Asia Netherlands Water Learning Week
Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) will be hosting the Asia Netherlands Water Learning Week (ANWLW) in The Hague, the Netherlands, from 15-19 April 2024. The ANWLW is a week-long intensive programme that will bring together project teams from across ADB’s developing member countries with water experts from the Netherlands. The Learning Week is organised by ADB, the Government of the Netherlands, and NWP.
By working together intensively, the challenges posed by the project teams will be addressed using experiences from a Dutch and international context and will be shared in lectures, interactive sessions, and field visits. By jointly discussing challenges and solutions the teams and experts strive to make them adaptable to the specific project contexts in participating developing member countries (DMCs). Projects in the following countries will be reviewed: Armenia, Bangladesh, Cook Islands, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines, PR of China, Thailand, Uzbekistand, and Vietnam.
The initiative is a proven concept with a long history. The first Asia-Netherlands Water Learning Week took place in 2012, and NWP has been involved since the beginning.
Nature-based Solutions
The participants will develop knowledge and share experience regarding Nature-based Solutions applicable to cities, coasts, and river basins through a combination of lectures, interactive sessions, and field visits. The learning objectives extend beyond the technical dimensions of Nature-based Solutions (NBS) and encompass for example spatial planning, governance, catalysing finance, institutional embedding, policies and regulations, business cases, operations and maintenance, biodiversity/natural capital, digitization, private sector engagement, for diverse geographical areas, including coasts, river basins, watersheds and urban environments.
ANWLW will provide the participants from ADB’s project teams a platform to engage in discussions with experts, addressing challenges and exploring potential solutions from both Dutch and international perspectives. Emphasis will be placed on adapting these solutions to the unique contexts of developing member countries.
Networking reception
Part of the week long programme is a networking reception in The Hague on 15 April 2024, from 17:30 to 19:00. The networking reception presents a unique opportunity for informal exchange, underlining the collaborative effort of the organisers to foster innovation and collaboration in addressing water-related challenges. Fruitful discussions and invaluable networking opportunities are anticipated, as the event brings together the Asian participants of the ANWLW with Dutch representatives from various sectors, including government, private sector, knowledge institutes, and NGO’s.
The networking reception is an exclusive affair, accessible by invitation only due to limited capacity. However, if you're keen to join but haven't received an invitation, feel free to get in touch with Mirjam van Buchem to inquire about the possibility of securing a spot.
