A Study of Water Resources Development and Utilization and Management Cooperation across the Nile River Basin
尼罗河流域水资源开发利用与流域管理合作研究

The Nile River is an international river going across the most countries in Africa, covering 10 countries. Most parts of the Nile River basin are located in an arid and semi-arid region with high pressure on water resources utilization. Since late 1980s, with the regional political context gradually easing up and the population rapidly rising, competition and conflicts on Nile water development and utilization between downstream and upstream countries are becoming increasingly serious. Under aids from some international institutions and developed countries, the Nile riparian countries initiated Nile River basin management cooperation, established the Nile Basin Cooperative Initiatives organization (NBI), launched basin wide dialogue and relevant joint activities, mobilized the process of negotiating and singing of the Nile River Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement since late 1990s. This paper systematically examined and analyzed the basin water resources situation, historic Nile water allocation, current basin water resources development & utilization and the consequent inter-national interests confrontation, and the basin wide water management cooperation initiation and development. Finally, some lessons and conclusions were put forward: 1) the improved regional political context played a key role in promoting Nile River basin management cooperation; 2) the increasing common interests between riparian countries serve as the critical inner driving force for Nile River basin management cooperation; 3) establishment of the basin management cooperative institutions provides critical enabling conditions to realize peaceful and sustainable river basin development; 4) the third party plays an active role in promoting and influencing the development of river basin management cooperation; and 5) the challenges and dilemmas faced in river basin management cooperation need to be resolved in innovative approaches. The lessons and conclusions drawn from the Nile River basin have positive reference to reasonable development and utilization of water resources and sustainable river basin development in international river basins in the world.