Welang Watershed

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.