Water security for all
Climate change is causing more extreme weather events, including droughts and floods. Dutch companies and organisations help increase water security for people, plants and animals. They do this via sustainable and innovative solutions. Would you like to contribute to water security in low and middle-income countries? Learn more about how we can support you.
Tackling water problems together
Too much, too little and too dirty water seriously affect the water security in vulnerable regions. Currently, 1 in 4 people do not have access to clean drinking water. And almost half of the world's population lacks access to sanitation facilities. With the demand for water increasing, we must change our approach to provide everyone with clean (drinking) water and sanitation facilities.
The Netherlands is committed to realising sustainable water security for all. We contribute by sharing our knowledge and innovations and speeding up digitalisation. Together with partners, the goal is to ensure that by 2030:
- 30 million people have access to clean drinking water;
- 50 million people have access to sanitation facilities;
- We have helped 20 million people by improving river basin management and making deltas safer; and
- Water is used optimally in agriculture.
What does the Netherlands Enterprise Agency do?
We contribute to water security through subsidies and programmes such as the Dutch Disaster Risk Reduction and Surge Support (DRRS), Sustainable Water Fund (FDW), Partners for Water PVW-IVWW, Water as Leverage, Reversing the Flow (RtF), MHPSS Surge Mechanism and Ghana Wash Window (GWW). These programmes focus on drinking water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH), integrated water resources management (IWRM), climate change adaptation, and the emergency response to water disasters, among others.
We support cooperation projects that provide:
- Access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities;
- Safer deltas and improved water management;
- Support for local implementation;
- Private sector involvement; and
- A sustainable and integrated approach.
How can we support you?
Is your business, NGO or knowledge institute based in the Netherlands? And do you want to contribute to water security for all?
- Contact our advisors;
- Find a partner for your project;
- Find support via our subsidies and programmes;
- Learn from completed projects. Check out our lessons learnt;
- Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to stay informed on our latest news and top stories from all over the world.
What have our projects achieved?
In our water projects, we work towards different types of results. Here are a few highlights of what some of our projects have achieved up until and including 2024:
Source: FDW and GWW
- 120,868 people benefitting from IWRM/safe delta management projects
- 2,723,417 people with access to improved drinking water sources
- 738,894 people with access to improved sanitation facilities
Inspiration from the worldwide water sector
For information on our Dutch partners in the water sector and available subsidies and funding opportunities from the Dutch government, see our page Worldwide water sector.
Locally-led adaptation: Long-term approaches for water-related challenges
Developing knowledge and sharing experiences are essential factors in achieving the outcomes of water-related initiatives. For inspirational stories on locally-led adaptation, see our Reversing the Flow (RtF) page Locally-led adaptation in practice.
Our projects in practice
For more inspiring water-related and other project case studies, see our most recent user stories and consult our project database for background information and results. You may also browse our library of documents and publications on water security.
Water security projects in practice
Watch our videos below on water projects in Ghana and Ethiopia.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Ministry of Economic Affairs
- Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management
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