Nile Basin Countries to Meet over Climate Change
By George Okore
KIGALI---The third Nile Basin Development Forum (NBDF) convenes in Kigali, Rwanda from October 26- 28, 2011 under the theme: “Climate Change and its implications for Sustainable Development and Cooperation in the Nile Basin – Threats and Opportunities to Nile Basin Cooperation’.
The theme recognizes the current global climate change, its potential impacts in the Nile Basin and the necessity to adapt to expected conditions including loss of species and ecosystems, desertification, droughts, floods, reduced River flow and high temperatures.
Participants will discuss the impacts of Climate Change on Nile waters, related natural resources and on socio-economic development in the Nile Basin region. They will also explore opportunities for trans-boundary cooperation and benefits from integrated water resources planning for adaptation under a changing climate. Also to be discussed are governance issues for climate change adaptation, challenges and potentials for financing adaptation and opportunities for food and energy security under a changing climate in the Nile Basin.
The NBDF is a regular event that, starting from 2006, is held after every two years. This year’s Forum, the third in a series, is organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources of Rwanda. During this year’s Forum, NBI will take the opportunity to launch some of its key products recently finalized and approved by its Governing Board. These include the second release of Nile-Decision Support System (Nile-DSS).
The first ever River Nile State of Basin report, which is currently under preparation, will be introduced. Among other things, this report provides access to accurate, credible and timely information to help in raising awareness and increasing understanding and appreciation about the natural environment, the people, communities and economic development of the basin.
The NBI has recently produced the Nile Basin Sustainability Framework. This is a suite of policies, strategies and guidelines through which the NBI will ensure that its activities are sustainable. It will also be used to ensure that the development and management of the Nile Basin water resources undertaken by NBI Member States with facilitation of the NBI are in accordance with the principles of integrated water resources.
The Nile Information System (Nile-IS) is a web-based knowledge management tool that allows for easy storage, searching, organizing, retrieval, analyzing as well as disseminating and exchanging information collected from NBI programs and projects.
A number of FAO-Nile Information Products prepared between 1996 and 2008 will be released. These products are ‘policy neutral’ instruments for examining a linked future between the land and water in the Nile Basin– and exploring the issues related to the people that depend on the continued access to land and cycle of nutrients and water. They are tools for understanding the impacts of rising demand for food and water against a variable hydrological regime.
Rwandan State Minister in charge of Energy and Water Eng Coletha Ruhamya says the outcomes from the three day forum will include a Ministerial Declaration and a Policy Statement. The 3rd NBDF will also promote a sense of collective responsibility and custodianship regarding the Nile, as well as promote on-going efforts by the Nile Basin Countries to face the challenges of Climate Change.