Dutch Water Authorities will soon receive international visitors. From 12 to 16 June, 16 international delegations will participate in the first Blue Deal congress in Amsterdam. They also visit Dutch water projects and water authorities in various provinces.
The Blue Deal is the international programme of Dutch Water Authorities, together with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Infrastructure and Water Management. For more than 6 years, we have been working in partnerships and exchanging knowledge with countries from all over the world. The goal: improving access to sufficient, clean and safe water for 20 million people all around the world.
Visitors from all over the world
Delegations from Argentina, Burkina Faso, Colombia, eSwatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Mozambique, Palestinian territories, Peru, Romania, Vietnam and South Africa will visit the first Blue Deal conference in Amsterdam. These international partners will have the opportunity to get to know each other and the Dutch parties involved in the Blue Deal for 5 days. The days are all about meeting and exchanging knowledge.
What will happen during the conference?
On 12 June, the guests will become acquainted with Dutch water management and, together with Dutch administrators, they will discuss the water problems that countries worldwide are experiencing, including the Netherlands. On June 13, participants will split into smaller sessions to delve deeper into specific topics, such as nature-based solutions and stakeholder participation. June 14 is all about seeking knowledge in practice: a number of excursions will be organized to locations where water solutions are visible in practice, such as the Sand Motor. On 15 and 16 June, the delegations will travel to the provinces to visit one of the 21 Dutch water authorities.
Gcinile Dlamini is one of the Young Experts of the Blue Deal programme in Eswatini. She was part of the Blue Deal delegation that went to the UN Water Conference 2023 that took place from March 22 until March 24. “Sometimes it just takes one person taking responsibility, even if it is attending to minor issues. And when the next person is doing the same, then we can actually achieve something bigger.”
The conference was co-hosted by Tajikistan and the Netherlands. It was the first time in 46 years that the UN convened a Water Conference to raise attention to water. The Blue Deal went there with a delegation. Dlamini was invited to join, to be the voice of the youth for the Blue Deal.
What was it like to go to the UN Water Conference?
“The UN Water Conference really inspired me, it was amazing to be part of something that big. Usually, when we see problems around us that are as overwhelming as the water crisis, it’s easy to push the responsibility to take action and think: it’s not my job, it’s not my baby to care for. The problems we face with water every day, you think that as an individual there’s nothing you can do. But going to the conference… there was the urge and encouragement to do something. To think about: what can we do, how can we change the situation?”
“Sometimes it just takes one person taking responsibility, even if it is attending to minor issues. And when the next person is doing the same, then we can actually achieve something bigger. It doesn’t take rocket science to solve the issues in the water sector.”
What was most inspiring to you?
“The youth. They had fire, they want to be involved. They want to do the work. They are actually taking the initiative, they did not sit back and wait to be called to the table. It was amazing to see that. I’m not used to seeing young people do that. Because youth unemployment is so high in Eswatini, usually we just want to get a job and make a living. Things like water youth parliaments, we don’t have that in our country.”
What are you going to do with what you learned at the conference?
“I want to get together a group in my country in the water sector, a platform for the youth. I want people to talk about these issues, so they can be addressed.” “And I also want to be the inspiration in my work team. I work for a government in a developing country. And there’s always lack of resources. So it’s easy to make an excuse, to not do anything. There’s always something missing to be efficient. But going to the UN motivated me. Sometimes we don’t have the resources, but we do make a difference.” “When you think no one is supporting you, you lose the zeal to continue working. It is collaborations and partnerships, such as the one my country (the Joint River Basin Authorities-Project Board) has with the Blue Deal, that help us continue to carry out our mandate of managing water resources. During the UN Water Conference the Blue Deal team members made it their priority to ask for assistance and support for local water authorities. So we are not alone. I need to be the voice that reminds my work team that we are doing a great job and that we have the support we need to keep going.”
You also spoke as a panellist during one event. What was your message?
“I was a panellist during the event: ‘Forget about SDG6 without strong water management organizations’. This event was collaboratively organised by WaterWorX, German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), Blue Deal and UNGWOPA. My message was that if we don’t work on supporting local water authorities, then we won’t achieve the SDGs. We, as local teams, are the people who deal directly with water issues. If we are not strengthened, in terms of skills and finances, how are we going to achieve the goals? The focus has to start from the ground up. And then, maybe, there will be a difference.”
How was it for you personally to join the conference?
“It was a great opportunity for me. And I met so many interesting people that I want to keep sharing knowledge and ideas with. Speaking at the event really helped me with my confidence. It’s nice to be heard, even if maybe what you shared is not immediately addressed but it’s no longer on your shoulders alone. It makes everything better.”
“Everyone was popping with ideas. Everyone wanted to figure out how to address this water crisis. No one was sitting back and watching. It was amazing to have everyone stand up for water.”
From March 22 until March 24, the United Nations Water Conference was held in New York. Dutch Water Authorities (DWA) was present there, including board member Luzette Kroon of the Association of Dutch Water Authorities. We succeeded in getting the Blue Deal on the agenda of (potential) partners.
Kroon explains why the water authorities, in the form of DWA, were present at the conference: “The fact that the UN decided to organize a major conference on water, while that is not a UN treaty subject at all, is of great significance. This conference was really aimed at getting more (worldwide) action on water. Water managers play a crucial role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These are the 17 goals of the United Nations to make the world a better place by 2030. And it’s not just about SDG6, which specifically focuses on water. Water is a basic necessity of life. It is necessary for people’s well-being, safe living, cooling during heat stress, industry and world food production. We will not achieve the SDGs without water managers.”
Worldwide too much, too little and too dirty water
“The conference has once again emphasized that the global challenges in the field of water are becoming bigger and more urgent,” says Piebe Hoeksma, international policy advisor at the Association of Dutch Water Authorities. “There is increasingly too much, too little and too dirty water in all parts of the world. Sometimes it concerns 1 of those 3, more often it is a combination. It is about subjects that are also relevant in the Netherlands and on which we must and can collaborate internationally.”
Back home with a positive feeling
The delegation returned to the Netherlands with a positive feeling. Hoeksma: “During the many discussions we explained our vision on local cooperation, operations & maintenance and governance. This fits in very well with how the challenges in water management are now viewed worldwide. Dutch Water Authorities was visible, among other things through the Blue Deal. We are now on the radar of a number of partners that are crucial to us.”
Invest in operations and maintenance
The Blue Deal is the international programme of the 21 Dutch water authorities together with the Dutch Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Infrastructure and Water Management. The programme consists of 17 long-term partnerships in 15 countries. “The conference was aimed at all of us doing more about water worldwide. We succeeded in doubling the Blue Deal’s financial contribution as part of the Water Action Agenda. This is an important step in increasing and accelerating our impact”, says programme manager Emilie Sturm.
She continues: “During a boat trip the Blue Deal organised on the Hudson River, with the Statue of Liberty in the background, we spoke, for example, with various financial players to draw attention to the importance of operations and maintenance. In addition to the construction of, for example, a treatment plant or dike, operatoins and maintenance are financed, but usually only for a short period. After that period, the investments sometimes fall into disrepair because operations and maintenance cease. We have follow-up agreements with 3 large financial institutions that want to invest more in operations and maintenance. It is great that we were able to inspire them to make even more impact with their organization in this way.”
Water Action Agenda
In short, the water conference made it clear that water is high on the global agenda and that many parties want to take action locally, regionally, nationally and globally. Stories were shared, inspiring opportunities discussed and commitments made to the Water Action Agenda.
(Photo: Luzette Kroon is pleading for more attention for operations and maintenance.)
In February, the new Theewaterskloof project for the Blue Deal South Africa was launched. The objective is to reduce pollution in the crucial Theewaterskloof catchment by means of community based initiatives within rapidly growing informal settlements.
Previous to the launch, the Blue Deal team had several scoping discussions, field visits and a special meeting with all stakeholders and archbishop Maghoba at Bishopscourt.
Community enrollment
The project focuses on supporting community enrollment as the only sustainable way to success. A starting point are the already existing, positive initiatives within the community (“seedlings of hope”), like the Soulfood soup kitchen. And hence, an important highlight during this launch was therefore the confirmation of the collaboration between:
the Blue Deal partners
the Soul Food Kitchen in Villiersdorp (solid waste management)
and the Sakhokhuhle Creche in Grabouw (sanitation).
These local initiatives are already a source of energy and ownership in the community.
Support
The launch was officially noted by the Theewaterskloof Municipality team of the Mayor and Municipal Manager, Breede-Gouritz CMA, Department of Water and Sanitation, Dutch Water Authorities and the Water Research Commission. Everyone is supportive: now it’s time for action!
On October 3, 2022, Herman Havekes, employee of the Association of Dutch Water Authorities, gave his inaugural lecture as professor by special appointment at Utrecht University. Recently, it has been published in English, with the title: 'Successful Decentralisation: A critical review'. Interesting for everybody who wants to know more about Dutch water management.
During his inaugural lecture, Havekes discussed, among other things, criteria for a good organization of water management, its financing and the role of drinking water companies, water authorities, municipalities, provinces and the national government. He also mentioned that Dutch water management has been subjected to international scrutiny and received a positive assessment.
In the Netherlands, water management is 100 percent a public task. It is highly decentralized and that decentralized management has a solid financial basis. As a result, it can be executed swiftly. Havekes therefore argues that the decentralization of Dutch water management is successful. At the same time, he also indicated that there is, of course, still plenty of room for improvement.
At the beginning of March, the Principal Secretary and the Director of the Department of Water Affairs of the Ministry of Natural Resources & Energy from eSwatini visited the Netherlands. They were joined by the CEO of JRBA, partner organization of the Blue Deal in eSwatini. The visit focused on multi-layer governance of Dutch water management.
The 3 visitors from Swazi had many good and enlightening conversations, such as with Martien Beek (in the middle of photo) from the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.
During the week, there were discussions with the Executive Board and the management of the Dutch water Authority Vechtstromen. There was also a field visit to the cross-border agency GPRW, which led the Swazis to Germany 3 times in 1 day.
The Hague was of course also an important part of the programme, with a visit to the Association of Dutch Water Authorities, the Delta Commission, the Waddenzee Authority, the Dutch water authority Rijnland. Also, at the province of South Holland, the Swazi’s saw Dutch democracy in action because the Provincial Executive was in session.
In February, the first work visit of 2023 for the Blue Deal in Burkina Faso took place. The visit included a Blue Deal event, field visits and various workshops.
For the Blue Deal event, the President of the Dutch water authority Hunze en Aa’s, Geert-Jan ten Brink, and regional manager Janette Worm from World Waternet traveled to the capital. Together with Moustapha Congo, the Permanent Secretary of the SP-GIRE, they signed the agreement for the Blue Deal Phase 2 and expressed their commitment to cooperation for the upcoming years. The press was also present and the item even made it to the national TV!
Many successes during practical workshops
The work visit also consisted of a number of practical workshops: workshops on communication, water plans and water monitoring. All the 5 water authorities of Burkina Faso attended the workshops. A great milestone is the 20-step plan to create Catchment Area Plans. Also, the waterplans were set up in combination with the commission MER. In addition, a major step included the development of water monitoring plans. Furthermore, the Burkina water authorities developed a communication plan and calendar. Due to the Blue Deal efforts, 1 water authority has hired the first communication officer in Burkina Faso.
Spin-off Blue Deal
In addition to the Blue Deal signing, another project signing took place. Another spin-off of the Blue Deal: a reforestation project in the Cassau region. The aim of this project is to prevent erosion and restore soil fertility. This project is carried out by APAF (Agroforesterie Arbres fertilitaires Foresterie), a local NGO, together with World Waternet and water authority Hunze en Aa’s.
During the work visit in February and March, Dutch colleagues within the Blue Deal programme InspirAgua visited Colombia to assist their Colombian counterparts in the regions of Caldas, Santander, Huila, Valle de Cauca and Bogotá. A memorable visit in which the continuation of the programme was endorsed by the Colombian partners.
Agreements for Phase 2 of the Blue Deal were signed with regional environmental and water authorities (CARs) CAM, CAS, CDMB, CVC, Corpocaldas and national association ASOCARS, as well as with the administration of the Santander department and with water companies Empocaldas, Aguas de Manizales, Acuavalle and Aguas del Huila. A new partner of the programme is Andesco, an umbrella organization for public service companies. Cormagdalena will follow in April.
Cooperation agreements
InspirAgua’s CAR partners formalized the agreement at the ASOCARS General Assembly, in the midst of the impressive nature of Nuquí on the Pacific coast of the Department of Chocó. There, 21 Colombian CARs gathered for this annual meeting, where they also signed the ‘Alliance for Protected Areas of Colombia’.
Director of the Dutch water authority Rijn en IJssel, Rudi Gerard, explained the method of water governance in the Netherlands, followed by Michelle Talsma of STOWA, who emphasized the importance of collaboration in knowledge development. A retrospective on Phase 1 and preview of Phase 2 of the programme was given by Ellen Bollen, programme manager of InspirAgua. Director of the Dutch water authority De Dommel, Marit Borst, signed the cooperation agreements on behalf of Watergraaf Erik de Ridder.
The programme also aroused interest among Colombian directors who were not yet affiliated with InspirAgua. It has been agreed that the results and knowledge gained will be shared horizontally with all CARs led by ASOCARS.
Working together in different cultures
Contacts and collaboration within InspirAgua intensify as time progresses and goals for 2030 are set. All the more reason to zoom into cultural denominators of our ‘way of working’ for a better understanding and effective cooperation, such as communicating, scheduling, deciding, trusting, and more. ‘Culture coach’ Sylvia van Glabbeek hosted workshops on intercultural cooperation in Manizales and Cali attended by Dutch and Colombian InspirAgueros. Simple examples like difference in the planning of a personal agenda sparked animated conversations and the exchange of ideas, as noted by a participant in Manizales. Work on the relational level is important for the technical and instrumental efforts of InspirAgua members. Interested in what those are? Visit InspirAgua on LinkedIn.
In March, the Blue Deal Ghana team went on a work visit for 2 weeks to meet with many new stakeholders outside the water sector. By meeting stakeholders outside the water sector, the Blue Deal Ghana is trying to get water challenges higher on the political agenda.
The goal of these meetings is to work together with other partners, besides the Water Resources Commission (WRC), and to connect the water themes to other relevant themes. In this way, the water challenges will come higher on the political agenda. The project team met with partners such as the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation (MESTI), the Hydrological Authority (HYDRO), the Ministry of Works and Housing (MWH) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Regional: bottom-up
During the visit in March, the project team started with the implementation of the Area Oriented Approach in the Songor Lagoon in the south of Ghana. An Integrated Water Resources Management plan for the Lower Volta Basin is almost completed by the WRC and the area of the Songor Lagoon is selected as a pilot area to start the implementation of the overall plan. A big challenge in this area is mangrove depletion.
However, the area faces many more water related challenges. For this reason the Ghanaian and Dutch team shared knowledge on conducting an Area Oriented Approach and guided in the process of starting it. During a workshop with around 45 stakeholders from the area (such as representatives of the communities, the Forestry Commission and NGO’s) different cohesive issues were brought up and concrete actions to solve these issues were identified. In this way the pilot project will have a more multidisciplinary and holistic approach. The water challenges in the Songor area are now brought bottom-up to the political agenda of the WRC.
Next to this, the Blue Deal met with the governor of the Upper East Region to talk about the water related challenges in the area. The main outcome is that water themes will be scheduled during regional meetings with for example District Assemblies, chiefs and subbasin committees.
National
To get the water challenges higher on the political national agenda the project team met with many new stakeholders during the work visit. The goal is to work together with other national partners, and with the WRC, to connect the water themes to other relevant themes. The Delta programme that we have in the Netherlands is of great interest for Ghana, since the country faces many challenges in the Lower Volta Delta and along the whole coast. Therefore, the Blue Deal team endorses to set up a Delta programme. For this reason the team met with MESTI, WRC, HYDRO, MWH and EPA to assess the challenges in the Delta and strengthen the cooperation in the future.
Next to this, the Blue Deal team had several meetings with the Netherlands Commission of Environmental Assessment (NCEA). They came with the Blue Deal team to Ghana to address their work on a national level and start the cooperation in current and new programmes, policies and plans (such as land use plans or water catchment plans). Their aim is to ensure that the environmental and social consequences of proposed activities are incorporated into decision making, through an inclusive process. Together with the Blue Deal team the NCEA met with the EPA.
The connection of the EPA and the Blue Deal team secures the holistic approach of water resources management within the work of the EPA. In the near future the NCEA will provide independent advice through Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) for the catchment plans of the WRC and will provide guidelines and training to work on capacity development of SEA with the WRC, EPA and other involved stakeholders.
Another example of making sure water challenges are of more importance on a national level, the Dutch team assesses climate issues like reforestation. In the Bongo District a successful reforestation project is already set-up. In this way the Blue Deal becomes more relevant to the Dutch Embassy, which for their part have influence on a national level.
Transboundary cooperation
Ghana faces many water related challenges that they can not solve all by themselves. Therefore, the cooperation of Ghanaian and Dutch water partners also supports to look on a transboundary governance level for cooperation and effective solutions. Such as the sand motor that is now set-up in Benin to protect the coast from further erosion. In the next few months a broad delegation of the Ghanian partners will visit this project to explore the options for their own coastal protection. Small scale cooperation between the partners along sub catchments that are part of as well Burkina Faso as Ghana should also gain more attention in the Area Oriented Approach of the Blue Deal programme in the Upper East Region.
From 22 to 24 March 2023, the United Nations Water Conference will take place in New York. Luzette Kroon, board member of the Association of Dutch Water Authorities, is there to represent Dutch Water Authorities and the Blue Deal, the international programme of Dutch Water Authorities.
The UN Water Conference is organized by the Netherlands and Tajikistan. It is the first United Nations conference on water in nearly 50 years. Kroon: “Many of the consequences of climate change have to do with water. It is too wet, too dry, the sea level is rising. The UN Conference is a key moment to reflect on the importance of water management worldwide.”
New York Water Week
In addition to the UN Water Conference, the Water Week will take place in New York from 18 to 24 March. This is an addition to the UN Water Conference.
Multiple sessions
Dutch Water Authorities and the Blue Deal organize various sessions during the UN Water Conference and the New York Water Week. Kroon: “During these sessions, we want to draw the attention of major financial players, such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, to the importance of management and maintenance. They mainly focus on investments, for example on the construction of a water treatment plant or a dike. The management and maintenance is financed, but only for a short period. After that period, the investments sometimes fall into disrepair because management and maintenance cease. We call that ‘design, build and neglect’. We would like to replace ‘neglect’ with ‘maintenance’. We want to get a place on the Water Action Agenda for this.”
Why a water conference?
Kroon: “Water managers play a crucial role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These are the 17 goals of the United Nations to make the world a better place by 2030.” And it’s not just about SDG6, which is specifically aimed at water. Water also plays an important role in achieving the other SDGs. “Water is a basic necessity of life. It is necessary for people’s well-being, safe living, cooling during heat stress, industry and world food production. We will not achieve the SDGs without water managers.”
Dutch Water Authorities: why cooperate internationally?
Through international cooperation, the 21 water authorities in the Netherlands exchange valuable expertise on water management and tackling problems resulting from climate change. For example, about how other countries deal with drought, a problem that the Netherlands is increasingly confronted with. Or how experiences of foreign partners with extreme rainfall can be applied to Dutch water management. Cooperation with water management organizations in other countries leads to a mutual exchange of valuable new ideas.
Blue Deal as an example
Kroon: “It is the intention that parties from all sectors pledge actions for the Water Action Agenda to contribute to the SDGs. We have already made a commitment for this action agenda in June 2022, namely doubling the money for the Blue Deal. We want to put the Blue Deal in the spotlight during the conference. As an example for world leaders and other organisations of a successful collaboration to spread water knowledge.”
