DeNILE is a River in Egypt: The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, 2011: Ethiopian Council of Ministers of Meles Zenawi

APPROXIMATE COMMITTEE SIZE: 25 delegates

Ethiopia, a country that sits in the horn of Africa, is a heavily mountainous country whose highlands supply approximately 85% of the water that flows into the Nile River. Under the 1959 treaty signed between various Nile states that govern the distribution of the river’s waters, Ethiopia was afforded no ability to use the river’s waters for internal development, with all water being allocated to the downstream states of Egypt and Sudan. To many in the Ethiopian government, this is an injustice given the country’s role in filling the Nile river. Consequently, in 2011 the government embarked on the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), an enormous hydroelectric plant that they claim will be used to provide power and support to development projects in the region – an important concern given Ethiopia’s relative poverty. Ethiopia rejects concerns posed by Egypt and others that the dam poses a threat to their water access. In their eyes, the dam simply represents Ethiopia making full use of their legitimate claim to a portion of the Nile’s waters, and they have publicly stated that they have no intention of using it as a cudgel to pressure downstream states. The dam is also enormously popular internally: much of its funding has come from internal contributions by Ethiopians and Ethiopian firms, and the dam's construction has become as much a nationalist issue as an economic issue for many in the country. 

ISSUES TO CONSIDER

Finishing the Construction of the Dam

Securing the Dam’s Construction Against Foreign Interference

Driving Economic Development in Impoverished Regions

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Understand the role natural resources play in driving international conflicts and the increasing role of water as a critical natural resource.

• Understand how international debates affect domestic politics and how domestic policies can similarly trigger international uproar.

• Consider how to jumpstart development in impoverished regions, whether through the use of infrastructure or other projects.

About the Chair

Zach Samuel is a student in the Class of 2026 studying Science, Technology, and International Affairs with a concentration in Energy and Environment. His greatest passions include environmental security, water policy, filmmaking, and tennis. At Georgetown, Zach helps lead Georgetown Eco Consultants, the Jewish Student Association, and Club Tennis. He also volunteers as a tour guide and participates in Georgetown’s ACEing Autism program. Zach has been involved in MUN since his senior year of high school and looks forward to contributing to a high-quality, engaging, and fun committee at NAIMUN this year!

About the Crisis manager

Chichi Ugochuku is a member of the class of 2027 in the College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in both Government and Chinese. She is originally from the suburbs of eastern Pennsylvania, but she is delighted to be able to spend her university years in the bustling urban environment of Washington, DC. Chichi’s passion for Model UN began at Georgetown University, where she competes on the travel team and also staffed NAIMUN LXI as a Crisis Analyst. Beyond MUN, she is involved in the Georgetown Admissions Ambassador Program and works as a reporter for a major election reporting organization. In her free time (and often cutting into her not-so-free time), she enjoys wandering around DC at night, eating meals with her friends, dancing to Spotify music, and binging Chinese dramas and American military/special ops shows. Chichi is incredibly excited for the fun, intrigue, and surprises that await her committee at NAIMUN LXII!