As we commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Dutch Training & Exposure Programme (DUTEP), we reflect on a decade of fruitful collaboration between Indonesia and the Netherlands in the realm of integrated urban water management. Established in 2014, DUTEP is an annual capacitybuilding programme that serves as a strategic instrument for modern bilateral knowledge cooperation, bringing together Indonesian and Dutch partners from education, the corporate sector, and government to address one of the pressing challenges faced by both Jakarta and Rotterdam – urban water management
A Unique Capacity-Building Initiative
DUTEP is designed to enhance the capacities of Indonesian mid-career government officials by providing them an opportunity to spend a period in Rotterdam – also known as the Dutch delta city and Jakarta’s sister city – where they undertake research internships at renowned Dutch organisations working on water management.
“More than 60 DUTEP alumni have already been visiting Rotterdam to learn and to be trained in the field of water, water management and how to create a resilient city,” said outgoing mayor of Rotterdam Ahmed Aboutaleb. According to Aboutaleb, DUTEP is a good example of a new way of bilateral cooperation between cities – by observing the Dutch context, candidates can adopt practices applicable to their own context back home in Indonesia.
At the same time, the DUTEP alumni network serves as an important resource for the Dutch water sector with opportunities to open doors in Indonesia.
Maria Qibtya, Head of Human Resources Development Agency DKI Jakarta, adds: “DUTEP is considered very useful in the process of developing the capacity of DKI Jakarta employees whichtruly impacts solving water management problems in DKI Jakarta. We hope that this programme will continue and develop not only related to water management alone, along with the repositioning of DKI Jakarta from a capital city to a global city”.
A Prime Example of Public-Private Collaboration
DUTEP is a prime example of public-private collaboration, where higher education, the business sector, and the government work closely, making substantial financial and in-kind contributions to the programmes success. The consortium consists of the Jakarta City Government, the City of Rotterdam, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Water Authority Delfland, Van Oord, Deltares and the Port of Rotterdam. Nuffic Southeast Asia fulfils the role of program coordinator and is supported by RVO’s Partners for Water. A very positive development is that the Indonesian Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing of the Republic of Indonesia (PUPR) is participating for the first time in this year’s programme.
“With the Netherlands’ expertise in water management, participants are expected to gain valuable knowledge and international experience, which will serve as a foundation for innovative solutions in Indonesia,” the Head of the Human Resources Development Agency of PUPR said. The Agency further emphasizes the significance of DUTEP as a key opportunity for strategic knowledge exchange and capacity-building, aimed at achieving the goals of the MoU Water between Indonesia and the Netherlands (2022-2027) and enhancing ongoing bilateral cooperation.
Furthermore, involvement of Partners for Water in DUTEP enhances collaboration at both the urban (DKI Jakarta) and national (PUPR) levels, strengthening the connection between urban and national collaborative networks.
In July 2024, Nuffic Southeast Asia and Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences hosted a hybrid pre-departure briefing for the selected DUTEP candidates for the 2024 programme to prepare them for their departure to The Netherlands.
The five DUTEP participants hosted by the City of Rotterdam will delve into various aspects of sustainable urban water management, such as the management of green open spaces in waterside areas while incorporating conservation functions, and an analysis of Rotterdam’s success in becoming a climate-resilient city.
Meanwhile, Water Authority Delfland will host three participants who will investigate sustainable solutions for the eutrophication problem in stormwater ponds, explore blue-green infrastructure to address Jakarta’s flooding issues and examine the impacts of river naturalization on alleviating water stress in Indonesia’s Brantas River.
The two participants hosted by Van Oord will investigate levee construction within the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD) programme and the implementation of wateroriented urban planning for flood disaster mitigation in the low-lying Rawa Terate subdistrict.
Finally, at Deltares, two participants will concentrate on critical environmental challenges related to water management in Jakarta, including identifying the most effective mitigation policies and strategies against land subsidence.
The last weekend of August 2024 marked the start of the programme for this year’s DUTEP cohort. During the first days, they explored the city of Rotterdam.
The Next Decade for DUTEP
As DUTEP enters its second decade, it is hoped that the programme continues to serve as a prime example of a successful public-private partnership, demonstrating how international cooperation can lead to sustainable solutions for challenges related to urban water management. With its flexible set-up, the programme has also potential to be implemented in different sectors, timeframes and countries in its next decade. If you’re interested in partnering with DUTEP, please reach out to Nanya Burki for more information.
More information about DUTEPThe World Water Forum 2024 (WWF) is a wrap!
The largest international conference in the water sector took place from 18 to 25 May in Bali, Indonesia. Time for a recap of the exciting things that transpired at the Dutch Pavilion.
An important reason for attending the WWF Dutch pavilion was to help position the Netherlands as an expert on global water challenges providing innovative approaches and state-of-the-art solutions to improve water security. In order to achieve this, the pavilion was designed as an open, inclusive and inventive space to make finding new (or strengthening existing) local and international partnerships easy.
The pavilion boasted an extensive programme with three main themes: ‘Water for resilient cities and deltas’, ‘Water for food and energy’ and ‘Clean and safe water for all’. These were some of the highlights from an exciting week at WWF:
Start of a wave
The week kicked off with a bang with the launch of the ‘Indonesian Wave’, part of Wavemakers United. ‘A youth-led intergenerational network that connects initiatives, merges resources and enables collaboration. All the while adapting to local contexts to achieve the Water Action Agenda goal of educating one million children per year.’ explained Sabrina Farah Salsabilla, Chief Marketing Officer at ReservoAir.
Founder of Wavemakers United Tilly Stroo signed a Letter of Intent with the Indonesian Ministry of Public Works and Housing and Wavemakers United to collaborate under the Centre of Excellence for Water and Climate Resilience. ‘Signing this at such a significant platform as the WWF, Indonesia and the Netherlands are demonstrating their continued investment in youth participation. Not just during WWF’s but into the future as well.’
Water envoy in the house
Special Envoy for International Water Affairs, Meike van Ginneken also attended the WWF: ‘At the UN Water Conference in New York in 2023, we agreed to more than 800 water actions. Today, the Water Action Agenda is in full swing with Dutch companies, NGOs and the government participating in many of those actions at the community, local and national levels.
‘I want to congratulate the Indonesian government on bringing together the whole water world here at WWF. It has been a great opportunity to celebrate our long-standing and productive bilateral cooperation with Indonesia.’
A Matter of Perseverance
On the second day of the WWF, we – Partners for Water – hosted a session in collaboration with Water as Leverage. This programme brings together cities, designers, engineers, and financiers to enhance urban resilience to climate change. The goal of this session was to discuss bilateral collaboration with our seven partner countries regarding inclusive delta development.
As improving water security requires perseverance, we consider long-term partnerships with our partner countries to be essential. Amongst other things, we discussed how we can enhance the current approach and how to engage local partners effectively. We also shared insights gained from projects undertaken in our partner countries.
Launch of inaugural report
An exciting event that occurred at the Dutch pavilion was the launch of the first International Panel on Deltas and Coastal Areas (IPDC) report. The report was produced through a collaborative effort and sets out the climate adaptation strategies, processes, and challenges of each IPDC member country. Meike van Ginneken presented the first copies to two esteemed IDPC-members, Indonesia’s Pak Leo Eliasta and Egypt’s Mr. Walid Hakiki.
A special visitor
On the last day of presentations at the WWF, a very special person visited the Dutch Pavilion. Minister Basuki Hadimuljono of Indonesia’s Ministry of Public Works and Housing stopped by.
‘I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with the Minister about the relationship between Indonesia and The Netherlands, particularly focusing on the water sector. I believe this relationship will always be strong, equal and beneficial’, said Nishchal Sardjoe, Senior Water Management specialist at Deltares Indonesia
Thank you
Partners for Water would like to thank all the companies, NGO’s, governments, knowledge institutions and visitors who came and participated at our pavilion. We trust you had a fruitful WWF and hope to see you soon.
A special thanks to everyone who hosted a session at the Netherlands Pavilion 2024:
Bandung Technische Hoogeschool Fonds (BTHF), BESE BV, Danone, Deltares Netherlands, EcoShape Consortium, International Panel on Deltas, Coasts and Islands (IPDC), MetaMeta, Nazava Indonesia, NX Filtration, Partners for Water, Royal HaskoningDHV, UN-Habitat, Simavi, The International Centre for Water Cooperation (ICWC), SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, Valuing Water Initiative (VWI), Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors, WaterWorX (VEI, WereldWaternet and Oasen), Water as Leverage, Water Footprint Implementation, Wavemakers United/Nuffic/The Water Agency, Wetskills Foundation, Yayasan Plan International Indonesia
A glimpse of the NL Pavilion during the World Water Forum 2024
Partners for Water is a Dutch government programme that works on solving water issues around the world. We do this through longterm cooperation with local partners and the Dutch water sector. We encourage knowledge exchange, innovation and an integrated approach. This is how we make an impact in the field of water security for people, plants and animals.
