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Peace and Security in Africa - Security Council Open VTC
An agreement between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is within reach, with the United Nations standing ready to support talks and the African Union-led process to settle remaining differences, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs told the Security Council in a 29 June video conference meeting.
“These differences can be overcome,” said Rosemary A. DiCarlo, briefing the Council on the latest developments, “and an agreement can be reached should all the parties show the necessary political will to compromise in line with the spirit of cooperation highlighted in the 2015 Declaration of Principles.” Recalling that the Blue Nile contributes 85 per cent of the main Nile volume when it merges with the White Nile in Khartoum, she said it is an important transboundary water resource, critical for the livelihoods and development of the people of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan. Construction of the dam, a major hydropower project located on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz region, began in April 2011 and, when completed, will significantly boost that country’s energy sources, allowing it to increase electrification, accelerate industrialization and export excess electricity to the region.
Recognizing the need for cooperation to fully realize the dam’s benefits and mitigate potential negative effects on the downstream countries, she commended the three nations for such initiatives as establishing the International Panel of Experts in 2012 to examine design and construction plans, a follow-up Tripartite National Committee in 2014 and the 2015 Declaration of Principles. Recalling their establishment in 2018 of the National Independent Research Study Group, she said the United States and the World Bank have assisted in trilateral discussions since 2019. While a draft text was discussed, the three riparian States were unable to reach agreement in February 2020.
Since then, Sudan sought to narrow the differences, given that 90 per cent of the technical issues have already been settled, she said. The three countries agreed to appoint observers to the talks — including South Africa, United States and the European Union — and on 26 June, the African Union convened the Bureau of the African Union Heads of State. The three nations agreed to an African Union-led process aimed at resolving outstanding issues and will meet over the next two weeks to do so.
Commending the parties for their determination to negotiate an agreement and the African Union’s efforts to facilitate the process, she said the remaining differences are technical and legal in nature, including the binding nature of an accord, a dispute resolution mechanism and the management of water flow during droughts. While the United Nations has not participated in negotiations, the Secretary-General is fully seized of this matter. The United Nations stands ready to assist, through technical and expert support, as appropriate and as requested by the three countries, including any support that may be required by the African Union-led process.
Transboundary water cooperation is a key element in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, she said, emphasizing that climate change, combined with projected demographic growth and socioeconomic changes, will increase water management challenges worldwide, not only for Blue Nile riparian countries. “Cooperation is not a zero-sum game; it is the key to a successful collective effort to reduce poverty and increase growth, thus delivering on the development potential of the region,” she said, expressing hope that Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan will persevere with efforts to achieve an agreement that is beneficial to all.
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