“Why are we spending money on water safety when we should be trying to make spending cuts? We’re safe enough, aren’t we?” Delta Commissioner Wim Kuijken answered these and other probing questions during the World Youth Parliament for Water (WYPW) conference.
The aim of the conference was to gain insight into the most urgent issues
related to water governance. In addition, during a Solutions Forum, participants
were prompted to come up with concrete solutions. The conference was a
collaborative effort of the WYPW and Leiden University.
In his address, the Delta Commissioner provided the students and young
professionals in attendance with insight into various aspects of the long-term
water-challenge facing the Netherlands. His vision of the water problem: don’t
wait until something happens but rather ensure that nothing will happen in the
future so that no lives or infrastructure will be lost and economic catastrophes
are avoided, provided the participants with valuable insight.
The outcomes of the conference will contribute to the international World We Want Post 2015 (#worldwewant2015) and UN-Water Post-2015 policy (#waterpost2015) debates.