29 Sep 2009: Concept Paper: Expert Roundtable: Climate Change and Transboundary Water Conflicts in Africa: Legal, Policy and Institutional Challenges,

Concept Paper
Expert Roundtable Workshop

 

"A Climate Change and Transboundary Water Conflict in Africa: Legal, Policy and Institutional Challenges"

 

Hosted by

 

Institute for Security Studies
Conflict Prevention Programme
ISS Addis Ababa

 

Mombassa, Kenya

 

September 29-30 2009

Introduction

About the Conflict Prevention Programme

 

The Conflict Prevention Programme (CPP) of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  CPP strives to promoting and improving the quality of conflict prevention strategies and approaches in Africa.  CPP works to complement the work of African Union member states and the activities of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) in Addis Ababa.  The programme works in partnership with stakeholder and key actors, in its endeavor to address among others the issue of African integration as a basis for strengthening and consolidating the prevention and resolutions of conflicts.  Thus, CPP is actively engaged in commissioning and undertaking thematic studies related to the aforementioned issues.

 

Climate change has been identified as a leading human and environmental crisis of the 21st century Africa.  The problem of understanding climate change or global warming is one of the major problems confronting African people and government and the community of people seems to be at a loss when the neglected issue of climate change is raised in public.  Moreover, it has been argued that climate change leads to acute conflict and it becomes imperative for a proper understanding of the phenomenon of climate change.  Thus, climate change means environmental change that occurs as a result of human activities which lead to the release of carbon dioxide into the Earth’s atmosphere from the combustion of fossil fuels.  The major portion of carbon dioxide release in Africa is contributed by burning fossil fuels and the conversion of tropical forests to facilitate agricultural production as well as lubber cutting for domestic and abroad industry.  Concern over the negative impact of climate change strengthened fears that environmental degradation and demographic pressures would displace millions of people in Africa and create a wake of social upheaval.  

 

Water scarcity

 

Water scarcity has attracted the attention not only of Africa, but also the international community and is considered one of the major environmental issues of the 21st century.  On March 22, 2001, the United Nations commemorated the World Day for Water, in which speakers concluded that demands for freshwater exceeded supplies by 17% and that over the next 25 years, two-thirds of the world’s population will experience severe water shortages.  In addition, The World Resources Institute in Washington DC has warned that the world’s freshwater systems are in peril.  It predicts that by 2025 about a billion people or nearly 50 percent of the world’s population will face water scarcity.1

 

The Nile (6,825 km) or (about 4320 miles) is the longest river basin in the world in terms of both drainage area and the quantity of water it carries in its watercourse.  It is estimated that the Nile River carries 84 billion cubic meters of water.  The Nile has more riparian states (Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda) than any international river basin in the world.  While other countries may have alternative energy sources, a significant percentage of the peoples of the Nile riparian states directly depend on the Nile River for their livelihood and as a source of energy for industrial and domestic needs.

 

A recent study also suggests that population growth and economic development will lead to nearly one in two people in Africa living in countries facing water scarcity or what is known as `water stress` within 25 years. Water scarcity is defined as less than 1,000 cu.m of water available per person per year, while water stress means less than 1,500 cu.m of water is available per person per year. The report says that by 2025, 12 more African countries will join the 13 that already suffer from water stress or water scarcity.

Moreover, the influential head of environmental research institute Worldwatch, Lesr Brown, believes that water scarcity is now "the single biggest threat to global food security". He says that if the combined population of the three countries the Nile runs through Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt rises as predicted from 150 million today to 340 million in 2050 then there could be intense competition for increasing limited water resources.  There is already little water left when the Nile reaches the sea," he added.

The increasing water intensity of modern development, including irrigation and hydroelectric power in Africa, has raised the stakes on the sharing and common use.  To date, there is no comprehensive agreement on the use of the Nile river water that binds all the riparian states, and no significant integrated planning has been carried out to develop the basin.  The few agreements between some of the riparian countries exist only between Egypt and the Sudan almost to the total exclusion of the other riparian states. This suggests that unless a basin-wide water development planning is considered as a viable solution to conflict resolution and poverty reduction, such increasing water scarcity is likely to generate more regional conflicts in the Nile basin. The conflicts in the continent be it inter or intra-state are highly destructive and have brought unspeakable humanitarian catastrophes.  Most scholars argue that water shortages in international river systems cause conflict and perhaps war.  Thus helping end the water problems may help reduce the conflict.

 

Water and food security

 

Clearly, water and food security are closely related.   Reliable access to water increases agricultural yields; lack of it can be a major cause of droughts, famine, undernourishment and major cause of conflict.  One reason for environmental degradation and recurrent drought and famine in this region is lack of water management.  An important strategic plan to overcoming the problem of recurrent drought and famine as well as environmental degradation is to concentrate on developing the available water.  There is plenty of water in Africa: the problem is that in many cases it is either in the wrong place or it is available at the wrong time2. The political and economic history of Africa is filled with contradictions and paradoxes, where abundance in natural resources is more of a curse than a blessing, a major source of conflict rather than cooperation.

Energy sector in Sub-Saharan Africa

 

Sub-Saharan Africa faces major infrastructural challenges, the most severe of which are arguably those in the power sector.  Not only is the region`s energy infrastructure meager compared with other regions but an electricity service is costly and unreliable.  Indeed, in recent years more than 30 of the 48 countries in the region have suffered acute energy crises.  "The entire generation capacity of the 48 countries of sub-Saharan Africa, at 63 gigawatts (GW), is comparable to that of Spain.  If South Africa is excluded, sub-Saharan African generation capacity falls to only 28 GW."3 According to a recent experience, in some cities, the electricity situations is worsening as a result urban growth in addition to the old and badly maintained installations highlight frequent power cuts and sometimes long-lasting, leading to loss in national revenue. 

 

What are the solutions highlighted the obstacles to development that the lack of electricity brings?  The situation could be alleviated by topping into the continent`s "huge potential" for developing renewable energy sources including hydropower, solar, wind and geothermal power.   Electricity and oil are critical energy inputs in a developing economy as they contribute greatly to the production process. Energy for rural development has been an issue of national interest for quite some time.  This issue has received significant attention in most developing countries during the last three decades of the twentieth century.  In June 1992, 41 African countries endorsed the Agenda 21 as comprehensive international framework and action program for sustainable development at United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, Rio de Janeiro).4

 

However, rural energy initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa have remained undefined, and largely unattended due to financial resource constraints and low levels of technological advancement or simply neglected. The rural energy problem in this region will continue to be one of the chief causes of underdevelopment, conflict and poverty unless the proper attention it deserves is addressed.  Without energy, there is no development or effective fight against poverty.  Whether the problem ranges from rural electrification, infrastructure, or lack of energy in the towns, it prevents social and economic development.  Therefore, policy makers must take the initiative to assure a future in which access to energy is assured.  Meanwhile, the European Union is working through its EU-Africa Energy Partnership to bring electricity to sub-Saharan Africa.  Europe gets a significant amount of energy from oil refined in African countries, and some governments have agreements by which aid will go towards developing energy resources.

 

Climate change and its impact on pastoralism  

 

Climate change and pastoralists` livelihood are interlinked.  Pastoralist`s communities largely depend on livestock.  Pastoralism is practiced in a delicate and insecure environments characterized by highly spatial and temporal rainfall distribution which often leads to a long period of dry spell.  Variability in the weather pattern as a result of climate change has major implications on their livelihood and security.  Threats from climate change particularly persistent drought have devastating consequences for the pastoralists.  Severe droughts affects available water resource and have led to death of large number of livestock in most pastoral areas.  Therefore, current climate change and the antecedent ecological changes will have significant negative effect on the pastoralists and their livelihood unless effective and sustainable intervention measures are put in place. 

 

Pastoralists are in a hostile and arid environment.  The region is prone to frequent drought yet the governments in Africa have done little to improve their standard of living despite livestock sector contributing about 12% to national economy.  Many of these areas lack good road network and basic services such as clean water, security, school, hospital, administrative center and livestock market.  The effect of drought, low precipitation, incidences of diseases and pests and high temperature induced by climate change affect availability of pasture and water supplies for the livestock.  Pasture and water are critical to livestock and pastoralists survival.

 

Legal and policy  

 

Recognizing the tremendous benefits that can be reaped from cooperation, yet fully aware of the challenges ahead, various regional and sub-regional initiatives of the continent have put their efforts to mitigate water related conflict that are prevalent in Africa.  These include the ENDUGU group, the TECCONILE Initiative and the Nile Basin Initiative among others.  The ENDUGU group was initiated by Egypt to promote its interest on the Nile and could not overcome the financial, political and other problems it encountered and is no longer active. The Technical Cooperation Committee for the Promotion of the Development and Environmental Protection of the Nile Basin (TECCONILE) was initiated in 1993.  Under the auspices of TECCONILE and with the support of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), a series of 10 Nile 2002 Conference launched in 1993 to provide an informal mechanism for dialogue among the Nile Basin countries and with the international community. 

 

Knowing that sustained cooperation on the Nile requires a permanent institution with a development focus and agreement on core legal principles, the Nile basin countries established a forum for a process of legal and institutional dialogue in 1997.  The Transitional mechanism was officially launched in February 1999 in Dar es Salaam by the Nile-Com.  In May 1999, the overall process was officially named the “Nile Basin Initiative” (NBI).  The Nile Basin Initiative is a successor of the TECCONILE Initiative.  The Nile Basin Initiatives supported by the UNDP, the World Bank, and other donors includes the ten Nile riparian countries as equal members in a regional partnership to promote economic development and fight poverty throughout the basin.  The vision of NBI is “to achieve sustainable socio-economic development through the equitable utilization of, and benefit from, the common Nile Basin water resources.”  During the last three decades the frequency of droughts in the Nile basin riparian countries increased and arid and semiarid lands have become deserts.  Under these harsh conditions, the competition for scarce water resources is intense, especially when the resources are less developed and shared by other countries.  In addition, one cannot lose sight of the fact that the task ahead is much more difficult and complex when one looks at the state of mutual mistrust and suspicion that has characterized the riparian states over the development of the Nile waters.  Allocations of water resources to meet basic human needs, including social and economic development, while maintaining the integrity of aquatic ecosystems should be the priority of the Nile basin riparian states.  

 

Institutional challenges

 

Though, climate change is one of the most significant challenges facing Africa, the African Union response to climate change remain insufficient.  However, in recent years, early sings of an AU climate change regime are emerging but face several obstacles such as member states` conflicting needs and interests and the result has been member states little progress to implement national climate change policies.  Moreover, the Abuja Summit is to include among areas for priority attention how to accelerate progress towards complying with the AU and NEPAD 2003 Maputo Declaration commitment to allocate at least 10 percent of national budgets to agriculture and rural development within five years, i.e. by 2008. Apart from this, the preparatory meetings for the summit need to agree upon the best application of increased financial resources. 

It was also argued that investment should target activities that can foster the greatest and earliest gains in productivity and competitiveness, i.e. (a) infrastructure (particularly roads, ports, storage and market structures), (b) water control (irrigation capacity at appropriate scales), and (c) creation of an appropriate environment to encourage the private-sector (both large and small-scale) to invest. In addition, Africa has adequate core resources to implement priority food and nutrition security interventions at national, REC and continental levels. If well implemented and if focused on a very few strategic food security and exportable products, Africa`s own investment can create the necessary momentum and absorption capacity to effectively use additional public and private external inflows of funds into African agriculture.
African’s recognition to the important linkage that exist between water, food security, environment, peace and security and stability on the one hand and development and cooperation on the other urged them to undergo in to a paradigm shift in their response to the many threats to the climate change, peace and security and stability of the African states.

Rationale of the Conference

 

This conference examines the trends in environmental stress associated with water resources and addresses issues related with transboundary water conflicts as well as the challenges for future water related development projects including energy sector in this region.  Utilizing water efficiently is crucial in order to provide adequate water for agriculture and livestock development and for human consumption.  However, because of population growth, migration, and over-grazing which have contributed to deforestation and land degradation many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are now experiencing serious water shortage coupled with environmental degradation.  To this must be added the effects of drought and desertification which are at an alarming pace in some areas.  The major problem in this region is not industrial pollution but rather the depletion of its natural resource including water and forests.  This poses a major human security threats to both present and future generation of Africa and the world

 

To date there are few concrete studies and materials produced on the scarcity of water resources and its attended consequences of conflict in Africa.  Thus this, roundtable workshop will help fill the gap.  Besides, this conference will promote innovative research and produce a timely workshop report which will be useful for African policymakers and development planners.

 

Therefore, the roundtable workshop shall bring together experts from the academia; governments including representatives of Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Water Resources and Wildlife; think-tanks; non-governmental organizations; intergovernmental agencies, Regional Economic Communities as well as water experts and the Nile Basin Initiatives with aim of achieving the following:

 

• Enhancing an improved understanding of transboundary waters and conflicts
  
  
• Improve cooperation and coordination among AU, member states and regional organizations  
  
  
• Contributing towards an appropriate water policy and address the issue of cooperation which enable a win-win solution
  
  
•  Contributing toward the development of appropriate water legislative and regulatory framework for the regulation of transboundary water, and climate change policy both at the national and regional level.     

Additionally, the workshop will consider how key international actors such as United Nation Development Programme, United Nation Environmental Programme and the World Bank`s could play effective roles in the prevention and management of transboundary waters resources conflicts.  Then it looks into the role of civil societies in Africa in managing and resolution of water conflicts in Africa.

Objectives of the Conference 

 

The objectives of the workshop will be to develop a strategy and influence policy options that have the potential to contribute positively towards enhancing the role of the environmental agencies in Africa, Nile Basin Initiatives, governments, intergovernmental agencies, non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations in preventing, managing and resolving water resources conflicts in Africa.  Specifically the conference examines the following themes:

• Asses the past achievements of the Nile Basin Initiative.
  
  
• Assess the basic impediments that hinder sustainable and basin-wide cooperation in the Nile River Basin rather than competition and conflict.
  
  
• Examine the role of government and non-government organizations in the endeavor towards joint management and operation of water shortages in the region.
  
  
• This discussion paper recognizes that despite a wealth of stakeholder consultations, plans, recommendations, commitments and declarations, food insecurity in Africa remains at unacceptably high levels (27%).
  
  
• The impact of climate change, cooperation, development, peace and stability in Africa.
  
  
• To provide alternative models for a coordinated water development project including energy and irrigations within the Nile Basin riparian states.
  
  
• Asses the regulation of international water utilization which is known as “Helsinki Rules” (the basic principle laid down in the Helsinki Rules on transboundary waters was that they have to be shared equitably and reasonably among the riparian countries).
  
  
• Incorporation of non-water issues such as economic, environment, political, or even joint military/collective security cooperation that could lead from single-good to multi-good agreements.
  
  
• Drought, pastoralist practices and migrations.
  
  
• Formalize, adopt and implement national climate change policies.

 Sustainability

 

The sustainability of the project is derived from the CPP’s effort at complementing and supporting the work of the African Union (AU) particularly on issues of peace and security, development and environment. Of critical importance is the CPP’s briefing to the AU, the rotational Chair of the PSC, and members of the PSC on thematic issues and case studies. Against this backdrop one of the important themes that have dominated CPP activities has been the issue of climate change and its attended consequences of migration, and over-grazing which have contributed to deforestation, land degradation, desertification, drought and water pollution through the prism of conflict prevention and resolution within the context of human security.  As such, this workshop will provide the CPP with valuable expert information from which to continue its briefings to stakeholders on issues of climate change and conflict in Africa. 

 

In Africa, enlightened multilateral cooperation over the shared waters is not possible without strong political will and authority at the highest levels of national leadership, supported by an environment of domestic stability in all the riparian countries.  However, theses conditions cannot be fully achieved unless there is multilateral cooperation over the shared waters.  Unresolved conflicts over water will continue to adversely affect interstate relations, domestic politics, and quality of life in the Nile basin riparian countries.   

 

This roundtable workshop will rely on presentations and discussion that at the end of the workshop which will be compiled and published as part of ISS Workshop Report and Policy Brief geared to disseminate information which also impact regional, continental and international policy makers.  This research seeks to reorient policy attention to conflict prevention anchored in the concept of collective human security.  Therefore, while theoretical arguments and analysis would be welcome, accepted papers should be policy driven and grounded on empirical evidence.

Workshop Date and Venue

 

In consultation with participants and partners, the workshop will be held in Mombasa, Kenya from September 29-30, 2009.

Expected Outputs

 

In terms of outputs this workshop will:

• Commission 12  papers
• Manuscript length is 3000 words
• Prepare a workshop report  and ISS Policy Brief

Contents/Suggestive themes:

1. Conflict and Cooperation on Transboundary water in Africa.
   
   
2. The role of AU in promoting and addressing a climate change as one of the greatest environmental, social and economic treat facing Africa. 
   
   
3. Assess the basic impediments that hinder sustainable and basin-wide cooperation in the Nile River Basin rather than competition and conflict.
   
   
4. Look at the increasing climate change and conflict from issues of water scarcity and degradation, which poses as a continual threat to local, state, regional, and international stability.
   
   
5. Assess watershed management in Africa.
   
   
6. Assess Water resources development policy of Africa including the Nile riparian states.
   
   
7. Asses the regulation of international water utilization which is known as “Helsinki Rules” (the basic principle laid down in the Helsinki Rules on transboundary waters was that they have to be shared equitably and reasonably among the riparian countries).
   
   
8. Incorporation of non-water issues such as economic, environment, political, or even joint military/collective security cooperation that could lead from single-good to multi-good agreements.
   
   
9. Climate change and conflict in pastoral areas of the Horn of Africa: pastoralist practices and migrations as it intensify conflict.
   
   
10. African Regional Climate change policy: Constraints and possibilities.
    
    
11. The renaissance of indigenous rule: Role of traditional institutions in climate change and conflict in Africa.
    
    
12. Assess the need for strong institutional cooperation and commitment to support the efforts of African states to bridge essential gaps in human security imperative. 

Time Frame for Activities

 

The time frame proposed for the commissioning of papers, seminar and production of the workshop report is as follows:
Authors will be required to submit their papers to ISS/CPP by September 1, 2009.

Further information

Further information on the Workshop will be disseminated widely, including on the ISS website. A detail of the contact person for further information and for confirmation of participation in the workshop is as follows: 

 

Debay Tadesse, Ph.D
Senior Researcher
Conflict Prevention Programme
Institute for Security Studies/Institut d’Etudes de Sécurité
PO Box 2329 Addis Ababa Ethiopia
Ki-Ab Building, Alexander Pushkin Street
Pushkin Square, Addis Ababa
P.O. Box 2329
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Tel: 251 11 372 1154/5/6
Fax: 251 11 372 5954
Cell: 251 91 191 3332
E-mail [email protected]
https://www.issafrica.org

"Knowledge empowers Africa!"
"Le savoir emancipe l`Afrique!"

 

 

1. In 25 years, half the World Will Be Short of Water,”
   
   
2. Tvedt Terje, “The Management of Water and Irrigation: The Blue Nile” in Doorbos, M eds. Beyond Conflict in the Horn of Africa. (London: James Curry Ltd. 1992), 27.
   
   
3. IMF, Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa, (April 2008), 74.
   
   
4. Barnes, D. F Electric Power for Rural Growth: How Electricity Affects Rural Life in Developing Countries (Boulder: Westview Press, 1988). P. 71.