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Water, Power, Conflict, and Frameworks: Examining the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam through the Lens of Transnational Water Distribution
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Volume 32, 2025Abstract
Since the 20th century, international and regional actors have established frameworks to achieve hydrological cooperation between the Nile River Basin (NRB) states. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), built on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia, has the potential to expand electricity access to millions and provide Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan with more measured water security in times of drought. Past research focuses on the lack of effective international law on transboundary freshwater bodies and resources or the history of water conflict and cooperation between NRB states. Bringing together different fields, this research highlights the challenges to collaboration on the Nile and what could be done to mitigate future disagreements through more robust regional frameworks. This work draws from literature on Nile Basin cooperation, bilateral and multilateral treaties, contemporary analyses of GERD developments, and hydrological and ecological data from the UN and regional organizations to highlight the limitations of current international law in guiding solutions. This paper demonstrates how the lack of specificity in frameworks concerning the Nile will continue to hinder development in the Basin. From 1999 to 2020, the three stakeholder states and international third parties held multiple framework meetings and expert working committees to address Sudanese and Egyptian concerns with GERD. Due to narratives around the dam fluctuating between technical, logistical, and political concerns and without standards set by international law, diplomatic rounds of negotiations since 2020 have failed to bring the three states into accord.