Last weekend, our interns Katerina Psara and Giorgos Varnava participated in the international three-day online simulation project, “MEDIACT: Media as a tool for peace-building and conflict transformation in youth work.”

The theme of the simulation game was the “Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam” (GERD). Specifically, the participants simulated the dispute surrounding the building of the hydropower dam in the Nile River. The GERD dam has been the source of intense negotiations between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan for decades.

The participants were split in groups and represented; the National Delegates (Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia), the Official Representatives (United Nations, African Union) and the Human Rights Watch Representative. Each group had specific arguments for or against the project.

The purpose of the Conference was to produce a formal communique.

The simulation was facilitated by Action Synergy.