Ministers in charge of Water Affairs from the nine Nile Basin countries will meet on 13 April 2010 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.  The purpose of the meeting is to harmonize their views on the pending issues and agree on the way forward over the Nile River Cooperative Framework Agreement.

At their last forum held in Alexandria in July 2009, Ministers decided to provide a period of six months to allow for more time to enable member states move forward together.   All the NBI member countries reiterated the desire of the Member States to move forward in the spirit of cooperation on the basis of one Nile, one Basin, and one Vision. 
 
The Cooperative Framework Agreement which is a proposed international treaty currently being negotiated among the countries which share the River Nile – Burundi, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda (with Eritrea as an Observer), lays down principles of cooperative water resources management.  If signed, the treaty would pave the way for the establishment of a permanent Nile River Basin Commission.