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The Nile Basin Discourse (NBD) is a regional network of civil society organisations established to facilitate and support civil society engagement in Nile Basin Cooperation and development processes. Engagement is facilitated by the regional secretariat based in Uganda and through National Discourse Forums (NDFs) in each of the ten countries (Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda), which currently have a total of 647 civil society member organisations across the region.
The NBD’s Vision is: A Nile Basin, which is secure, where resources are equitably and sustainably developed and managed, benefiting all its inhabitants.
The NBD’s Mission is: To ensure that a fully informed and basin-wide civil society develops and plays a key role in achieving the vision through proactive and critical influencing of projects, programs and policies of the Nile Basin Initiative and other development processes.
As such, the NBD feels that:
With Nile cooperation, the Vision and Mission of NBD can be achieved.
Without Nile cooperation, there are serious risks in terms of unsustainable exploitation of Nile resources, inequitable access, increasing regional rivalries and even potential and actual conflicts, thereby increasing poverty.
NBD understands that the governments of the Nile Basin countries have been negotiating a Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) for a number of years, which would enshrine the basis for such cooperation. NBD is fully supportive of this process and wants it to reach a successful conclusion. There is much on which all the governments are agreed, but according to reports, there remain areas of disagreement, particularly over the status of earlier agreements.
As a regional civil society network, NBD does not take sides in this debate.
However, NBD does urge:
• That since all parties are already committed to Nile cooperation in principle, the negotiations should reflect this positive attitude and commitment.
• That the issues under negotiation should be opened up to the public, so that all are aware of what is being discussed and can contribute to the process.
• That there is an open debate about the benefits and costs of different options to all the people in the Nile Basin.
• That it would be beneficial to draw on best practices from other basins’ agreements.
• That for any agreement on Nile cooperation to be effective, it needs to be possible for all countries in the region to reach a mutually beneficial agreement, based upon a consensus.
• That to achieve such a unanimous agreement, all countries should actively seek to overcome their differences and find a formula which is acceptable to all, in a spirit of mutual respect and flexibility.
A meaningful, effective and long term CFA is possible only when all peoples and countries of the Nile Basin are at the centre of it.
For its part, NBD is committed to mobilising civil society to contribute to this process and urges others to join us in this effort and work towards ensuring that all countries in the region reach a mutually beneficial consensus.
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DOWNLOAD PDF/PRINTABLE VERSION HERE
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For More information, Please use any of the following NBD contacts
<| ON THIS LINK |>
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| WATCH FILM ON CIVIL SOCIETY ENGAGEMENT IN THE NILE BASIN |
| The NBD in collaboration with NBI has produced a film on civil society engagement. This film is a key awareness raising tool to create a greater understanding of the key development challenges in the basin and how civil society is trying to influence this process. |
| To view the NBD Film Click Here ! |
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