From 2 to 4 July, water professionals from around the world gathered at the Knowledge and Capacity Symposium at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education to address how the water sector can advance knowledge and capacity development to address international water challenges. Over three days, speakers, including Partners for Water representatives, challenged traditional approaches, arguing that real change requires a renewed focus on power distribution, trust and local needs.

Capacity and knowledge development for young people was at the heart of the symposium, as well as a widespread recognition that the next generation of water professionals will play a vital role in shaping a sustainable water future. Yet while members of this new generation are often called on to take responsibility, they are not always equipped with the resources or influence needed to match that responsibility.

Addressing water challenges: the question of empowerment

Several speakers asked whether young professionals are truly being given space to lead within the water sector. For instance, Igbal Ali, a young professional from Sudan and project management assistant at IHE shared how she was invited to take part in high-level talks, but without substantial support:

“I was placed in a high-level setting where social science was dismissed, and everything had to follow an engineering lens. It set me up to step back, not because I lacked motivation, but because I lacked support. It made me ask: are we confusing inclusion with empowerment? When we bring young people into the room, are we giving them a voice, or just a seat?

“Are we confusing inclusion with empowerment?”

Others echoed this concern, noting that empowerment requires more than presence; it needs trust, support and a shift in how decisions are made. Botagoz Sharipova, a PhD candidate at IHE from Kazakhstan, explained: “Many older experts say there is a new generation who will solve tomorrow’s environmental problems. That’s a good thing, and a natural development. However, I’d like to advocate for not only redistributing responsibilities but also resources, powers, and everything else.”

Redefining the ‘new generation’

This raised a deeper question that echoed throughout the symposium: who exactly is this ‘new generation’ that is being called upon to lead change? Dr Hajar Choukrani, researcher at the Institut agronomique et vétérinaire Hassan II in Morocco explained: “The new generation is not about age. You can be young and still maintain hierarchies and inequalities – or be older and actively break them. It’s not about saying a lot or publishing a lot – it’s about daring to challenge dominant narratives.”

Former Dutch Water Envoy Henk Ovink amplified this by arguing that change is not about age but about courage: “True change means challenging the institutions that are still led by people like me: white, male, close to sixty. And that’s hard, because it means giving up power. But change isn’t only about age. It’s about the capacity to face an uncertain future, and to draw hope and courage from partnerships that do the same. Every day, we need to find allies – across generations, across backgrounds – who are willing to question the way things are. Even when it feels vulnerable. Because keeping that courage alive is the only way forward.”

Local expertise and contextual understanding

Throughout the symposium, the conversation moved to local capacity, especially in places where external actors often dominate. Several participants shared frustrations about how local expertise is too often overlooked or undervalued.

Sharipova shared: “I’ve seen many international donors arrive with good intentions, but little understanding of our context in Kazakhstan. They read a report about our problems and assume they know what we need. They bring polished tools and models, and suddenly you start to feel like your own systems aren’t good enough. That’s not real empowerment. It creates dependency, not capacity.”

Partners for Water: learning from long-term challenges

Partners for Water’s programme coordinator, Liliane Geerling, also shed light on a topic that often goes under the radar: the Build-Neglect-Rebuild (BNR) cycle. Through a fishbowl discussion, she highlighted how BNR still receives too little attention within the water sector.

The BNR cycle refers to a recurring issue in infrastructure: systems are built, but without long-term budgets or maintenance plans, they gradually fall into disrepair, only to be rebuilt again. It’s a costly waste of time, money and trust. Partners for Water research shows that breaking this cycle requires structural change in how we plan, fund and manage water projects. We should transition to programmes instead of projects.

“BNR is an important issue, but it hasn’t been talked about much, not even here,” Geerling said. “We need to speak more openly about our failures and mistakes if we want real progress. Young professionals aren’t always connected to these long-term patterns. That’s why intergenerational exchange and sharing our failures is so crucial.”

Four questions for reflection

The message throughout the symposium was consistent: if we want lasting change – whether through youth leadership or local ownership – we need to bring our failures to light, go beyond talk and provide time, funding and space to act.
Rather than an agenda full of action points, the symposium closed with four reflection questions meant to spark a change in direction:

• What characterises the new generation in your efforts?
• How are your capacity efforts challenging power dynamics?
• When do your capacity efforts actually translate into empowerment?
• How can co-creation lead to meaningful, long-term change?

Moving forward

The symposium didn’t offer easy answers, but it did create the space to ask difficult questions, and to have honest conversations about the topics that are often overlooked or uncomfortable. Participants concluded that we should all take these questions forward into our own work and partnerships. The next step is not only to keep the conversation going, but to translate it into action on the ground.

Want to take the next step? Join Partners for Water at Stockholm World Water Week, where we’ll continue exploring BNR challenges and the value of sharing failures in dedicated workshops with water professionals worldwide.

From a partially built wetlands with 1.1 million residents to a megacity of three million by 2050, the city of Thu Duc is rapidly transforming. Located in an area that, due to land subsidence and sea level rise, will be below sea level by the end of the century. Flooding from intense rainfall and high river levels is already a regular occurrence. Welcome to Thu Duc City: the future financial heart of Ho Chi Minh City.

Haskoning’s Netherlands-based Karel Heijnert, Team Leader for Phase 2 and Vietnam based Alexandria Norris-Moore, who led Phase 1 and now serves as Urban Resilience Expert in Phase 2, share their insights into the project.

The challenges of Thu Duc City

What makes this project stand out is its scale and timing. With a projected population growth of around 2 million people within a few decades, the city is on the brink of irreversible change. “It’s about one third developed and the rest is still empty space and wetlands,” says Alexandria Norris-Moore, “but they will be building – because they already have just down the road.”

That reality gives the project a rare window of influence. “We may be small in scale,” adds Karel, “but if you’re at the table at the right moment, you can help steer a mega-development before it locks in future problems.” This makes the Partners for Water-funded initiative more than a consultancy effort – it’s a strategic lever at a critical turning point. By combining Dutch expertise in urban water management with Vietnam’s high-level planning system, the team hopes to embed nature-based flood risk management into the DNA of a city still under construction. As Karel puts it: “This study won’t solve everything. It’s a drop. But it’s a well-placed drop in a resilient city that’s about to flood with people.”

To meet this challenge, Thu Duc City partnered with the World Bank and the Government of The Netherlands on an Integrated Flood Risk Management (IFRM) project. Funded by the Partners for Water programme and delivered by Haskoning, with its partners OMGEVING and Delta Context, the project aims to embed flood resilience into the urban planning and development of Thu Duc City.

From analysis to narrative: Phase 1

Phase 1 started with a core question: how did Thu Duc become what it is today and how did past urban decisions contribute to today’s flood risks? The project team combined a historical-spatial analysis with advanced water modelling and future growth scenarios.

“It was the first time this level of analysis had been done at this scale; connecting all of the waterways across Thu Duc City, from small canals to bigger rivers to temporary ponds,” Alexandria explains. “We created a blue-green network, linking green spaces for water storage and for spatial connection between blue and green.”

Blue-green vision reveals the bigger picture

This approach didn’t just yield technical solutions like drainage systems, polders or dikes; it told a bigger story. The narrative helped shape the city’s land use and master plan, creating a spatial logic that justified investment choices across the entire city. “RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency), as the implementing body of the Partners for Water programme, gave us the space to explore that full journey,” she says, “from high-level strategy to detailed interventions. And that’s what made the investment proposals for Phase 1 stronger – because they were grounded in a citywide logic, not just a local quick fix for worst-hit areas.”

Supported by the World Bank, the blue-green vision was translated into a detailed investment proposal for a pilot area in the north of the city. The proposal was approved by Thu Duc City with minimal changes and submitted directly to the national government. “It’s extremely rare,” Alexandria notes. “For a local government to approve a consultancy-led proposal with so few changes and immediately submit it for national funding; especially when a large part of it includes Nature-based Solutions (NBS).”

That last part is key. NBS are still not a preferred option in Vietnam. “They prefer hard grey infrastructure because they can see the results quickly,” Alexandria says. “So actually, trying to get them on board with some of the NBS was quite a journey. But as soon as we did, they were much keener to put forward those investment items to the national government for funding.”

A ‘clean sheet’ for resilient urban development

While Phase 1 delivered a blue-green vision and a ready-to-fund investment plan, Phase 2 focuses on the next step: supporting Thu Duc in turning that vision into action. “We worked with the city’s task force and chairman to say, well, if you’re going to really do flood management correctly, these are some recommendations you need to adopt around institutional governance and coordination. And that’s what became Phase 2,” says Alexandria. At the heart of this second phase is the focus on integrating flood risk management into the urban fabric before it is fully built.

Embedding flood resilience in urban planning

“On one hand, you have flooding problems in the already urbanised areas; on the other, there’s a clean slate – open space where we have a chance to do it right,” says Karel, team leader of Phase 2. “You need space to properly manage water over time in a city like this. That space could be on the street or in a park. But if you don’t plan for it now, you’ll be forced to solve it later with massive pumps and canals; and that’s expensive and inefficient.” And that matters in Vietnam, a country Karel describes as “a world champion in planning.” “When you have it in the zoning plans – what should be green, what should be buildings – there’s a much higher chance that it will actually happen,” he says.

Designing structural measures in combination with spatial planning

This is where Phase 2 proves most strategic. The team is developing spatial planning guidelines for water-sensitive planning in Thu Duc’s new districts – areas set that will become financial centres, high-tech hubs and modern housing areas. They are also supporting the design of integrated measures, to ensure that areas designated for water in planning are translated into functional spaces in reality. “And that’s actually what our project focuses on: Nature-based Solutions. But this it’s putting people on the wrong foot. This can be misleading but it’s really about combining structural measures with space for water. That could be green space, but not always,” Karel emphasises. “It’s about making the space multifunctional: for daily use by communities and occasionally for flood management. You can’t rely on pumps alone in a monsoon city that’s sinking below sea level.” That’s what Phase 2 is all about: embedding flood resilience into the DNA of a megacity-in-the-making.

What’s next?

While spatial planning and governance remain central to Phase 2, the next frontier lies in building the city’s digital infrastructure. One of the projects tasks is focused on designing two systems that will anchor Thu Duc’s flood risk response in data and real-time insight. The first is the Flood Risk Management Information System (TD-FRMIS), which will help authorities anticipate, monitor and respond to floods through hydrodynamic modelling, GIS mapping and early-warning capabilities. In parallel, the team is designing a Geospatial Data Sharing Platform (TD-GDSP), enabling departments to integrate and overlay spatial data on everything from land use and drainage to elevation and population density. These digital platforms will help Thu Duc City move from reactive infrastructure planning to anticipatory, risk-informed urban development.

Looking ahead, continued collaboration with Ho Chi Minh City as the administrative authority of Thu Duc will be essential. A newly installed city administration is expected in the third quarter, providing a critical opportunity to align on priorities, integrate digital systems and further embed flood resilience into strategic decision-making. Ensuring institutional continuity and support from both local and metropolitan levels will be key to scaling the project’s impact.

International collaboration at its best

Thu Duc’s development highlights the importance of embedding flood risk management early on in urban development. With clear spatial guidelines, institutional support and smart digital systems, the city is taking concrete steps toward long-term resilience. This approach of linking strategic planning, practical tools and local ownership offers valuable lessons for other fast-growing cities in delta regions. As the project moves forward, continued collaboration between Dutch and Vietnamese partners will be essential to ensure the results have lasting impact, both in Thu Duc City and beyond.

Between 4 and 11 July, the WAVE Partnership held a series of in-person workshops and events in the Aconcagua Valley in Chile, kicking off its three-year strategy for bringing the catchment back into balance. 

Water is becoming an ever scarcer resource. The impacts of climate change and overproduction on water security are becoming clear in real time. Agriculture is both a driver and victim of this, representing over 70% of global freshwater withdrawals, whilst increasingly being affected by droughts and other climate impacts.

Yet most projects and programmes in agriculture aimed at addressing this fall into the same trap. They focus heavily on technical solutions at farm level, without adequately addressing the market dynamics or enabling the environment needed to sustain them.

The WAVE Partnership thus focuses on building catchments in balance, where water inflows, outflows, and storage are sustainably managed to support ecosystems, communities, and long-term supply chain resilience. In doing so, it represents a shift from farm-level action to catchment-level water stewardship.

This article was produced in collaboration with New Foresight.

What is the WAVE Partnership

WAVE is a multi-stakeholder partnership consisting of supply chain partners, farmers, and government. Initiated in 2025, it is dedicated to scaling a collective action approach to strengthen water and biodiversity management in agriculture, with a focus on agri-food supply chains.

The WAVE Partnership has a three-tiered strategy focused on action at the level of farmers, supply chain, and enabling environment. It started in Chile and is gradually being scaled to other key origins at water risk, such as South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, and Mexico.

WAVE Aconcagua (2025-2028) is the first project under the WAVE Partnership. The collective action project was initiated through the RVO Partners for Water program, building on pioneering work by Nature’s Pride, the Government of the Netherlands, Greenticket, and NewForesight. The WAVE Aconcagua project is run by Nature’s Pride, Salling Group, Dole Food Company, Westfalia Fruit, the producer-driven Aconcagua Network, and the Government of the Netherlands, and is coordinated by NewForesight.

Learning from Aconcagua, Chile, brought to scale

Supported by the Partners for Water Programme, in 2023, we launched the organisation’s first project in Chile’s Aconcagua Valley – a supplier of high-quality avocado, citrus, cherries, and other fruits to the UK and EU markets – with avocado exports to these regions alone valued at 151.39 million USD per year.

However, the water balance is increasingly negative, as groundwater outflows exceed inflows due to unsustainable water extraction for agriculture and other sectors, coupled with climate change.

The NewForesight team, led by Joost Backer and Susanna Kluiver, together with Greenticket, Partners for Water, the Netherlands embassy in Chile, and Nature’s Pride, convened key actors – farmers, buyers, and government representatives – to help advance the Partnership’s goal of bringing the catchment back into balance. Between 4th and 11th July, the WAVE Partnership held a series of in-person events in Chile to kick off the next three years.

At the farm level we strengthened collaboration with the Aconcagua Network – a group of producers taking an active role in addressing these shared challenges. Together, we began work on the Regenerative Agriculture Guide to help farmers improve, measure, and communicate progress in areas such as water efficiency, water footprint, biodiversity restoration, reforestation, and carbon sequestration.

We also had the opportunity to visit Urmeneta (30 ha), Corporafruit (444 ha), and Jorge Schmidt (2,050 ha). From solar-powered irrigation to reforestation efforts and biodiversity conservation, these producers are actively implementing sustainable farming practices.

At the enabling environment level, we engaged with key government and institutional actors, including Chile’s national water authority (DGA), the Ministry of Environment, CORFO, ProChile, and regional representatives. These conversations signalled growing momentum for public–private collaboration. The WAVE Partnership aims to structurally raise dialogue at this catchment level.

At the buyer level, we engaged with teams from Nature’s Pride, Dole Food Company, and Westfalia Fruit to explore how market players can help drive the transformations needed for more sustainable and resilient supply chains. Buyers increasingly recognize the role they can play in incentivizing more sustainable farming practices and supporting producers through transition.

There is significant interest in understanding evolving demands from European markets, underscoring the importance of WAVE’s role as a bridge between producers and buyers. At the same time, producers expressed a clear need for simplification and alignment across certifications (e.g. RA, GlobalG.A.P., LEAF).

What happens next?

Water is not just a technical challenge, but a systems issue that needs to be addressed at a catchment level. This requires shared responsibility, smarter incentives, and collaborative governance. That is what the WAVE Partnership stands for; starting in Chile, and scaling up to other origins in the fresh fruits and vegetables sector.

The next steps in the partnership include deepening and expanding collaboration by engaging additional producers and strengthening ties with local governments, civil society, and the DGA. The partnership will also continue advancing work with producers on the Regenerative Agriculture Guide to support the measurement, communication, and implementation of sustainable agricultural practices.

Want to know more? Contact Joost Backer from NewForesight, the lead consultant in this work or Thaísa Martins Fernandes Pessanha from Partners for Water.

*WAVE stands for Water, Agriculture, Values, and Ecosystems – the key elements this Partnership aims to integrate into international trade and pre-competitive collaboration

Partners for Water has granted subsidies to 11 consortia that aim to enhance water security abroad with innovative solutions. This is the result of the sixth subsidy round under the Partners for Water 2022-2027 programme, which provides opportunities for companies, knowledge institutions and NGOs in the water sector to research and test sustainable water management approaches.

In these projects, Dutch and local experts work together to test new water-related products, services and approaches under local circumstances. Partners for Water supports these innovations to enhance their chances of being upscaled, contributing to both water security and the earning capacity of the Dutch water sector.

This was the final subsidy round for the Partners for Water 2022-2027 programme. For the feasibility studies and pilot projects, the organisations granted subsidies will work in Mexico, Curaçao, Nepal, Jordan, Taiwan, Kenya, Pakistan, Mozambique, United Kingdom, and Ghana.

11 innovative water solutions

In Kenya, 12.8 million people suffer from excessive fluoride exposure due to contaminated drinking water. This leads to health issues like bone deformation and discoloured teeth, as well as reduced job prospects. Now, for the first time, a consortium of four organisations has developed a unique, low-cost household filter that removes both bacteria and fluoride, without using electricity or wastewater. Funded by Partners for Water, this innovation seems to be a game changer. Nazava Water Filters’ Lieselotte Heederik and Marleen Ophorst explain more.

“Empowering households by giving them the opportunity to take control of their own water quality is the mission of Nazava Water Filters” explains Heederik, the organisation’s co-founder. Pursuing this goal, the consortium (consisting of Resilience BV, Nazava Water Filters Ltd, Harbauer Limited, and Delft University of Technology) has developed an innovative filter. It combines Nazava’s proven ceramic technology for removing bacteria with HAPaqua’s fluoride-absorbing unit, based on hydroxyapatite. Ophorst, Nazava Water Filters’ Project Manager, adds: “We believe in decentralised solutions that make safe drinking water – free from bacteria and fluoride – accessible to households in areas where that is far from guaranteed.”

Social enterprise with a mission

“Nazava is a for-profit social enterprise that has deliberately chosen a commercial model to deliver a social mission,” explains Heederik. “We believe this contributes to product sustainability and customer satisfaction. If our product doesn’t work, our customers will tell us. And if they don’t want it, they won’t buy it. The market keeps us accountable for quality and relevance.”

“Simultaneously, we are driven by a sense of justice,” Ophorst shares. “This combination makes us quite unique. There are very few companies in the water sector that combine a social mission with a commercial approach while focusing specifically on household-level solutions.”

Collaboration is key

According to Ophorst, the collaboration between the four partners runs smoothly: “Each organisation brings its own expertise. We all have a clear role and learn a lot from each other.” TU Delft contributes academic research, Harbauer brings fluoride removal expertise, and Resilience drives the project and oversees management. “We are truly complementary,” confirms Heederik. “That’s what makes the partnership strong.”

Why not reverse osmosis?

“Traditionally, fluoride contamination in drinking water is treated through reverse osmosis. But this isn’t a sustainable solution,” shares Heederik. “It’s expensive, energy-intensive, and produces wastewater.” The consortium’s solution is a true game changer. “Our filter works by gravity, completely without electricity,” says Ophorst. “That makes it much more accessible for both urban and rural households, but also allows NGOs working on water security to reach far more people, simply by reducing costs.”

Users at the centre

A major pillar of the project is involving end users. “For one month we tested our product among 50 households in Nakuru” says Ophorst. “Each week we asked them for honest feedback: ‘Don’t tell us what you think we want to hear, tell us what you really think.’” That open approach paid off. “Users even helped us think through improvements for rural communities lacking basic infrastructure and they also referred new customers who would benefit from this solution.”

“We remain in touch with our 50 first users,” Ophorst continues. “We’re still monitoring long-term performance; the amount of fluoride the filter continues to remove depends on the original water quality and how much is filtered.”

High demand and future prospects

Heederik and Ophorst have presented the project at various international conferences, including World Water Week in Stockholm and the World Water Forum in Bali, as well as events in Kenya. “At every conference, we’re reminded just how high the demand is for a sustainable bacteria and fluoride filter,” says Heederik. “We even received a call from a representative of the Nairobi dental association, showing interest in our product. That really confirms the scale of the problem.”

“People are recommending the filter to friends and family, and demand is growing,” says Ophorst. “This makes me incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved over the past year and of the whole team involved.”

A game changer in the making

Although the product is still in the testing phase, early signs are promising. “We have a solution that is scalable, sustainable, and truly meets people’s needs,” says Ophorst. “People are already calling to ask: ‘Is it available yet?’” The consortium has submitted a new funding application to test the filter with users from diverse socio-economic backgrounds.

Heederik concludes with a clear invitation: “We’re actively looking for financial, technical, and operational partners who want to help bring this game changer forward. So we can bring the smiles back to the faces of children in Kenya.”

In 2001, four high-level government officials from Indonesia and the Netherlands gathered to sign the first bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Water. At that pivotal moment, Indonesia was facing pressing water-related challenges: widespread pollution, limited access to clean drinking water, frequent flooding and drought, and outdated infrastructure.

These issues threatened not only local water security but also the country’s food sovereignty and economic resilience. Through the MoU, both governments committed to work together on Indonesia’s water priorities and generate knowledge relevant to Dutch and Indonesian water challenges. More than a technical agreement, this MoU signified a shift towards equal diplomatic relations and mutual knowledge exchange. It laid the foundation for a decades-long partnership between the two nations.

The Dutch Water Sector in Indonesia

The current MoU on Water (2022 – 2027) serves as an umbrella for all Dutch co-funded bilateral water-related activities. It enables the Dutch water sector to contribute to Indonesia’s development priorities by applying its internationally recognised expertise and decades of experience in water infrastructure and management. Within this framework, the Partners for Water programme facilitates coordination, fosters collaboration, and connects actors in the Dutch water sector with relevant Indonesian counterparts. A high-level Joint Steering Committee (JSC) provides strategic guidance and meets annually. The JSC is co-chaired by the Indonesian Secretary-General of Public Works and the Dutch Director-General for Water and Soil at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. Dutch participation is facilitated via tenders, sector meetings and expert contributions to the JSC. Central to this engagement is building long-term relationships through knowledge exchange, capacity development and youth engagement.

Three Priorities

Within the bilateral cooperation, a strategic and programme-based approach is adopted to maximise effectiveness and impact. This approach centres on three priority themes, each supported by a dedicated working group and overseen by the JSC. The three themes are:

• Integrated Water Resilience in North Java
• Lowland Development for Irrigation
• Sharing Knowledge, Building Capacity, and Involving Youth

Integrated Water Resilience in North Java

Java’s northern coast is Indonesia’s economic and agricultural core, but it faces growing water challenges due to urbanisation, industry, and climate change. These pressures affect water availability and quality, while also increasing risks like land subsidence and flooding.

In response, the Indonesian government seeks integrated, future-proof solutions. Through the bilateral cooperation, Dutch and Indonesian partners are building water resilience by combining Nature-based Solutions with smart data technologies. This is done through collaboration with local stakeholders and capacity building, ensuring environmental and social values are embedded in each water solution.

The Netherlands contributes decades of experience in flood resilience, hydro-informatics, and coastal management to the collaboration. Along the North Java coastline, joint projects have developed practical, sustainable solutions – often in partnership with local actors and international organisations such as the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and Invest International. For the Dutch water sector, opportunities remain strong to support investments, offer innovative solutions, and engage in knowledge exchange.

Integrated Water Resilience in Semarang

In the city of Semarang, the Indonesian and Dutch water sectors collaborate on integrated solutions for land subsidence, flooding and water scarcity. Combining Nature-based Solutions with conventional infrastructure, the project demonstrates climate-resilient interventions that protect both people and ecosystems. Building upon the Water as Leverage programme, the project collaborates with local communities and authorities, and Dutch and Indonesian experts. It focuses on long-term spatial planning towards a climate-resilient Semarang by 2045 and illustrates how co-creation and inclusive design are key to integrated water resilience in North Java. Partners include One Architecture, Arcadis, Diponegoro University (UNDIP), PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of National Development Planning, the City of Semarang and Central Java Province.

Lowland Development for Irrigation

The vast lowlands and peatlands of Indonesia are essential to the country’s agricultural productivity and food sovereignty ambitions. However, these areas face complex water management challenges including flooding, acid sulphate soils, low fertility, and saline intrusion. Where peatlands have been drained for agriculture, challenges are compounded by land subsidence, fires, and carbon emissions, threatening productivity and ecological stability. Increasing lowland food productivity is a government priority. Therefore, Indonesia is implementing comprehensive rehabilitation strategies for tidal and non-tidal lowland areas through participatory irrigation management systems. These systems are built on five pillars: water supply reliability, infrastructure development, effective irrigation management, institutional frameworks, and human resource capacity.

The Netherlands and Indonesia have built a valuable partnership in lowland development and irrigation since the first MoU signing. This collaboration, mainly focused in South Sumatra and Kalimantan, has developed expertise in data collection, mapping, governance, and technical innovations. Currently, the collaboration focuses on enhancing productivity through improved water management in existing lowland areas. It offers the Dutch water sector opportunities to exchange knowledge and expertise, particularly through intergenerational knowledge transfer, and to provide monitoring and technical support for water management and infrastructure solutions.

Dadahup

In the degraded polder area of Dadahup, Central Kalimantan, Indonesian and Dutch experts have been working together since 2021 to rehabilitate 25,000 hectares of lowland agricultural land. The project began with a request from the Ministry of Public Works and Housing for a second opinion on water management and flood protection. Dutch expertise has supported the development of practical solutions tailored to the local context, such as a simplified system for dry and rainy seasons. The current phase focuses on human resource development through hands-on training and knowledge transfer. Partners include IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, The Indonesian Ministry of Public Works and Housing (PUPR), the Netherlands Enterprise and Development Agency (RVO) and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.

Sharing Knowledge, Building Capacity, and Involving Youth

The Dutch-Indonesian water partnership recognises that effective water management relies on long-term investment in people. Knowledge transfer is therefore a fundamental, cross-cutting pillar of the bilateral cooperation. This theme supports the work of the other working groups by ensuring continuity and future relevance through youth engagement and capacity building. A joint knowledge exchange programme is being implemented. This programme includes initiatives like the Dutch Training and Exchange Programme (DUTEP), Wave Indonesia, webinars with local institutions, and youth-oriented activities such as hackathons and field visits. Additionally, high-level events and missions highlight the partnership and foster connections between Dutch and Indonesian stakeholders.

Particular emphasis is placed on intergenerational exchange, enabling senior experts to pass on insights to the next generation of water professionals. For the Dutch water sector, this theme offers valuable opportunities to contribute by strategically leveraging the diverse networks built over years of partnership, and by embedding these exchanges into the formal MoU collaboration. This ensures that they are not isolated but connected and mutually reinforcing.

The Welang Watershed

The Welang Watershed project in East Java demonstrates integrated, community-driven water management through upstream conservation and downstream flood mitigation. Solutions are co-created with local communities, authorities and experts to ensure relevance and long-term impact. The project strengthens capacity by embedding knowledge exchange between Indonesian and Dutch partners, fostering local ownership and engaging with schools to raise youth awareness on waste and river health. Led by Witteveen+Bos, Nuffic Southeast Asia and AidEnvironment, the project facilitates collaborative knowledge exchange, capacity building and youth engagement.

Read more about the Welang project.

Looking Ahead

After over 25 years of fruitful collaboration – marked by diverse and impactful initiatives, strong partnerships, and lifelong professional friendships – the bilateral water cooperation between Indonesia and the Netherlands is in full swing. Looking two decades ahead, Indonesia aspires to become a resilient, high-income society and the world’s fifth-largest economy by 2045. Achieving this ambition will require addressing its urgent water challenges, opening up new opportunities to exchange innovative, inclusive and sustainable solutions with the Dutch water sector.

The joint ambition is to strengthen mutual trust, secure future cooperation and ensure the Dutch water sector remains a relevant and valued partner for Indonesia. In the coming years, the bilateral cooperation will continue to focus on the current three key areas. Actors in the broader Dutch water sector – like knowledge institutions, NGOs and companies – are invited to engage in this cooperation. They can do so by applying for tenders or joining one of the many webinars, information sessions and networking events hosted by Partners for Water.

Is your organisation interested in co-creating a coordinated vision for water resilience in Semarang, Indonesia? Read about our call for market orientation.

Dutch start-up Reefy is making waves in coastal protection with its innovative ReefBlock technology, implementing Nature-based Solutions from Rotterdam to Mexico. The company launched a successful pilot in Rotterdam’s port area in 2023, and scaled up with support of the Partners for Water subsidy by bringing its ReefBlock technology to Mexico’s threatened coastline in 2024.

The ReefBlocks – large, Lego-like structures featuring complex tunnel systems – serve not only as a foundation for reef growth but also as a submerged breakwater to protect the coastline. Their expansion from Rotterdam to Mexico showcases how innovative Nature-based Solutions can be successfully adapted for international challenges.

This interview with Reefy is originally from the Dutch Water Sector website.

Two years after installing an artificial reef using reef blocks in the Port of Rotterdam to reduce the impact of heavy waves and foster a rich underwater landscape, the project has proven that infrastructure development and nature restoration can go hand in hand.

The reef blocks have notably enhanced the Port of Rotterdam’s busiest shipping channel, giving rise to greater species diversity, cleaner water, and a stronger ecosystem. Monitoring shows that the reef offers shelter to a variety of marine species, increasing the biodiversity.

Modular reef design and installation

In 2023, a Dutch consortium comprising Rijkswaterstaat (Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management), the Municipality of Rotterdam, Boskalis, and Reefy installed the ‘Rotterdam Reef’, a modular reef structure consisting of 17 three metre long and six tonne concrete blocks featuring tunnels, shaded passages, and rough textures. The structure has created a dynamic ecosystem where fish, crabs, and shrimp can thrive, offering protection for both coastlines and marine life.

Collaboration across stakeholders

In addition, the rough surfaces of the reef blocks have encouraged shellfish and the growth of algae, leading to three times higher biodiversity compared to standard concrete structures. Petra de Groene, Director of Economy and Sustainability at the Municipality of Rotterdam, said that “Learning by doing helped us bridge the gap from lab testing to real-world application, where concrete and biodiversity work hand in hand.” Research involving environmental DNA (eDNA) has confirmed that the Port of Rotterdam’s main channel serves as a crossroads for freshwater, saltwater, and migratory fish species. The reef supports fish migration, promotes continuous water circulation and enhances water quality through natural filtration.

Resilient and Storm-Ready

In terms of technical performance, the reef blocks have proven to be resilient under extreme weather conditions. All 17 blocks remained stable during severe storms, including Storm Poly in July 2023.

Over the last two years, the project has demonstrated that the artificial reef reduces wave action and promotes sediment accumulation behind it, thus increasing coastal protection and preventing erosion. Reef blocks can also make coastlines more resilient to storms and floods and, say project partners, they are ready for broader application at a global scale.

Leon Haines, Co-founder and CTO of Reefy, explained that “This project proves that nature and infrastructure can truly strengthen each other. The reef blocks are a sustainable, scalable solution for water safety and ecological restoration. We are ready to scale the technology globally and are already working on projects ranging from rivers in the Netherlands to the tropical Caribbean in Mexico!”

Partnerships Across Sectors

The project’s success is credited to strong collaboration among partners. Reefy developed the modular technology, seamlessly merging coastal protection with ecosystem restoration. Boskalis managed the installation of the reef blocks, drawing on their expertise in hydraulic engineering and coastal defence. The Municipality of Rotterdam supported innovation and ecological monitoring, gathering valuable environmental data. Rijkswaterstaat championed the initiative for nature-inclusive infrastructure in the Port of Rotterdam.

The reef blocks project aligns with the goals of the European Water Framework Directive, which aims to improve habitats for aquatic plants and animals while enhancing overall water quality.

By 2026, Bangladesh is expected to transition from a low-income to a middle-income country, marking a significant shift in its development landscape. This transition opens up new opportunities for Dutch private organisations and investors to engage more deeply with Bangladesh’s development. In this transition, the collaboration will shift from aid to a partnership based on mutual interests, equal collaborations, and robust economic relations. The Dutch private sector has a chance to play a significant role in this new phase, leveraging its expertise in water management and other important sectors.

But in order to enter this tactical and operational playing field for long-term collaboration, there is work to be done. In this article, two experts share their insights on public-private partnerships in Bangladesh. Fahim Faisal is a researcher and the author of a report commissioned by Partners for Water (PfW) on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) opportunities in Bangladesh. Rubaiyath Sarwar supported the development of a vision and strategy for the Dutch Water sector in Bangladesh beyond ODA (Official Development Aid). Together, they identify the Dutch USP (Unique Selling Point) and the six main ingredients for successful partnerships.

The Dutch USP: quality and strategic impact

The Netherlands has been historically recognised for its trustworthy advisory services, knowledge products and high-end technology, strategically working with the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) for the last 50 years on water and food security, organisational strengthening and social development topics, such as sexual and reproductive health and rights. The efforts on water and food have culminated in the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 (BDP2100). The emphasis on comprehensive, holistic and integrated programming and strategic impact is a hallmark of Dutch bilateral engagement. With Bangladesh’s middle-income status, the dynamics are changing for the better with sustained opportunities for Dutch technology and knowledge.

Bangladesh changes perspective

Bangladesh is evolving in its approach to development projects, emphasising not just cost but also quality and technological advancement. The government is steering this shift. As Rubaiyath notes, “When we talk about Bangladesh, often we have this perception that having a low budget is very important. That’s true in some cases, but both the government and the private sector are gradually recognising that it’s not just about low initial cost, it’s also about quality and added value.”

Government to government (G2G) collaboration to facilitate PPPs

With the transition, opportunities for new collaboration frameworks are coming to the table. One of these potential frameworks is a Government to Government Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate PPPs. The MoU acts as a binding agreement between governments, reducing political and project risks. Fahim highlights that this form of G2G cooperation minimizes risks and attracts international funding by making projects more attractive to investors. Several countries have already signed a MoU with Bangladesh, and the Netherlands is exploring this option.

Six ingredients to start building long-term relationships in Bangladesh

To establish successful long-term business relationships in Bangladesh, local experts recommend focusing on these six key strategies.

1. Leverage expertise in the water and agricultural sector

Dutch companies face significant competition from established and low-cost consortia dominating the Bangladeshi market. However, the Dutch water sector can build on its long-standing relationships in the water and agricultural sector, and on its reputation for leadership in technical assistance. It can thus continue leading feasibility and technical supervision missions for forthcoming projects. By partnering with soft loan providers, the sector can design projects that will help Bangladesh achieve its Delta Technology goals, while leveraging Dutch technologies. These projects help Dutch companies to gain a foothold, demonstrating their added value in tactical and operational projects.

2. Build strong relationships

Establishing robust relationships with key agencies that are new to the Dutch water sector is crucial for effective project implementation. Engaging with agencies like the PPP Authority and the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) ensures reliable project execution and financial backing. Building these relationships takes time, local presence and upfront investments, but ultimately facilitates smoother project development.

Examples: By drawing on the experiences of the British and Danish private sectors, the Dutch private sector can benefit from further intensifying and utilising existing platforms like the Dutch-Bangla Chamber of Commerce & Industry. These platforms foster collaborations, enhance mutual understanding, and offer valuable partnership opportunities. Additionally, developing local lobby groups to advocate for Dutch investments could be a strategic move.

3. Showcase added value

Breaking into established consortia favoured by Bangladeshi agencies, primarily consisting of Asian contractors, is challenging. The Dutch private sector must clearly demonstrate its added value and competitive advantages to persuade the government to consider new partnerships. Effective communication of the sector’s unique strengths and capabilities is crucial in order to enter and compete in the market. As Fahim says “there is often a general awareness of Dutch expertise in agriculture and water management, but specific knowledge about individual companies and their specialties is lacking.” Enhancing the visibility and understanding of Dutch companies’ strengths will facilitate more targeted and effective partnerships with Bangladeshi firms.

Example: Chinese companies dominate the energy sector due to their long-term presence and strong local partnerships. However, despite their low overhead costs, they often fail to deliver projects on time. Highlighting Dutch companies’ superior project management and technological advancements, as well as reduced operational and maintenance costs in the long term can help overcome these established preferences.

4. Use quality as a way into existing consortiums

Dutch firms can leverage their technical expertise and high-quality technology to penetrate the market by focusing on niche opportunities that require premium, long-term solutions. Engaging in technical feasibility assessments and design missions allows Dutch firms to define their scope and demonstrate the business case for high-value investments, influencing tender documents to favour their capabilities. The Dutch private sector could be considered as the partner of choice for sustainable investments.

Example: Japan’s involvement in constructing Dhaka’s new airport terminal highlights how a focus on quality and technological superiority can secure project bids. Their participation in the feasibility study and the development of a robust technological plan, integrated into the procurement process, significantly increased their chances of winning the project.

5. Provide soft loans to reduce risks

Addressing the critical issue of soft loans can help Dutch companies overcome the perception of being expensive high-end technical service providers. Partnering with international financial agencies to offer financing solutions can mitigate the Bangladeshi government’s concerns about higher costs and enhance the attractiveness of Dutch firms in competitive tenders. Projects like these help Dutch companies to gain a foothold and demonstrate their added value.

Example: Japan provided a $1.3 billion low-interest loan for Dhaka’s new airport terminal through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). This financial support reduced the project’s risks, making it more viable and attractive.

6. Target specific sectors to capitalise on entry opportunities

There are promising opportunities for the Dutch water sector to engage with government institutes in the fields of water and delta. As Bangladesh transitions from a low-income to a middle-income country, opportunities will extend beyond government initiatives, especially in the private sector. Small to medium size companies in the readymade garment (RMG) sector are shifting towards sustainability, renewable energy, and circular economy practices. All these issues can actually provide opportunities for the Dutch private sector. “And later on Dutch firms can actually capitalise on those entry opportunities and move into other areas,” Rubaiyath explains.

Example: The collaboration within the Dutch Bangla Onion Support in the Bangladeshi onion sector highlights the broad scope of opportunities. Together, they supply integrated solutions aimed at producing better quality onions, reducing post-harvest losses, and ultimately decreasing onion imports while increasing income for onion growers and traders. This collaboration addresses agricultural storage challenges and showcases Dutch versatility beyond water management. The agricultural, circular textile, and IT sectors offer fertile ground for Dutch technological support, fostering sustainable and mutually beneficial growth.

Continued collaboration for sustainable and mutual growth

As Bangladesh evolves, the focus is shifting from merely cost-effective solutions to those that offer quality and technological advancement. This aligns well with the Dutch approach, which emphasises strategic impact and high standards. By adopting these six ingredients for building successful long-term business relationships, Dutch companies can further penetrate the Bangladeshi market. In doing so, they can foster sustainable and mutually beneficial growth, thereby contributing to SDG5 and achieving the Dutch policy goal to increase water security and safety for over a hundred million people worldwide by 2030.

As a child, Maryna Yushchenko witnessed the water quality in her home city of Kyiv deteriorate year after year. This inspired her to focus her career on water management. Three years ago, she moved to the Netherlands to pursue that ambition. Today, she is in her third year of the Water Management programme at HZ University of Applied Sciences in Middelburg. She is specialising in spatial planning and design and is applying her skills as an intern at Partners for Water tackling international water challenges. Nice to meet you, Maryna!

Growing up in Kyiv, a city built on water, Maryna spent her childhood playing along the riverbanks. “It was really sad seeing the water quality deteriorating in my home city. Algae blooms increasingly polluted the river, eventually making the water so green that swimming was impossible for most of the summer season,” she explains. “This experience inspired me to dedicate my studies and career to water management.”

Spatial analysis to restore wetlands

At Partners for Water, Maryna is currently involved in a wetland reconnection project on the border of Thailand and Laos. In collaboration with WWF and Royal HaskoningDHV, the project aims to restore the link between the wetland area and the Mekong River using Nature-based Solutions (NbS). “Agricultural expansion and invasive plant species have led to the wetland’s gradual degradation and disconnection from the river,” explains Maryna. “My role involves spatial analysis and testing interventions that would reconnect the wetland with minimal disruption to the local communities.”

Working on global water management solutions

What drew Maryna to Partners for Water was its international focus. “I like that Partners for Water not only focuses on the Dutch water sector but also on international water management projects,” she says. This global perspective aligns perfectly with her own values about knowledge exchange. “I think it’s great that the Netherlands has so much expertise in the water sphere and I feel like sharing this expertise is so valuable for other countries like mine.”

Multidisciplinary collaboration

In addition to improving her mapping software skills, Maryna’s hopes to gain experience working and communicating in multidisciplinary teams. “Unlike my studies, where projects were tackled one at a time, my role at Partners for Water involves juggling multiple tasks simultaneously. This internship’s diverse projects really encourages me to adapt to different initiatives and work on my communications with various stakeholders.”

Ambitions for global sustainable water management

Maryna’s ultimate ambition goes beyond personal growth. “My biggest motivation is changing how water is viewed and treated around the world,” she shares. “In the Netherlands, water is seen as a really valuable resource. But, in many other parts of the world, it’s often treated as a nuisance.” She dreams of returning to Ukraine someday to apply innovative and sustainable water management principles. “I would love to bring the knowledge I have acquired here to Ukraine, to help change my home city and give water the value and respect it deserves.”