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The Influence of the UN Watercourses Convention on the Development of a Policy Design in the Nile River Basin
The adoption in 1997 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses (UN Watercourses Convention or UNWC) marked a milestone in the codification and progressive development of international water law. Similarly, the signature in 2010 by the majo...
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AUC Knowledge Fountain
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613424492478464 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Abdelhady, Zienab Ali |
| author_browse | Abdelhady, Zienab Ali |
| author_facet | Abdelhady, Zienab Ali |
| author_sort | Abdelhady, Zienab Ali |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | The adoption in 1997 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses (UN Watercourses Convention or UNWC) marked a milestone in the codification and progressive development of international water law. Similarly, the signature in 2010 by the majority of the Nile Basin states of the Nile River Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) was a major step towards a permanent legal and institutional framework as well as a significant shift from the currently applicable legal regime in the basin. The research concludes that the principles enshrined in the UNWC can assist future regional treaty negotiations, thereby enhancing its universal status in the development of transboundary watercourse agreements.
The investigation includes an analysis of the UNWC impact on the case of GERD dispute, emphasizing the role of the UNWC in mitigating conflicts and promoting cooperation, the thesis delves briefly into case studies, to illustrate real-world applications. The findings demonstrate the compatibility and efficacy of UNWC principles in facilitating equitable transboundary water management. However, the challenges in implementation, including fact-finding, conflicts of interest, and political considerations, underscore the need for a ‘neutral’ third-party intervention.
Within a policy design perspective, the thesis explores how the identified principles of international law have been employed in prolonged negotiations, offering insights that could inform the resolution of the Egypt-Ethiopia conflict. While acknowledging that international law principles alone may not completely resolve the conflict. Emphasizing both the principle of equitable and reasonable use and a human needs approach, the thesis suggests that these frameworks have the potential to shift the narrative away from a security-focused approach and a zero-sum game perspective. Instead, they encourage an approach grounded in the importance of cooperation between the involved parties, offering a pathway for a more constructive resolution to the conflict. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-3512 |
| institution | American University in Cairo (Egypt) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:35:55.364Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | AUC Knowledge Fountain |
| publisherStr | AUC Knowledge Fountain |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress |
| spelling | oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-3512 The Influence of the UN Watercourses Convention on the Development of a Policy Design in the Nile River Basin Abdelhady, Zienab Ali The adoption in 1997 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses (UN Watercourses Convention or UNWC) marked a milestone in the codification and progressive development of international water law. Similarly, the signature in 2010 by the majority of the Nile Basin states of the Nile River Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) was a major step towards a permanent legal and institutional framework as well as a significant shift from the currently applicable legal regime in the basin. The research concludes that the principles enshrined in the UNWC can assist future regional treaty negotiations, thereby enhancing its universal status in the development of transboundary watercourse agreements. The investigation includes an analysis of the UNWC impact on the case of GERD dispute, emphasizing the role of the UNWC in mitigating conflicts and promoting cooperation, the thesis delves briefly into case studies, to illustrate real-world applications. The findings demonstrate the compatibility and efficacy of UNWC principles in facilitating equitable transboundary water management. However, the challenges in implementation, including fact-finding, conflicts of interest, and political considerations, underscore the need for a ‘neutral’ third-party intervention. Within a policy design perspective, the thesis explores how the identified principles of international law have been employed in prolonged negotiations, offering insights that could inform the resolution of the Egypt-Ethiopia conflict. While acknowledging that international law principles alone may not completely resolve the conflict. Emphasizing both the principle of equitable and reasonable use and a human needs approach, the thesis suggests that these frameworks have the potential to shift the narrative away from a security-focused approach and a zero-sum game perspective. Instead, they encourage an approach grounded in the importance of cooperation between the involved parties, offering a pathway for a more constructive resolution to the conflict. 2025-01-16T08:00:00Z thesis application/pdf https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2466 https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3512/viewcontent/auto_convert.pdf https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3512/filename/0/type/additional/viewcontent/Zienab_Ali_Abdelhady_Signature.pdf https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3512/filename/1/type/additional/viewcontent/Zienab_Ali_Abdelhady_IRBB.pdf https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3512/filename/2/type/additional/viewcontent/Zienab_Ali_Abdelhady_Turnitin.pdf Theses and Dissertations AUC Knowledge Fountain 1997 UN Watercourses Convention Nile Basin Policy Design Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam SDGs Egypt Ethiopia Transboundary rivers Environmental Engineering Environmental Policy Environmental Studies Other International and Area Studies Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Public Policy Sustainability Water Resource Management |
| spellingShingle | 1997 UN Watercourses Convention Nile Basin Policy Design Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam SDGs Egypt Ethiopia Transboundary rivers Environmental Engineering Environmental Policy Environmental Studies Other International and Area Studies Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Public Policy Sustainability Water Resource Management Abdelhady, Zienab Ali The Influence of the UN Watercourses Convention on the Development of a Policy Design in the Nile River Basin |
| title | The Influence of the UN Watercourses Convention on the Development of a Policy Design in the Nile River Basin |
| title_full | The Influence of the UN Watercourses Convention on the Development of a Policy Design in the Nile River Basin |
| title_fullStr | The Influence of the UN Watercourses Convention on the Development of a Policy Design in the Nile River Basin |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Influence of the UN Watercourses Convention on the Development of a Policy Design in the Nile River Basin |
| title_short | The Influence of the UN Watercourses Convention on the Development of a Policy Design in the Nile River Basin |
| title_sort | influence of the un watercourses convention on the development of a policy design in the nile river basin |
| topic | 1997 UN Watercourses Convention Nile Basin Policy Design Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam SDGs Egypt Ethiopia Transboundary rivers Environmental Engineering Environmental Policy Environmental Studies Other International and Area Studies Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Public Policy Sustainability Water Resource Management |
| url | https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2466 https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3512/viewcontent/auto_convert.pdf https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3512/filename/0/type/additional/viewcontent/Zienab_Ali_Abdelhady_Signature.pdf https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3512/filename/1/type/additional/viewcontent/Zienab_Ali_Abdelhady_IRBB.pdf https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3512/filename/2/type/additional/viewcontent/Zienab_Ali_Abdelhady_Turnitin.pdf |
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