near the NBI secretariat in Uganda. A programme of activities is to be developed to respond to the information needs of the people of the Nile Basin in relation to planned developments and to facilitate their involvement in the planning processes.

The Government of Canada has responded to the idea of civil society becoming involved with development planning in the Nile River Basin and has provided financial support to the process by investing in the Nile Basin Discourse Desk. IUCN will facilitate the Discourse Desk in the first instance. The Desk can now take off and begin its work with the people of the Nile. The Desk will include representation from civil society from all ten riparian countries of the Nile and involve exchanges, forums and, eventually, a website to ensure that development plans are known to all and involve those who depend on the Nile.

Source: --------------------, Rubrique Quoi de neuf ?, 15 avril 2002, http://www.iucn.ca/francais/WhatsNew/main.html (1 juillet 2002)