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DELTARES, OCTOBER 2019 7 Excess water, water shortages, dirty water: they can all contribute to political instability in vulnerable countries. This is one reason why water is a cornerstone of global sustainable development. As the director of inclusive green growth at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Carola van Rijnsoever has been working intensively on this issue since 2017. 'The will to work together is decisive.' W hat is characteristic of the Dutch approach to inclusive green growth? 'Dutch development cooperation focuses on a number of themes; inclusive green growth is one of them. We want to use our approach to inclusive green growth to link up with the UN's motto Leave no one behind. We use the term "green" to refer to sustainable development that will keep our planet healthy in the long term. That development should benefit everyone, and precisely the most vulnerable groups. The Netherlands has always had extensive expertise in this area. Take the field of agriculture, including tropical agriculture, for example. And there is also our approach to water in recent centuries: mills, dikes, room for rivers. You don't usually have to explain all this: everyone knows about the relationship between the Netherlands and water. And another thing that I think is special about the Dutch role is our focus on innovation and cooperation. We dare to take risks, to try out newmodels, even if we are not yet sure whether they will work. We draw on that pioneering approach to work with other countries and that is enor­ mously appreciated. Moreover, we are more inclined than other governments to teamup with different types of partners. We work with NGOs, commercial companies, financial institutions and research institutes, and that allows us to work as a genuine unit. That approach also includes Deltares, which is an important knowledge partner for the Ministry. The close cooperation between these different partners is not something that comes naturally in other countries.' Are there visible results already? 'Certainly: we publish reports on this area annually on the website osresultaten.nl . To take just one example relating to water: in close collaboration with local authorities and local people, research institutes and NGOs, we are providing people in developing countries with access to clean drinking water and sanitary facilities. During that process, we commit strongly to a sustainable approach. We also manage to achieve our goals through long-term cooperation with Dutch water companies and water management authorities. In that way, we help governments and organisations in developing countries to acquire knowledge and experience that allows them to establish sustainable facilities. Another example is a project in which we are helping water companies in developing countries to become healthy again and to be appealing opportunities for local parties such as pension funds and banks. We do that by, for example, building up capacity and by helping customers, water consumers, to pay for water. Bond issues are complicated but they are a way of organising sustainable financing. So our work is based not only on a technical water philo­ sophy but also on a financial, social and administrative vision. We tackle problems in a multidisciplinary way.' How is water related to peace and security? 'We believe that water stress, whether it involves excess water, water shortages or dirty water, can be one of the factors underlying political instability. It can have an impact on people's security or the stability of a region or country. The Netherlands has developed an initiative that addresses planetary security, in other words security in relation to the habitability of the planet. Water, like climate change, is a crucial element here. Through conferences, articles and think tanks, we have taken steps to ensure a much more active approach to thinking about this issue. For example, the Water, Peace and Security Partnership was set up to show where water stress could have implications for peace and security. The initiators are now developing ways to mitigate these risks, not only by reducing water stress but also by promoting dialogue between stakeholders.' BY SARAH LEERS / IMAGE FRANK RUITER