Current Context and Evolution towards Institutional Strengthening

1. Nile Basin Initiative Current Context and Evolution towards Institutional Strengthening International Workshop on Institutional Capacity Development in Transboundary Basins, 10-12 November 2008, Bonn, Germany By Hamere Wondimu Nile Basin Initiative Secretariat, Entebbe Uganda

2. Presentation Outline • The Nile Basin – Challenges and Opportunities • Evolution of Cooperation on the Nile • The Nile Basin Initiative • Elements of Effectiveness • NBI Capacity Development Approach & Strategy • NBI Evolution towards institutional Development and Harmonization (challenges, and responses to the challenges)

3. The Nile Basin The Nile River Basin & The countries sharing the Nile Egypt • Nile Shared by 10 countries; Nile - 6,700 km length; Basin – 3million Km2; and a home of over 160 million people; Challenges • Extreme poverty – low GDP per capita • History of tension & instability • Rapid population growth • Environmental degradation • Rainfall variability • Inadequate infrastructure to store water and regulate • Water Related Shocks -Recurrent droughts, floods, .. Opportunities • Great potential to foster regional social and economic Win-Win dev. • Cooperative WRM • Greater economic, political and regional integration with benefits beyond those derived from the river Eritrea Sudan Ethiopia Uganda Kenya D.R. Congo Rwanda Burundi Tanzania

4. Evolution of Cooperation on the Nile • HYDROMET SURVEY Project: to foster joint collection of hydrometeorlogical data; 1967-1992 (8 countries) • Technical Cooperation Committee for the Promotion of the Development and Environmental Protection of the Nile (TECCONILE): 1993-1998 (6 countries) • Nile Basin action plan prepared in 1995 • The first series of 10 Nile 2002 conferences launched in 1993 – informal mechanism for dialogue and exchange of views • Established a forum for a process of legal & institutional dialogue in 1997; that enables riparian countries to move towards a long-term Legal Cooperative Framework (9 countries) • Nile Basin Initiative established in Feb, 1999 (9 countries)

5. The NBI “Shared Vision” “To achieve sustainable socio-economic development through equitable utilization of, and benefit from, the common Nile Basin water resources.”

6. Shared Vision Shared Vision Program Subsidiary Action Prog. Action on the ground Nile Basin Strategic Action Program • SVP - Creates an enabling environment for cooperative investments within a basin-wide framework • SAP -Promotes the Shared Vision through sub-regional investment projects • Parallel intensive Dialogue and negotiations on the Cooperative Framework to endow NBI with a permanent organization and legal foundation

7. NBI Structure Nile-COM Nile-TAC Policy level (basin -wide) Basin-wide Level (SVP) Nile-SEC Shared Vision Program 8 basin wide sectoral and facilitative projects Projects (basin -wide) NEL-COM NEL-TAC EN-COM ENSAPT Policy level (sub-basin) Sub-basin Level Subsidiary Action Programs (SAPs) NELSAP-CU NEL Coord Unit ENTRO Eastern Nile Tech. Regional Office Effective Coord. NELSAP Investment Program ENSAP Investment Program Projects (sub-basin) National NBI Offices

8. Functions • Nile Transboundary Env. Action • Nile Basin Regional Power Trade • Efficient Water Use for Agr. Production • Water Resources Planning & Management • Basin-wide dialogue • Stakeholder involvement • Best practical tools & demost. • Strategic & analytical frameworks • Human & institutional capacity Sectoral 5. Confidence Building & Stakeholder Involvement 6. Applied Training 7. Socio-Economic Development & Benefit Sharing Facilitative 8.SVP Coordination – overall coord. of SVP SVP Project Portfolio ($130million basin wide projects)

9. Built a Nile basin community of interest A technical foundation for basin management & development CBSI AGR ATP Socio-Economic Development SAPs NTEA SDBS RPT WRPM Coordinated Programs Established the NBI as a trusted institution provided coordination across sectors Promoted integrated approach to WRM

10. Subsidiary Action Programs(ENSAP & NELSAP) • Delivering an initial set of agreed investment projects (estimated US$700 million) • Planned at the lowest appropriate level - within the basin-wide framework • Focusing on power development & trade, agriculture and irrigation, and water and natural resources management and development (either through ENSAP or NELSAP) • Aimed at poverty reduction, economic development & reversal of environmental degradation • Seeking win-win opportunities between riparian countries • Both SAPs have shown remarkable success in the preparation and implementation of both fast track and big investment projects identified through a highly participatory and consultative process

11. NBI & Development Partners Partnership Development Partners • 1st ICCON meeting held in Jun 2001 - • Grant funding is mainly channeled through the Nile Basin Trust Fund (NBTF) administered by the World Bank • Other financing sources: countries contribution (in kind and in cash); direct financing from some partners NBTF partners are Canada (CIDA), Denmark, EC, Finland, France The Netherlands, Norway (NORAD), Sweden (SIDA), UK (DFID) and World Bank (DGF) Other partners supporting NBI - Germany, UNDP, ADB

12. Elements of Effectiveness (Implementation mechanisms and Institutional arrangement) • Multi-track approach- created incentives for the process and demonstrated benefits • Shared vision Program that started with divergent views but facilitated ownership and the convergence of views • Keeping the principle of “Subsidiary” – SAPs • Cooperative Framework negotiations • Transitional institutional structure and implementation arrangement that facilitates decentralization, broad involvement, ownership & commitment • Broad inter-country and multi-stakeholder participation and dialogue incubated strong political support and cooperative actions • Focus on the benefits that could be directly achieved from cooperation (trade, power, food, environmental manag. etc.)

13. Elements of Effectiveness (Implementation mechanisms and Institutional arrangement) • Promoting public participation and awareness; collaboration with Nile Basin Discourse promoted involvement of the civil societies, NGOs • Growing partnership with donors through the NBTFC forums (recognition by donors that NBI needs resources and time to successful) • Focus on the benefits that could be directly achieved from cooperation (trade, power, food, environmental manag. etc.) • NBI adopted Results Based Systemfor planning, monitoring and reporting • Preference for hiring NB nationals and locating the PMUs in different countries of NBI

14. NBI Capacity Development Approach & Strategy Assessments on needs for capacity development conducted by each SVP project at different levels with different scope and focus 2. Institutional and human resources capacity building through on-the-job and targeted training as well as study tours and exchange visits by all SVP projects • Capacity building on environmental management, power trade, water policy, KM, efficient use of water for agri production, WQM, negotiations, communications, etc. 3. One SVP project focusing on Applied training • Short and long term training opportunities; develop. short courses & MSc curricula and adoption by institutions • Exchange visits and study tours; coordinated and collaborative applied research and studies • Establishing partnership and collaboration with other training and research institutions • Nile Basin University Leaders’ Forum and Nile-Net

15. NBI Capacity Development Approach & Strategy 4. SVP Coordination Project - strengthening the capacity of the NBI institutions to execute and coordinate cooperative basin-wide projects and coordinating the CB efforts 5. Development of short and long-term NB Capacity Development Strategy is on process • NB CDS will build upon the lessons learnt from the NBI approach so far • Focus on the long term and future RBO institutional and functional needs • Aim at complementarity - focus on strengthening collaboration with other training institutions within and outside the basin • Inclusion of research and technology development

16. NBI Evolution towards institutional Harmonization Challenges and Issues • From SVP to IWRM – Critical functions need to be captured to support the long-term River Basin Management • From identification and preparation to investment –moving to big joint investments which requires countries commitment and financing mechanisms • From transition to permanence – conclusion of the Cooperative Framework agreement an establishing of a RBC • From NBTF to NBI resource mobilization –Developing a resource mobilizaton strategy, building skills and systems for funds management • Collaborate with existing and immerging regional institutions - capture synergies and avoid duplication

17. NBI Evolution towards institutional Development and Harmonization Institutional Strengthening Project (cost US$33.7 million) as a response to the NBI Challenges • To undertake an institutional design process to prepare NBI for the new challenges it will face with or without CFA ( provide time and resources to resolve the issues) • To enhance basin-wide institutional integration through a harmonization of NBI policies and procedures across the basin • To equip NBI with a more robust institutional infrastructure and critical skills needed to deliver its current program more effectively • To consolidate and mainstream SVP outputs and to establish IWRM unit

18. President Barack Obama ……. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; ……. what change will they see? What progress will we have made? This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace;

19. Thank You g

20. Floods Droughts Threats to lives, property, infrastructure and to the environment

21. NBI & Donors Partnership

22. The NBI Result Chain The NBI Result Chain NBI NBI Sustainable socio Sustainable socio - - economic development in the Nile Basin economic development in the Nile Basin Impact Impact through the equitable utilization of, and benefit from, the comm through the equitable utilization of, and benefit from, the comm on on Nile Basin water resources Nile Basin water resources NBI NBI 1. Increased regional 1. Increased regional 2. Efficient trans 2. Efficient trans - - boundary boundary Medium Medium cooperation in the Nile Basin, cooperation in the Nile Basin, management and optimal use of Nile management and optimal use of Nile Term Term contributing to peace and contributing to peace and Basin water and water Basin water and water - - related related Outcomes Outcomes security in the region security in the region resources resources 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.2 2.1 Enhanced 2.1 Enhanced 2.2 Increased 2.2 Increased 2.3 2.3 Increased Increased Increased Increased basin basin - - wide wide convergence of convergence of Increased Increased communicati communicati joint and joint and capabilities and capabilities and legal, regulatory legal, regulatory cooperative cooperative on, trust, on, trust, trans trans - - capacities based capacities based and policy and policy action in action in NBI Short NBI Short involvement involvement boundary boundary on best on best frameworks of NB frameworks of NB power power Term Term and and investments investments practices, on practices, on countries on trans countries on trans - - development development Outcomes Outcomes cooperation cooperation in the Nile in the Nile trans trans - - boundary boundary boundary issues in boundary issues in and trade, and trade, among NB among NB Basin Basin issues in power issues in power power power agriculture agriculture governments governments development development development and development and and natural and natural and and and trade, and trade, trade, agriculture trade, agriculture resource resource populations populations agriculture and agriculture and and natural and natural management management natural resource natural resource resource resource and and management management management and management and development development and and development development development development