Climate change is a reality and already affects the countries in the Nile basin. The 3rd Nile Basin Development Forum held in Kigali, Rwanda from 26-28 October 2011 was therefore dedicated to exploring the issue of “Climate Change and its Implications for Sustainable Development and Cooperation in the Nile Basin”. The conference was organized by the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) with the support of its development partners.
More than 200 policy makers from the Nile riparian countries, donor organizations, civil society, and private sector representatives, as well as international and regional experts attended the forum and shared their views on possibilities and challenges for adequately coping with the impacts of rising global temperatures in the region. They underscored that climate change offers a strong opportunity for enhancing cooperation among the NBI member countries. Because of adverse impacts on transboundary ecosystems, adaptation to climate change needs to be tackled from a regional perspective. This requires joint efforts and exchange of information between the riparian countries. However, regional objectives need to be translated into concrete measures on the national level, for example by including climate change considerations in domestic water management policies.
Participants agreed that regional organizations, and especially the NBI, would play a decisive role in the coordination of adaptation efforts in the basin. Furthermore, they could provide their member states with relevant information on funding opportunities for adaptation measures and become a primary interlocutor for development partners in the region to pave the way for efficient transboundary adaptation projects. (Kerstin Fritzsche)
The Nile Basin Development Forum is held every two years. It is dedicated to enhancing information and knowledge exchange between the manifold stakeholders and actors in the Nile basin region. Further information on the 3rd Nile Basin Development Forum is available on the following webpage: www.nilebasin.org/nbdf/
Published in: ECC-Newsletter, 6/2011
