With over a week to go, almost 1700 registrations have been received for the National Delta Conference on 5 November in 1931 Congress Centre Brabanthallen in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.* This tells us that the Delta community is very much alive.
During the National Delta Conference which Royal Commissioner Wim van de Donk will open at 10.15 a.m., we will talk about the progress of the Delta Programme and share new developments with one another. After a brief plenary session, in the morning and afternoon there will be sub-sessions on flood risk management, the freshwater supply, governance and spatial adaptation. The Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, the Dutch Water Authorities (UvW), the Association of Provincial Authorities (IPO) and the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) will each be in charge of a sub-session.
Throughout the entire day, the Delta Parade will be the central meeting place with meeting points of the 7 areas of the Delta Programme and presentation booths of organisations, programmes and projects associated with the Delta Programme. This year, the Delta Conference includes a special international component linked to the Amsterdam International Water Week. In the afternoon, Minister of International Trade and Development Cooperation Lilianne Ploumen will open a sub-conference on National and International Water Governance. Special Envoy for International Water Affairs for the Kingdom of the Netherlands Henk Ovink will also be attending the conference.
Developments
Shortly after the previous Delta Conference, the Delta Decisions were incorporated into the revised National Water Plan, and in April this year agreements were signed regarding the freshwater supply strategy for various regions. In early 2016, a bill on the new standards for primary flood defences will be debated in the House. Developments are moving at a fast pace. Together, we are working hard on the safety and liveability of our country, and we are thus setting an example for the rest of the world.
International
All this is resulting in many international delegations visiting us, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh on Wednesday, 4 November. She will be received by Minister Schultz van Haegen. Ms Sheikh Hasina will be informed about the Delta Programme by Jos van Alphen, Senior Flood Risk Management Advisor of the Delta Programme Commissioner’s Staff, among others. In the weeks ahead, the Delta Programme is on the agenda of a delegation from Indonesia and a group of trainees from the Asian Development Bank.
*Registration for the Delta Conference has closed.