Publication

Water consumed upstream does not flow downstream. Due to this, upstream-downstream relations over a shared river may entail competitive use or even conflict. What is the role of communication in preventing or transforming such behavior? This paper addresses such a question based on the lessons learned from three dialogue workshops carried out between 2002 and 2004 in the Eastern Nile Basin, with participants from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan. Dialogue is shown to be a key determinant in rectifying conflict, as it is the basis for trust-building, information exchange and the development of mutually acceptable management options.