CIVICUS discusses international water governance and the political implications of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam with Khaled AbuZeid, Executive Director of the Arab Water Council, a Cairo-based regional organisation that works to promote integrated water management, cooperation and sustainable development across Arab countries.
Ethiopia’s inauguration of Africa’s largest hydroelectric facility in September marked a turning point in regional politics. While Ethiopia celebrated it as a development milestone, downstream countries Egypt and Sudan face mounting uncertainty. Disputes over water management, exemplified by recent flooding and conflicting explanations, reveal a system where climate pressures, development ambitions and national sovereignty collide without binding agreements to guide them.
