The 30th meeting of the Nile Technical Advisory Committee (NILE-TAC) is scheduled to take place on Monday 26 April 2010, at the Lake Victoria Hotel in Entebbe, Uganda.

Among other things, the NILE-TAC which provides technical guidance and direction to the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) as well as offer advice to members of the Nile Council of Ministers (NILE-COM), will discuss progress of NBI’s programs and project activities including the Institutional Strengthening Project (ISP) implementation and the Subsidiary Action Programs (Eastern Nile and Nile Equatorial Lakes) investment projects. The meeting will also discuss resource mobilization and preparation of NBI’s investments as well as coordination of NBI at national level.

Sharm El-Shiekh, Egypt - Seven out of the nine Nile Basin Initiative member countries have reiterated their position to move forward with the signing of the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) based on the decisions of the Extraordinary Nile Council of Ministers (NILE-COM) Meeting held in May 2009 in Kinshasa. 
 

During the extraordinary NILE-COM Meeting held on 13th April 2010 in Egypt, Burundi, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda agreed that “with regard to the signing procedure, we should open the Cooperative Framework Agreement from 14th May, 2010 and it shall remain open for not more than one year”.  Egypt and Sudan rejected the position by the seven countries saying that the proposal “reflects only the views of the seven States .”

Instead, Egypt and Sudan proposed that all Nile Basin countries issue a presidential declaration to launch the River Nile Basin Commission as negotiations to reach a comprehensive agreement on the CFA continue.  They also proposed that modalities of the Commission be elaborated by the Nile Basin countries, taking into consideration the relevant provisions in the draft CFA.

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.

The inaugural meeting for the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) National level coordination has ended today in Cairo, Egypt with a common understanding among participants of the roles and responsibilities of NBI Desk Officers, coordination mechanisms as well as a work plan for the fiscal year, 2010/2011.

The regional meeting held from 8th to 9th April was attended by members of the Nile Technical Advisory Committee (NILE-TAC), NBI Desk Officers, from each of the NBI Member States as well as staff of NBI.