Achieving equitable water use in the Nile Basin: time to refocus the discourse on collective human security?

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Adil Najam for his encouragement in pursuing my proposed line of analysis, and tips for investigation of Islamic principles relevant to the role of society with respect to the natural environment. While I also acknowledge Pablo Suarez for his constructive critical review of a previous draft of this paper, I am most grateful for his unrelenting support for my hunch that there may be significant potential for a new perspective on Islam to offer common ground for a shift in the discourse, and revitalisation of civil society engagement, without either of which cooperation for peace and prosperity for all will remain elusive within the Nile basin.

Notes

Eritrea is technically a catchment riparian, but has only been included with observer status in Nile Basin negotiations.

Mekonnen (2011) further suggests that the introduction of the discourse of water security is ‘an unwarranted move pushing into further obscurity the already intractable Nile waters question, at best, and a logical cul-de-sac in the decade-long negotiations which have arguably fallen prey to the hegemonic compliance-producing mechanism of “securitization” sneaked in under the veil of “water security”, at worst.'

The platform of ‘common good’ is of interest to the Global Water Partnership – Eastern Africa, with offices embedded in the Nile Basin Initiative secretariat in Entebbe, Uganda.

This is the defining statement of the Nile Basin Initiative. http://www.nilebasin.org/

Then World Bank President James Wolfensohn committed to raise $20 billion in support over 20 years to achieve the poverty reduction, environmental protection and peace-building mission of the Nile Basin Initiative.

See: http://watersecurity.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/mubaraks-fall-and-the-future-of-the-nile-basin/

Quoted in http://watersecurity.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/mubaraks-fall-and-the-future-of-the-nile-basin/ [Accessed 14 May 2011].

Personal conversations with the executive secretary of the Lake Victoria Basin Commission.

What many Egyptians may not know is that Egypt is actually second to Burundi, which has been found to be 50% more water stressed according to standard hydrological water stress indicators (WSI). Furthermore, a study which applied social water stress indicators (SWSI) based on UNDP Human Development Report (HDI) data to incorporate measures of adaptive capacity, found Burundi to be about four times more socially water stressed, and due to its relatively higher social adaptive capacity, Egypt ranked fifth for social water stress of the eight basin countries compared (Ohlsson and Applegren 1998).

See, for example, http://ethiopiaforums.com/egypt-military-preparing-for-war-with-ethiopia [Accessed 14 May 2011].

Barnett (2003) warns that positing climate change as a security issue risks making it a military rather than a foreign policy problem, and an issue of sovereignty rather than a global commons problem.

CIDA, Denmark, the European Commission, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the World Bank have provided a total amount of US$191.54 million, with a net investment income of US$9.87 million.

NBD enables the civil society organisations working on Nile Basin Cooperation and Development issues to add value to the inter-governmental programmes and processes. NBD is a network of civil society organisations with its secretariat base in Entebbe, Uganda. NBD works with national partners, its membership understand national issues, and provide NBD with the skills and support to help it set up and manage practical and sustainable projects that meet the real needs of the communities. The national members are the National Discourse Forums in the 10 riparian states (Burundi, DRC, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda). NBD also works regionally and internationally to change policy and practice and ensure that issues of Nile Cooperation and Development are brought to fore and play a vital role in reducing poverty in the Nile Basin. Available from: http://www.nilebasindiscourse.org/ [Accessed 15 May 2011].

GWP's regional Nile Basin partnership is embedded in the NBI.

So long as the general welfare of the community and environment are not harmed.

This includes the development of public works such as water systems as well as the supervision of sensitive lands to protect or restore them.

Attributed by Denny (2004) to Kaveh L. Afrasiabi, 1995. Toward an Islamic ecotheology. Hamdard Islamicus, XVIII (1), p. 40. Frustrated with the traditional theological practices of many contemporary Muslim thinkers, the author calls for an ‘alternative Islamic theology’ or perhaps even a ‘theological detour’ based on Qur'an and Prophetic Tradition (Hadith) that are not shackled by the ‘common obliviousness, on the part of leading Shi'ite jurisprudents [and by extension to other legal schools], to ecological insights.’