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

This concept paper outlines an expert roundtable workshop hosted by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Mombasa, Kenya, on September 29-30, 2009. The workshop focuses on the legal, policy, and institutional challenges associated with climate change and transboundary water conflicts in Africa, with a specific emphasis on the Nile River Basin.

• Climate change in Africa is driven by human activities that release carbon dioxide through the combustion of fossil fuels and the conversion of tropical forests for agricultural production and the lumber industry.
• Water scarcity is a critical global and regional threat; the World Resources Institute predicts that by 2025, approximately one billion people, or nearly 50 percent of the global population, will face water scarcity.
• The Nile River Basin is the world's longest river basin and has more riparian states than any other international river basin, including Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
• There is a lack of a comprehensive, basin-wide agreement on the use of Nile river water that binds all riparian states; existing agreements primarily exist between Egypt and Sudan, excluding other riparian states.
• Sub-Saharan Africa faces severe energy infrastructure challenges, with more than 30 of the 48 countries in the region experiencing acute energy crises. The total generation capacity for the region is 63 GW, which drops to 28 GW if South Africa is excluded.
• Climate change and persistent droughts severely impact pastoralist communities who depend on livestock, as these environments are characterized by insecure rainfall distribution and high temperatures.
• The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), launched in May 1999 as a successor to the TECCONILE Initiative, aims to achieve sustainable socio-economic development through the equitable use of common Nile Basin water resources.
• The African Union's response to climate change is described as insufficient, hindered by the conflicting needs and interests of member states, which has slowed the implementation of national climate change policies.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (2009). Concept Paper: Expert Roundtable: Climate Change and Transboundary Water Conflicts in Africa: Legal, Policy and Institutional Challenges. https://issafrica.org/topics/environmental-security-and-climate-change/29-sep-2009-iss-seminar-kenya-climate-change-and-transboundary-water-conflicts-in-africa-legal-policy-and-institutional-challenges-29-30-septe/29-sep-2009-concept-paper-expert-roundtable-climate-change-and-

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Concept Paper: Expert Roundtable: Climate Change and Transboundary Water Conflicts in Africa: Legal, Policy and Institutional Challenges. 2009. https://issafrica.org/topics/environmental-security-and-climate-change/29-sep-2009-iss-seminar-kenya-climate-change-and-transboundary-water-conflicts-in-africa-legal-policy-and-institutional-challenges-29-30-septe/29-sep-2009-concept-paper-expert-roundtable-climate-change-and-.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Concept Paper: Expert Roundtable: Climate Change and Transboundary Water Conflicts in Africa: Legal, Policy and Institutional Challenges |date=29 September 2009 |url=https://issafrica.org/topics/environmental-security-and-climate-change/29-sep-2009-iss-seminar-kenya-climate-change-and-transboundary-water-conflicts-in-africa-legal-policy-and-institutional-challenges-29-30-septe/29-sep-2009-concept-paper-expert-roundtable-climate-change-and- |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudies2009concept, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Concept Paper: Expert Roundtable: Climate Change and Transboundary Water Conflicts in Africa: Legal, Policy and Institutional Challenges}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2009}, month = sep, url = {https://issafrica.org/topics/environmental-security-and-climate-change/29-sep-2009-iss-seminar-kenya-climate-change-and-transboundary-water-conflicts-in-africa-legal-policy-and-institutional-challenges-29-30-septe/29-sep-2009-concept-paper-expert-roundtable-climate-change-and-}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }