GERD Petition

Posted on : March 4, 2020 |post in : |Comments Off |

PETITION TO THE US GOVERNMENT AND THE WORLD BANK BOARD OF DIRECTORS –March 4, 2020

From: Ethiopian community, Friends of Ethiopia and Concerned Scholars

“Egypt has a vested interest in ensuring that the GERD negotiations result in the recapture of its position as the powerful hegemon of the Nile.” Hafsa Halawa, Egyptian Born Expert, Fellow at Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East

“Our mission is not to impose a solution, but to monitor and bring the three countries together. We see each country is interested in the concerns of the other two countries.” And “a great deal of work remains, but I’m optimistic that over the coming months we can resolve this.” Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State Press Conference (February 19, 2020)

“The agreement, in our view, provides for the resolution of all outstanding issues on the filling and operation of the GERD… We appreciate the readiness of the government of Egypt to sign the agreement and its initialing of the agreement to evidence its commitment.” Steve Mnuchin, US Secretary of the Treasury Press Release (February 28, 2020)

“The United States seems to be putting its thumb on the scale in favor of Egypt.” David Shinn Former US Ambassador to Ethiopia

In an article titled “Ethiopia Could become 21st Century Colony of Egypt”, America’s iconic civil rights leader, Reverend Jesse Jackson, voiced grave concern and rang a clarion call to the US government and the World Bank Board of Directors to cease and desist pressuring Ethiopia to sign a colonial treaty that gives Egypt hegemonic power over the Nile river to which Ethiopia contributes 86% of the volume.

The Reverend wrote: “If Ethiopia is pressured to sign the agreement, it will be a colonial-like agreement both in spirit and substance that will give Egypt uncontested hegemonic power over Ethiopia’s natural water resources. History and international law will forever condemn the US government and the World Bank for their role in reviving Great Britain’s 1929 colonial treaty with a thinly guised veneer and obfuscated legalese to make it look like a 21st century treaty.”

Citing a document drafted by the US Treasury and the World Bank as an international ally, Egypt is threatening Ethiopia with war, if it refuses to sign the document. In the meantime, the World Bank is trying to escape responsibility for its role as the co-author of the illegitimate document.

In a futile attempt to free the World Bank from accountability, the US is downgrading the Bank’s role as a mere “technical input provider.” But the record stands contrary to the new narrative. Egypt’s minister of foreign affairs, Ahmed Hafiz, is on the record, stating the negotiation was “Sponsored by the United States and the World Bank” and the agreement was “developed by the American side and the World Bank.”

The Minister’s assertion is consistent with what has been reported in the international media. According to Foreign Policy magazine, the negotiation was conducted “under the auspices of the U.S. Treasury and the World Bank.” France 24 echoed, noting the mediation was “overseen by the US Treasury and the World Bank.” The BBC and Egypt Today saw the US Treasury and the World Bank as “brokers” and The National, Middle East’s leading English-language characterized them as “mediators.”

Between November 6 and February 13, the US Treasury issued four Press Releases. All of them were titled “Joint Statement of Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, the United States and the World Bank.” All of them noted the US Treasury and the World Bank as “observers.”

On February 28, the US Treasury issued a Press Release, downgrading the Bank’s role to merely providing technical input. If, indeed, its role was providing “technical input,” one would expect that it would be represented by technical experts, not by its President. One would also expect the World Bank would have issued press releases when its role was misrepresented by the US Treasury and the international media.

Originally, the US Treasury and the World Bank were neutral observers. The evidence shows conclusively that they abandoned their original role and willfully took on a new role to do the bidding for Egypt. For example, the US Treasury’s latest press release (February 28, 2020) claims – “The agreement addresses all issues in a balanced and equitable manner, taking into account the interests of the three countries.” This is patently false.

The Ethiopian government has issued a press release stating it “does not accept the characterization” of the agreement as portrayed by the US Treasury. Ethiopia’s statement underlined “The Countries are yet to address outstanding issues…” This echoes an official public statement by the Sudanese Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas who, on February 25, stated: “The three parties reached a consensus on about 90 percent of the outstanding points relating to filing and operating the dam…” The US Treasury of State has echoed Sudan’s and Ethiopia’s assertions.

Egypt’s Problem is Not Ethiopia’s Dam, But its Population Growth and Water Wastage

It is past time that the US government and the World Bank help Egypt understand that its problem is not the Renaissance Dam on the Nile river within the Ethiopian sovereign proper. As the New York Times reported,

Egypt “adds million citizens every six months.” An Egyptian newspaper quoted President el-Sisi as saying: “Terrorism and population growth are two of the biggest threats facing Egypt in its history.”

An Egyptian Professor, Diaaeddin El-Qousi, mentions water wastage as another existential problem. The professor stated: “Egyptians waste 20% of the water allocated to the country under the Nile Waters Agreement.” For decade, Egypt ignored advice from external experts to rein in its water-guzzling rice farming. Abdelatif Khalid, the head of Egypt’s Irrigation Department at the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources, put the water problem succinctly in November 2018. “Egypt is water-poor already and it cannot keep growing crops that need huge amounts of water,” Khalid said. “Growing crops like rice and exporting it is akin to exporting water, which should not be allowed for a country like Egypt.”

What Egypt is attempting to do is shifting the cost of its policy failure to Ethiopia. As a member of the international community and a good neighbor, Ethiopia has gone beyond the call of duty to seek a mutually beneficial resolution to the outstanding conflict on the shared use of the Nile river. Ethiopia extended invitation to Egypt to be an integral partner of the Dam’s development, providing independent expert assessments highlighting the benefits the dam creates both to Egypt and Sudan.

Egypt rejected Ethiopia’s gesture. Its strategic goal is a thinly veiled demand to have Ethiopia relinquish its sovereign rights to a fair share of the river and it’s inalienable right to build and manage the Renaissance Dam.

One of the contention is Ethiopia’s decision to fill the reservoir of the dam in four years. This is based on the recommendation of independent international experts, considering the need to mitigate the impact on the river’s flow to Egypt.

Egypt’s attempts to impose stringent conditions that can push the timeframe to fill the reservoir from 7 upto 20 years show its contempt to Ethiopia’s rights to use the Nile waters. Even worse, its demand to have the lion’s share of the waters far beyond its fair share violates Ethiopia’s sovereign rights to use the river to which she contributes a lion’s share of. If Ethiopia accepts Egypt’s demand, the Dam will be reduced to a white elephant project without sufficient water to generate the level of electricity Ethiopia desperately needs.

When considering Egypt’s demand to push the timeframe we need to note the following facts established in World Bank, UNICEF and UNDP reports.

Egypt’s GDP per capita is more than three times that of Ethiopia.
In Egypt, access to electricity (as % of the population) was reported at 100 % in 2017. The corresponding figure for Ethiopia was 44.3%.
In 2014, 91 percent of the Egyptian population received water directly into their residence. In Ethiopia, 57 percent of the country’s population gets drinking water from an improved water supply such as a tap or hand pump community water supply.
Egypt is classified “in the high human development category”, ranking it 116 out of 189 countries. In contrast, Ethiopia is placed in the “low human development category”, with a ranking of 173.

By any measure, Egypt is in a far better economic and social development position than Ethiopia. On what ground are the US government and the World Bank doing the bidding for Egypt to force Ethiopia to delay its development goals that are premised on meeting its electric power needs within four years? Ethiopian economists are preparing a cost matrix, under different scenarios. For the urgent need of this petition, some of the extra costs can be identified in the following line items.

The delay in filling the dam results in the loss of significant revenues from electricity export to neighboring countries.
The expansion of Ethiopia’s industrial parks and the growth of its manufacturing sectors that are dependent on the availability of sufficient electric power will be negatively impacted.
The delay in launching Ethiopia’s industrial drive will have cascading effects on the downstream chain of activities.
As a country repeatedly struck by drought and famine, electricity production is essential to power irrigation projects. An unnecessary delay in generating electricity will delay Ethiopia’s agricultural revolution by inhibiting badly needed technological improvement and increased crop productivity.
Access to electricity to households will have to be postponed. The potential cost is significant. Electricity is used not only as a light source, but also as an energy source for cooking. The delay in the production of electricity means households will continue to use firewood for cooking.
The use of firewood for cooking exacerbates the environmental pressures due to deforestation, desertification and negatively affecting human and livestock health.

The unnecessary delay in filling the reservoir is only one of the issues that needs to be addressed before any agreement is signed by the Ethiopian government. There are other pending issues that impinge on Ethiopia’s ability to exploit one of its biggest assets to pull its population out of poverty.

WE SUPPORT THE ETHIOPIAN GOVERNMENT FOR:

Conceding to its people’s demands to pause the mediation process and listen to the grave concerns of local and diaspora civil society organizations, opposition parties and the general public, before it reaches a final decision on paramount issues that impinge on Ethiopia’s sovereign rights;

Rejecting the US Treasury’s patronizing statement and publicly stating in no uncertain terms that Ethiopia does not accept the U.S. “characterization that the negotiation” and the joint draft prepared by the US and the World Bank are “not the outcome of the negotiation”;

Making it clear that “Ethiopia, as the owner of the GERD, will commence first filling of the GERD in parallel with the construction of the Dam in accordance with the principles of equitable and reasonable utilization and the causing of no significant harm as provided for under the Agreement on the Declaration of Principles”; and

Showing unflinching resolve to defend Ethiopia’s sovereign rights, despite the mighty forces of the US government and the World Bank doing the bidding for Egypt’s aspiration for a neo-colonial arrangement.

WE DEMAND THE US GOVERNMENT AND THE WORLD BANK TO:

Withdraw the draft agreement they co-authored as premature and misleading, and diffuse Egypt’s escalation of political posturing and threat of war;

Acknowledge the draft agreement (1) disenfranchises 114 million Ethiopian citizens of their sovereign rights to use the Nile river in accordance to international rules and norms; (2) gives hegemonic power to Egypt; and (3) condemns Ethiopia to intractable and permanent poverty and darkness by limiting, if not nearly illuminating, its electric power generation ability;

Reset the negotiation process as neutral observers to address and redress the damage they have already caused to the people of Ethiopia, and help Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt reach a mutually acceptable resolution; and

Invite the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa to join the mediation process as observers, considering Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan are members of both institutions.

WE CLOSE OUR PETITION EMPHASIZING THAT IF THE US GOVERNMENT AND THE WORLD BANK FAIL TO MITIGATE, IF NOT TOTALLY ELIMINATE, THE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF THEIR ILLEGITIMATE DRAFT REPORT, THEY WILL BEAR FULL RESPONSIBILITY TO ANY DAMAGE FINANCIAL OR OTHERWISE ETHIOPIA SUFFERS.

Ethiopia Shall Prevail