Minister Schultz: “Delta Decisions well on schedule”
The fourth National Delta Conference was held on Thursday 7 November in the Beatrix Theatre in Utrecht. The focus of the conference was on the fourth Delta Programme (DP2014) that was presented on Prinsjesdag (the state opening of parliament). The programme addresses major current and future issues including how we can protect our country from floods and how to ensure an adequate supply of freshwater even in dry spells. In 2014, the government will make important decisions on these issues. Delta Commissioner Wim Kuijken welcomed the more than 1800 guests. Minister Schultz van Haegen (Infrastructure & the Environment) opened the conference and referred to 2014 as an exciting year for the Delta Decisions.
During the conference, the Franz Edelman Award was presented to the team of Deltares, Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB), HKV Consultants, Tilburg University, Delft University of Technology, the Ministry of Infrastructure & the Environment and the Delta Commissioner. The Dutch consortium won this prestigious American prize for its project entitled ‘Economically Efficient Flood Standards to Protect the Netherlands against Flooding’.
Delta Commissioner Wim Kuijken described the conferences as a great success “I can look back on an exciting and inspiring Delta Conference. My thanks go to all the organisers and participants. We will continue to work together towards the Delta Decisions.”
This year, the Delta Commissioner turned the spotlight on special guest Koos van Oord for his important work for the Delta Programme. Mr Van Oord called on all stakeholders to put in their best efforts and emphasised that this means not only “bringing in the Dutch”, but also focusing in our own country on “binding the Dutch” and “building by the Dutch”.
In the afternoon, Aleid Wolfsen, Mayor of Utrecht, opened the Delta Parade in which the sub-programmes of the Delta Programme gave presentations involving the Delta Decisions. Chair of the Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands Wiebe Draijer, took to the stage in the plenary hall to provide insight into the establishment of the Energy Agreement. He also spoke about how the Delta Programme had been a major source of inspiration in that regard. Afterwards, civil society organisations gave presentations in the plenary hall and the business community presented innovations like the water app that shows members of the public what to do in emergency situations.
The board of the Youth Water Board launched the online version of the Delta Viewer during the conference. The Delta Viewer is an interactive presentation that everyone can use to find answers to questions about our delta. In pictures and text it shows how the Netherlands deals with water: as a friend and as an enemy, today, in the past and in the future, at the local, regional and national levels. The Delta Viewer can already be seen at many places in the Netherlands including many museums like the Watersnoodmuseum and the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Veluwe National Park.
The conference was closed by Hans van der Vlist, chair of the Water Advisory Committee that firmly supports the Delta Commissioner’s recommendation that 1% of the Delta Fund should be reserved for investing in knowledge and innovations.