Twenty million people in forty catchment areas worldwide that are better protected against water and have access to sufficient, clean water, is the goal of the new Blue Deal program that has been launched simultaneously in the Hague, the Netherlands, and at Dutch Pavilion of the World Water Forum in Brasil.
As the Dutch water sector reports, the regional water authorities of the Netherlands, in close cooperation with national ministries, will focus on long-term local partnerships on capacity development and integrated water resource management (IWRM).
The program will not comprise individual projects but will be based on long-term local partnerships.
Some 30 Dutch water experts working at regional water authorities will be facilitated by the Blue Deal program to exchange knowledge internationally and apply their experiences on water governance and integrated water management abroad.
Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, Sigrid Kaag commented: “ The Sustainable Development Goals have a 2030 horizon. For me it is important that the Blue Deal has that same horizon. No separate projects, but long-term partnerships, continuity. Impact on 20 million people who are better protected against flooding, have access to water – for example for irrigation – or whose wastewater is better purified; I hope for that. ”
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