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dam-l WBank gets involved in Nile Basin/LS
>
>this is from the World Bank's web page.
>
To: irn-safrica@igc.org
X-Sender: lorip@pop.lmi.net
>
>Nile Basin Initiative Launches Secretariat
>Group to develop and manage Nile waters sustainably
>
>The Nile River, the world's longest waterway, spans a vast area of the
>African continent and provides a lifeline and livelihood for millions of
>people. To ensure that the waters of the Nile are developed and managed in a
>sustainable way, the Nile Basin Initiative Secretariat officially opened its
>doors in Entebbe, Uganda, last week.
>
>The opening came at the conclusion of the fifth meeting of the Nile Technical
>Advisory Committee-the technical arm of the recently launched Nile Basin
>Initiative (NBI). The initiative is a new regional partnership, supported and
>facilitated by the World Bank and others, within which countries of the Nile
>basin have united in common pursuit of the river's sustainable development
>and management.
>
>The Nile River Basin straddles 10 countries and is home to 250 million of the
>world's poorest people. Water shortages are already faced by many areas of
>the region.
>
>Building on earlier efforts, the NBI was launched in Dar es Salaam in
>February 1999. The initiative's inception and growth over the last eight
>months has been significant because for the first time in history, all Nile
>basin countries have expressed a serious concern about the need for joint
>discourse. They have agreed to pursue such discourse under the framework
>of the NBI as a transitional arrangement until a permanent legal and
>institutional framework is in place.
>
>At the heart of the initiative is a shared vision of achieving "sustainable
>socio-economic development through the equitable utilization of, and benefit
>from, the common Nile Basin water resources." NBI member countries are
>Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda,
>Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
>
>The newly launched Nile Secretariat will be the nucleus for planning and
>coordination of NBI activities. It serves both the Technical Advisory
>Committee and the Nile Council of Ministers, the NBI's highest
>decisionmaking body. The council is made up of water affairs ministers of
>the Nile basin states. The Technical Advisory Committee supports the
>Council of Ministers and is made up of senior officials from member
>countries.
>
>During its deliberations last week, working groups of the Technical Advisory
>Committee examined various priority projects including efficient water use
>for agricultural production, opportunities for power trade in the basin, and
>water resources planning and management. Other project areas discussed
>include environmental analysis and management, applied training, and public
>information. The meetings were significant in that they now take the NBI
>process from planning to more substantive work on the ground.
>
>Guests at the launch ceremony included senior officials of government and
>representatives of the Nile Basin states, members of the diplomatic corps in
>Uganda, representatives of various international and bilateral donor agencies
>and regional organizations. Ugandan Minister of Water, Lands and
>Environment Henry Kajura emphasized the NBI's role in helping to reduce
>poverty in the basin and commended the initiative for the remarkable
>progress achieved thus far.
>
>Kajura, himself a member of the NBI Council of Ministers, described the
>Nile Basin Initiative as an opportunity for win-win development, and one
>that could only have a positive impact on the entire Nile Basin community as
>it underscored the advantages of sharing the benefits of water.
>
>Other donors include the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
>and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Many other
>development partners are now joining in their support of the Initiative,
>including the Food & Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and the governments
>of Italy, Netherlands, Finland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway and
>Sweden. The cooperative partners all expressed their continued commitment
>and support for the Nile Basin Initiative.
>
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Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
and Editor, World Rivers Review
International Rivers Network
1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
Tel. (510) 848 1155 Fax (510) 848 1008
http://www.irn.org
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