The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, “Egypt has led, with Germany, an extensive movement on the path of preparing for the United Nations Water Conference in 2023, and this movement succeeded in mobilizing the support of 151 countries with the aim of creating the position of the UN Water Envoy.”
This step aims to support the efforts of member states, especially water-scarce countries, in facing the challenges of achieving the sixth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals related to water.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the decision of the UN Secretary-General to create the UN position is the culmination of Egyptian efforts to develop multilateral work to keep pace with emerging challenges.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that Egypt looks forward to enhancing cooperation with the new UN envoy to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda, in confronting water scarcity, and in light of the great efforts made by the state to rationally manage water resources and enhance cross-border cooperation in accordance with the rules of international law.
The move to create the position of UN water envoy for the first time in the United Nations comes amid Egyptian concerns about the impact of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the country’s share of Nile River water. It depends on the river to provide about 97% of its irrigation and drinking water needs, and fears that the dam will affect its historical share of the river.
In a letter addressed to the President of the UN Security Council, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aati stressed “Egypt’s categorical rejection of Ethiopia’s unilateral policies that contravene the rules and principles of international law, and constitute a clear violation of the Declaration of Principles Agreement signed between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia in 2015.”
The Egyptian official addressed a letter to the President of the United Nations Security Council, following the recent statements of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed regarding the fifth phase of filling the Renaissance Dam.
The Egyptian minister stressed in his speech to the Security Council that “Ethiopia’s illegal policies will have serious negative effects on the downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan.”
Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan have held several rounds of negotiations to narrow the gap between them over differences over The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project, the latest in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, between December 17 and 19, 2023.
These rounds did not result in an agreement that satisfied all parties, as Egypt later announced in a statement the end of the Renaissance Dam negotiations, while Addis Ababa continued construction and filling of the dam, and is preparing for the fifth annual filling.
Egypt and Sudan insist on first reaching a binding agreement with Ethiopia Regarding the filling and operation of the dam, especially during times of drought, to ensure the continued flow of their share of the Nile River waters. While Ethiopia says the dam is necessary for development purposes, especially through electricity generation, and stresses that it “does not aim to harm any other party.”
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