NWP and Primavera sign MoU to boost the reconstruction of the Ukrainian water sector

Europe Water & Agrifood Water & Crisis

Photo of Caroline Bäcker, NWP Director and Chair of the Board, and Olga Zhovtonog, Primavera’s Director, signing the MoU.

Ukraine is experiencing an urgent need for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the water infrastructure damaged in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. The Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) and Primavera, an international NGO established in Ukraine, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) expressing their interest and willingness to cooperate to strengthen Primavera’s efforts in working on the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Ukrainian water infrastructure and water sector.

As the public-private platform for the Dutch water sector, NWP connects Dutch water companies to global water challenges. In recent months, NWP has fulfilled a key role in sharing market information and status updates about the Russian invasion in Ukraine with the Dutch water sector. In doing so, Primavera and NWP found a shared interest in assisting Ukraine move towards becoming a water secure nation.

About the MoU

On 13 February, during the visit of Primavera’s Director Olga Zhovtonog to the Netherlands, Caroline Bäcker, NWP Director and Chair of the Board, welcomed Zhovtonog to NWP’s office, where they formalised their respective organisations’ relationship in an MoU. In the MoU, NWP and Primavera agree to:

be available for each other for advice, feedback and connecting to relevant stakeholders;
exchange information on developments, needs and opportunities in the Ukrainian water sector and in the Dutch and international donor world;
work together on developing analyses, project plans and proposals for relevant projects and programmes;
reach out to potential donors for projects and programmes;
inform the Dutch water sector of developments, needs and opportunities in the Ukrainian water sector; and,
work out other potential forms of cooperation.

To achieve these activities, funding will be sought through the various networks and donors involved in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Ukraine.

Photo of Caroline Bäcker, NWP Director and Chair of the Board, and Olga Zhovtonog, Primavera’s Director, shaking hands.

Caroline Bäcker, NWP Director and Chair of the Board (left), and Olga Zhovtonog, Primavera’s Director (right).

Bringing forward opportunities

The MoU is a starting point for NWP and Primavera to collaborate in any way possible on the overall objective of identifying potential projects in Ukraine that would benefit from international involvement and engagement, and with an emphasis on creating opportunities for the Dutch water sector.

In doing so, NWP has taken a leading role in initial project identification efforts in Ukraine. Most recently it has done this through market research (not yet publicly available) commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality in a joint effort with Primavera.

In addition, NWP has been appointed as the coordinator of the Ukraine Water Public-Private Partnerships (UWP3) Platform on which Primavera will take an advisory role. The UWP3 Platform is an initiative of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and was commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The UWP3 Platform creates value by being the central point through which connections are facilitated, and opportunities to form strategic collaboration and take joint action are brought forward. Above all, the UWP3 Platform will act as a bridge between the Ukrainian and Dutch water sectors. This includes connecting the Dutch water sector’s knowledge from parties in the field such as Primavera.

About Primavera

Primavera is a leading NGO in Ukraine that operates in the water and agriculture sectors. It has a long-standing relationship with several Dutch partners through its involvement in various projects pre-dating the war. Amongst others, Primavera has collaborated in projects with organisations such as Wageningen University & Research and the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality.

Primavera has now taken the lead in reaching out to a wide range of potential European partners, including the Netherlands and NWP, with the objective of rebuilding and modernising water and agriculture in Ukraine during and after the Russian invasion.

To learn more about NWP and Primavera’s efforts towards helping Ukraine cope with water-related challenges, contact our project team at europe@nwp.nl.