Vision for international cooperation
Water authorities face major challenges in maintaining clean, safe, and sufficient water supplies. The climate is changing worldwide. In some areas, countries, and seasons, there is too little water available due to increasingly severe droughts. We are also facing floods, rising sea levels, and extreme weather with torrential and cluster showers. This is happening all over the world, and all these developments affect our work.
Focus and ambition for international cooperation
We want everyone to have clean, safe, and sufficient water today and tomorrow. That is why we ensure good water management and clean water in our region, and have another important mission. Together with national and international water authorities, we look beyond our own area, because water knows no boundaries. Together, we tackle international water problems and work on good water management. With our work abroad, we focus on these three goals:
- Sustainable water management and climate resilience
We take on projects that combat climate change. We help people adapt to the effects of climate change that we are already feeling, particularly in the area of water management. By acting now and adapting our environment, we can reduce the risks and secure a sustainable future for everyone. We work together with international partners to achieve this.
- Working on water solutions worldwide
Water management is not something you do in isolation, but in collaboration with others. That is why we work together with partners abroad on a long-term basis. By doing so, we share our own knowledge and experience and learn from other water managers, because every country in the world has its own challenges and solutions. Whereas we are good at dealing with heavy rainfall and need to adapt to more drought, Peru already has a lot of experience with agriculture in combination with drought.
We learn from these similarities and differences. We exchange knowledge and strengthen our own team, and we contribute to a global movement for better water management. Together we can achieve more.
- Becoming future-proof
Noorderzijlvest wants to grow into a future-proof organisation. International cooperation supports this goal. Our employees are curious, want to know what is going on in the world and what they can do to be prepared for water challenges. Working abroad gives employees the opportunity to develop further. In a foreign environment, where water management often works differently than in the Netherlands, we are challenged to come up with innovative solutions. We enrich our knowledge, learn to work in a problem-solving manner, learn creative and critical thinking, and gain insight into how to collaborate with other cultures. In this way, we contribute to innovative water solutions for the water challenges of the future.
Our compass (policy frameworks)
All our work abroad contributes to higher goals and ambitions. These policy frameworks are our compass and guide everything we do internationally.
The Sustainable Development Goals
Contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is central to our work abroad. Our focus is on SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation for all.
But we also contribute to other Sustainable Development Goals:
- 2 - Zero hunger
- 11 - Sustainable cities and communities
- 13 - Climate action
- 17 - Partnership to achieve goals
Netherlands International Water Ambition (NIWA)
The Netherlands International Water Ambition (NIWA) aims to improve water security and safety for 100 million people between 2020 and 2030. NIWA forms the basis for programmes such as the Blue Deal.