50-jarig bestaan van UNESCO-IHE
Alleen de uitgesproken tekst geldt.
Ladies and gentlemen,
On the fourteenth of August 1959, something extraordinary happened. High above our heads, an American satellite took a photograph of the earth. It showed what scientists had known for years: around seventy per cent of our planet is covered in water. If you look at this blue globe from space, you might think we have more water than we could ever need. But appearances can be deceptive. Most of it – around ninety-seven per cent – is salt water and so not suitable for direct human use.
The remaining fresh water is mostly trapped in glaciers and ice-caps, leaving only a tiny amount for the planet’s six billion people. About 1.1 (one point one) billion people have no access to clean drinking water. Around 2.6 (two point six) billion have no access to basic sanitation. This causes illness and epidemics, which kill around six thousand people every day. And the world is facing another problem, which grows ever more serious: climate change. Developing countries in particular are suffering from excessive rainfall and flooding.
As rich countries, we have a duty to help these nations. Not only with money, but also with knowledge, and this institute plays a vital role. Today we are celebrating fifty years of UNESCO-IHE, and I am very happy to be here. I am proud that this world-renowned institute is based in the Netherlands. I am also proud that it is able to work under the UNESCO flag. This gives its work major recognition.
The institute’s work is a subject close to my heart. Before I became State Secretary for Transport, Public Works and Water Management, I was the Christian Union party’s development cooperation spokesperson in parliament. I became aware of how serious our world’s water problems are.
UNESCO-IHE trains experts who can apply their skills to the growing challenges presented by water. Water is of strategic importance. It influences the environment, society and the economy. So your expertise is of vital importance. Water management is becoming more complex and we now need highly specialised experts. And we also need multi-disciplinary expertise, at both individual and institutional level. Thanks to UNESCO-IHE, people are learning better ways of tackling drinking water shortages and lack of sanitation, not to mention the threat of flooding. In short, water managers leave here armed to go out and make the world a better place.
UNESCO-IHE might never have existed had we not decided to build the Delta works in Zeeland, the barriers we built to prevent a major flood like the one we had in 1953, and which killed eighteen hundred people. The Delta project attracted the world’s attention. The Pakistani ambassador too saw how we protected our country against the sea. She thought a similar system might be the answer to the problems in the former East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. She asked the Dutch government to share the expertise gained in the Delta project. The government agreed, marking the start of UNESCO-IHE.
Since then, thousands of people across the world have come to the institute. There are around thirteen thousand UNESCO-IHE alumni from more than a hundred and sixty countries. And many of those who studied here now hold senior positions in international organisations, governments, banks, universities and research institutes. A number have even become ministers. And many of these graduates are here today. That says something about this institute’s relevance. And its activities are even more relevant when we consider the most important of the Millennium Development Goals for water:
- To reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.
We will have to do our very best to achieve these goals. My colleague, development cooperation minister Bert Koenders, is currently devising a programme that should speed up the process. Of course, I strongly support his initiative, and I hope we can use the inter-ministerial programme, Partners for Water, to help. With this programme, the government and business community have joined forces to use Dutch expertise in water management to benefit other countries. It won't surprise you, I'm sure, when I say that UNESCO-IHE will have an important role. Your skills are invaluable. We have always worked closely together and we will continue to do so. This is one of the reasons why my ministry has extended the Memorandum of Understanding, which was due to expire this year. In the next four years we will release a total of 1.2 (one point two) million euros in human and other resources for a variety of activities. For example, for organising short courses, carrying out projects with the ministry and providing grants to students.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Compared to other parts of the world, we in the Netherlands have never had it so good. All the same, we have our own concerns. Fortunately we have no shortage of clean drinking water and sanitation, but we do worry about climate change and its effect on flood protection. As you probably know, two thirds of our country lies below sea level. Despite major projects like the Barrier Dam and the Delta works, we still need to take measures to protect ourselves from water in the future. The climate is changing, sea level is rising, land is subsiding and we’re seeing increasingly unpredictable weather conditions. This is why we are strengthening our flood barriers and undertaking river relief at various locations. In this way, we’re trying to live with water in a sustainable manner.
Our many years of experience with water, puts us in a good position. But that’s not to say we know it all. Here UNESCO-IHE continues to prove its value by sharing – not just transferring – knowledge. Two-way traffic instead of a one-way street. We Dutch may have a lot of experience of dealing with water, but we’re always open to good ideas from other countries. For my ministry, but also for all Dutch professionals involved in water management, UNESCO-IHE is a window on the world. Those who have studied here and now work in their own countries give the ministry a global network of contacts. And this network is growing. So, as time goes on, we will be able to keep each other informed, and help each other even more effectively.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I hope the day will come – and I will do my best to help us get there – when the entire world can enjoy safe, clean water and when flooding can be prevented wherever possible. So I hope too that UNESCO-IHE will continue its vital work for another fifty years at least. The world deserves it.
Thank you.