Nile Basin Initiative - Nile Transboundary Environmental Action Project

The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) is a transitional mechanism that includes nine Nile riparian countries-Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda-- as equal members in a regional partnership to promote economic development and fight poverty throughout the Basin. The vision of the NBI is to achieve sustainable socio-economic development through the equitable utilization of and benefit from, the common Nile Basin water resources. The Shared Vision Program (SVP) project portfolio includes eight projects - seven thematic projects and an eighth "project" to strengthen the capacity of the NBI to execute basin-wide projects and ensure the effective oversight and coordination of the Program. The Nile Transboundary Environmental Action Project is the first of these projects to be finalized. The project will encourage more effective basin-wide stakeholder cooperation on transboundary environmental issues by supporting the implementation of the actions prioritized by the Transboundary Environmental Analysis (TEA). The project is being executed by the NBI and jointly financed by the World Bank and UNDP. There are five project components. Component 1 finances institutional strengthening to facilitate regional cooperation, and includes improved access to natural resource management information and the development of a river basin model. Component 2 supports community-level land, forest, and water conservation, which includes priority actions to address soil erosion. Component 3 supports environmental education and awareness and includes conducting media campaigns, establishing an electronic network of selected secondary schools, and developing university-level exchanges. Component 4 provides support for wetlands and biodiversity conservation, especially for protected areas. Component 5 sponsors water quality monitoring Basin-wide.