WATERPROOF: Connecting people and expertise

Public-private partnerships really work

"It was great to see such a broad representation of the Dutch water sector discussing the future of water safety and water security at this event", says Bianca Nijhof, Managing Director at NWP. "All these different organisations and people bring something unique to the table, which will help us reach our common goals. For instance, I was happy to bring in my particular expertise on social inclusion during the WATERPROOF Talk Show.

One of the strengths of the Partners for Water programme is to match and actively work together with Dutch and local partners to find solutions that fit best in any given context. This also matches with NWP's strategy to share, connect and involve."

"NWP is a strong network representing the full spectrum of the Dutch water sector: from private companies to NGOs, and from knowledge institutes to government. We strongly believe in cooperation between these different disciplines to create inclusive and integral solutions. That is one of the reasons why we became a partner in the governmental Partners for Water programme to ensure a good representation and broad involvement of the water sector.

The success of this collaboration shows that public-private partnerships really work, and that it helps the water sector create impact internationally. The Partners for Water programme has been active for more than 20 years now and NWP has been supporting it during the last 15."

Making the connection

Talking alone won't bring us closer to our goals, but doing things together does. As part of the WATERPROOF event programme, various thematic breakout sessions were organised with the active participation of the Dutch water sector. "Bringing in the expertise, lifting discussions to the next level, and at the same time focusing on taking concrete actions, that is where our strength lies", says Roy Agterbos, Programme Manager at NWP.

NWP has actively reached out to the water sector to give them a podium at WATERPROOF. "We have been involved in this event from start to finish, emphasising inspirational content and action-focused discussions. Seeing the water sector come together like this and taking concrete steps together makes WATERPROOF really unique; a great joint effort by the colleagues at NWP, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and the sector."

Connecting expertise and people comes natural to NWP. Even during the recent pandemic, the Netherlands Water Partnership has continued to bring Dutch expertise to the world by organising thematic webinars, virtual round tables and online matchmaking sessions.

As such, NWP has been making valuable connections at Singapore International Water Week, Stockholm Water Week, Aquatech, and Expo2020 Dubai, to name a few. Our in-depth knowledge of the Dutch and international playing fields helps to create true interaction, putting the right expertise at the foreground, leaving people well-informed and inspired.

Next phase of the programme

At WATERPROOF, outgoing Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Barbara Visser announced the continuation of the Partners for Water Programme, which will run from 2022 to 2027 with a budget of over EUR 67 million. During WATERPROOF, different speakers and contributors gave their input for the new programme, which is being developed as we speak.