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ater

ooperation

, S

ustainability

and

overty

radication

cal economy. In principle, water is a renewable resource, but there

are physical and ecological boundaries that limit its use. How we

make those choices depends on the institutional ‘setting’ for deci-

sion-making. For example:

• Who has power, and who has control over transboundary

water resources?

• Who is involved in decisions?

• Are these decisions transparent?

• Is there adequate information?

• Is there sufficient accountability?

Examples from different parts of the world illustrate that sustainable

water use has everything to do with the politics around distribution,

within and between countries. It is essential to involve all sectors

of society with a stake in shared water resources, and to develop

institutional capacity and a culture of cooperation well in advance

of costly, time-consuming crises which could threaten lives, regional

stability and ecosystem health. It can be done.

Take the Netherlands. Water has long constituted an integral part of

our spatial planning. Having the right amount of water for water users

at the right time, in the right place, and at socially acceptable costs is

one of the key targets. But being a delta country, transboundary coop-

eration was crucial too. In the twentieth century water quality became

a serious issue. Due to industrialization across Europe, the Netherlands

became the soakage pit of Europe. During the period 1973-75, at the

point where the Rhine flows into the Netherlands, the river carried an

average of 47 tons of mercury, 400 tons of arsenic, 130 tons of cadmium,

1,600 tons of lead, 1,500 tons of copper, 1,200 tons of zinc, 2,600 tons

of chromium, and 12 million tons of chlorides every year.

Clearly,

something had to be done. Decades of international cooperation and

the development of international rules with riparian countries upstream

for the protection of these shared resources followed.

Although it

took many years, the Rhine, Meuse and Schelde river basin countries

concluded treaties about the integrated management of these rivers.

We invested heavily in knowledge, learning by doing, and innovation.

The public and private sectors have joined forces with the knowledge

institutes to foster innovations. Now biodiversity in our rivers is thriv-

ing again, and these waters are safe for agricultural and

recreational use.

The Netherlands is committed to contributing to a

world where disputes over water are settled in consul-

tation with those concerned. Our long-lasting support

to river basin organizations and programmes directed at

transboundary management of river basins such as the

Nile, the Mekong and the Senegal rivers, are an example

of this commitment. By their transboundary nature, these

multi-country water resources represent regional public

goods that provide national water and food security, and

the protection of important international ecosystems.

The Netherlands development cooperation programme

further supports water programmes in Kenya, Ghana,

Benin, Mali, Ethiopia and South Sudan, in addition to

integrated delta management programmes in Egypt,

Indonesia, Bangladesh, Mozambique, and Viet Nam.

In March 2013 the Netherlands hosted the celebration

of World Water Day, as part of the United Nations as

the International Year of Water Cooperation. A strong

appeal was made to the world community to ensure

water security and a sustainable future for all. It was

recommended that water security should be established

as a sustainable development goal to which the world

will commit itself from 2015.

“Thousands have lived without love, not one without

water”, the poet W. H. Auden once famously said. Water

scarcity and poor water quality may in future devas-

tate the most sacred thing given to us: human life and

human dignity. Based on our history of integrated water

management, and our experience with risk assessments,

spatial planning, adaptation strategies (including water

safety, fresh water supply and developing resilient urban

areas) as well as international water governance, the

Netherlands stands ready to work in partnership with

other countries for a water secure world. Tomorrow’s

world demands nothing less.

A local community in Eastern Province, Zambia benefitting from water cooperation

projects supported by the Netherlands

Water governance is essential when countering increasing pressure on

water resources. Children play alongside a polluted river in Egypt

Image: Rita Tesselaar

Image: Antonie de Kemp