The Partners for Water Programme aims to match the needs of partner countries with the knowledge, know-how and experience of the Dutch water sector. It pools and channels the efforts of the Dutch water sector—public authorities, private companies, NGOs and knowledge institutes—in order to improve practices abroad. Public–private partnerships are seen as one way of achieving this.

Partners for Water is a joint initiative on the part of six Dutch Ministries: Transport, Public Works and Water Management; Foreign Affairs; Development Cooperation; Economic Affairs; Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality; and Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment.

The Programme, which began in 2005 and will end in 2009, is run by the Agency for International Business and Cooperation (EVD) and the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP). It consists of three components:

1. Policy harmonisation and synchronization— on the one hand between the 6 Dutch departments involved in water and on the other between these departments and the Dutch water sector;
2. Cooperation building—which encourages governments, companies, knowledge institutes and NGOs to work together through network meetings and information exchange;
3. A fund for projects—which funds projects from Dutch consortia for innovative water cooperation projects abroad. The Programme demands cooperation between foreign parties and Dutch partners. It also requires projects to produce economic and social spin-offs, in terms of follow-up activities. Importantly, projects must contribute to solving the world’s water problems and to efforts to meet the Millennium Development goals on drinking water and sanitation.

The projects carried out under these components all contribute to match the needs of partner countries with the knowledge, know-how, and experience of the Dutch Water Sector.

More information about the Programme Partners for Water can be found at their website: www.partnersforwater.nl