The FRIEND/NILE Project was initiated by UNESCO in March 1996 and has benefited from the help of the Flanders Science Fund-In-Trust Project since 2001. The Project aims to promote a better understanding of the Nile River system in order to improve the planning of water resource the projects in Nile Basin countries. Five components were established and assigned to four Nile countries: Egypt coordinates the two components Flood Frequency Analysis and Training and Capacity Building; Kenya coordinates Drought and Low Flow Analysis; Sudan coordinates Sediment Transport and Watershed Management; and Tanzania coordinates Rainfall and Runoff Modelling. Each component has a team of five researchers from Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Tanzania.

This conference will include the following topics:
• hydrology of the Nile River
• rainfall and runoff analyses
• extreme events
• sediment transport and watershed management
• water resources management.