Dutch international cooperation minister Ben Knapen has announced his intention to continue to help finance the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre for the next five years with a contribution of 10 million euros. He was speaking at a meeting with Dutch water sector representatives, where he presented the plans outlined in his policy letter ‘Water for Development’.
Published on: 10/01/2012
Dutch international cooperation minister Ben Knapen has announced his intention to continue to help finance the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre for the next five years with a contribution of 10 million euros (US$ 12.7 million). He was speaking in Delft at a meeting on 9 January 2012 with Dutch water sector representatives, where he presented the plans outlined in his policy letter ‘Water for Development’.
Knapen said that IRC is one the organisations that is playing an important role in developing the new Dutch policy for drinking water and sanitation. The Minister mentioned that the World Health Organization (WHO) had asked IRC and WaterAid to formulate new post-2015 targets and indicators for drinking water. “This shows how authoritative IRC is”, Knapen said. In his policy letter, the Minister refers to IRC as “the think tank in the field of drinking water and sanitation”.
IRC Director Nico Terra (left) receives ministerial order on IRC's funding from Ben Knapen. Photo: Deltares
In 2010, the Netherlands decided to concentrate development cooperation in four priority areas: food security, water, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and public order and safety. From 2011 to 2015, the budget for water programmes in developing countries will grow from 156 million euros (US$ 198 million) to 254 million euros (US$ 323 million). Of this amount, an average of 125 million euros (US$159 million) per year will be spent on bilateral water programmes in 9 focus countries: Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Sudan, Bangladesh and Indonesia.
Besides drinking water and sanitation, the new Dutch water programme will focus on two other themes: efficient water use, especially in agriculture; and improved water resources management and safe deltas.
Read the Dutch policy letter ‘Water for Development’ [in Dutch]
See also IRC’s Business Plan 2012-2016
Source: Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 10 January 2012
