Utton Center Shares Expertise with International Visitors
June 20, 2012
Water resources managers from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan gained a better understanding of how to manage transboundary rivers and other water resources during a late-May visit to Albuquerque.
They were invited guests at a presentation by UNM Law Professor Denise Fort, director of the Utton Transboundary Resources Center. She discussed cooperative development of water resources, impact assessments and the various models and policy approaches in transboundary management.
The participants included directors for ministry and water resources from each country, engineers and a member of parliament from Ethiopia. Fort’s presentation, arranged under the auspices of the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program, was titled Transboundary Water Resource Management in the U.S.: A Project for the Nile Basin Initiative.
The Nile Basin Initiative is an inter-governmental organization dedicated to equitable and sustainable management and development of the shared water resources of the Nile Basin. NBI Member States include Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Eritrea is as an observer.
The visit was arranged by the Meridian International Center and handled locally by the Albuquerque Council for International Visitors.
“With many countries searching for new ideas on water management, especially given the high probability of water shortages in the near future due to population increases, industry demands, and global climate changes, the Utton Center is poised to share its broad knowledge,” said Fort. “States in the Southwest have the most recent experience with water compacts between states, and it’s exciting to share what we have learned with other countries.”
