Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction
Speech by the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Lilianne Ploumen, at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction side event on flood risks in Vietnam, Geneva, 21 May 2013.
On the face of it, ladies and gentlemen, Vietnam and the Netherlands have little in common.
Hot versus cold.
Rice versus potatoes.
Asian versus European.
But appearances can be deceptive, ladies and gentlemen.
Vietnam and the Netherlands both consist largely of low-lying deltas.
Deltas which are extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Rising sea levels and heavier rainfall make the water and climate change sector vital.
Vital for our food supplies.
And ─ of course ─ vital for our security.
In 2010 our two countries signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement on Climate Change Adaptation and Water Management.
Under this partnership we are helping draw up the Mekong Delta Plan.
And we are working to help Ho Chi Minh City protect itself from flooding.
Another thing we have in common is our location on the sea.
The Port of Rotterdam Authority is sharing knowledge with several Vietnamese ports.
Knowledge on subjects like port expansion and efficiency enhancement.
In short: Vietnam and the Netherlands are not as different as they might appear at first sight.
Cooperation, ladies and gentlemen, is crucial for disaster risk reduction.
Booming economies and growing populations make us more vulnerable than ever.
We’re all in this together.
So we need to work together.
To work together on protection, mitigation and preparedness – in short: disaster risk reduction.
Obviously, disaster risk reduction is a worthwhile investment.
In 1970, 500,000 Bangladeshis lost their lives in a cyclone.
After investments in disaster risk reduction, a comparable cyclone in 2007 cost 4,000 lives.
4,000 lives too many.
But still a great improvement.
We should avoid the trap of focusing only on big disasters, however.
Make no mistake ─ everyday shocks and stresses are at least as important.
It’s no secret, ladies and gentlemen, that a majority of natural disasters are water-related.
According to the World Economic Forum, water security is one of our fastest-growing problems.
Social.
Political.
And economic.
The world could face a 40% global water shortfall by 2030.
Groundwater depletion in parts of Africa and the Middle East is a threat to regional stability.
Not to mention floods and pollution in several parts of the world.
Where water management fails, society as a whole is at risk.
Energy could become scarce.
Food production could come to a halt.
And drinking water supplies could run out.
This shows that water is a potential source of conflict.
And that’s why my country wants to focus on water diplomacy in cross-border deltas.
For 60% of all cross-border deltas, no arrangements have been made on water management.
Not even between individual countries.
And early warning systems are often not in place.
So the impact of water-related disasters is often needlessly great.
In the coming years cross-border delta management will be high on the international agenda.
The 1997 UN Watercourses Convention will enter into force shortly.
And countries will probably be able to accede to the 1992 UNECE Water Convention starting this year.
Obviously, I welcome ratification of these water agreements.
But the Netherlands is glad to be doing more.
We and others are supporting water management and cooperation in seven cross-border deltas.
Deltas in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
And rest assured: disaster risk reduction will play a pivotal role in all our efforts.
As I said, ladies and gentlemen, the Netherlands largely consists of low-lying deltas.
We face a rise in sea levels.
And river levels are rising too.
This is why we came up with a new Delta Plan for our country.
It should safeguard our water supply and protect us from floods for the next 100 years.
Let me share its basic principles with you.
First: water is a long-term challenge.
Second: the delta as a whole should be taken into account.
And third: social, economic and ecological interests are all equally important.
We try to put these principles into practice at both national and international level.
Vietnam is a perfect example.
My Vietnamese colleague will tell you more about this in a minute.
But first let me tell you more about Dutch expertise in the field of water management.
We have a lot to offer.
Our information systems are high-tech.
Our engineers are world-class craftsmen.
And according to the UN’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction ─ Margareta Wahlström ─ our public water management system is a ‘best practice’.
Not to mention our knowledge, accumulated over centuries, of disaster preparedness.
For us everything revolves around three things: protection, land-use planning and crisis management.
Ladies and gentlemen, my country is more than happy to share our expertise with the world.
In order to prevent water-related disasters.
And to help countries recover after disasters have occurred.
I’m happy to announce that I’ve earmarked 5 million euro to improve access to our expertise.
This should allow other governments to consult the best Dutch experts quickly and easily.
Because while we’re proud to cooperate with Vietnam,
we have a lot to offer other countries as well.
Thank you.