News item | 23-03-2023 | 4:30 pm
Today the Dutch initiative International Panel for Deltas and Coastal Zones (IPDC) is officially launched. This is a collaboration between countries, knowledge institutes and financial institutions that focus on water and climate change. The aim of the partnership is to help countries adapt better to the changing climate. Through the IPDC, knowledge can be exchanged with several parties at the same time.
Minister Harbers (Infrastructure and Water Management): “Every Dutchman has grown up in the vicinity of water, our country is full of it. We are therefore good at water management, but the changing climate makes the challenges bigger and different. Every country faces similar problems, so fortunately we don’t have to solve those challenges alone. We can cooperate with other countries for this. With the IPDC we have a partnership in which we can find each other quickly and easily, demand-driven and action-oriented.”
Tailored advice
The IPDC helps member countries draw up concrete climate adaptation advice. The aim is that scientific knowledge about water and climate is increased through the collaboration, and that on that basis tailor-made advice can be given to the countries that request it.
The first IPDC conference will be organized in March 2024. Here it is examined whether the member countries are on track with regard to climate adaptation. Climate studies such as the IPCC report often focus on what future scenarios are, but do not recommend what countries should do now. The IPDC wants to answer that question for the countries that ask for help.
Storm surge of knowledge
The launch of the IPDC means that knowledge can be exchanged simultaneously with several authorities to tackle problems in the field of water and climate. The Netherlands has appointed a secretariat and funds are available through investment banks.
The secretariat is housed in the Deltares office and is staffed with experts from Deltares, the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) and the Delta Alliance. Management takes place via a steering group with representatives from Deltares, the GCA, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and the Dutch water envoy. So many parties that together have a flood of knowledge to support the world in their approach to the changing climate.
The countries that are now members of the IPDC are areas that are particularly vulnerable to climate change. The deltas, coastal areas and islands face climate challenges in terms of housing, food production, biodiversity and/or sea level rise.
Extra information
The following countries are currently connected: Bangladesh, Egypt, Colombia, South Africa, Singapore, Vietnam, Argentina, Curaçao, Aruba, St. Maarten, Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.
In addition, the ‘Local2030 Islands Network’, the Asian Development Bank, the Inter American Development Bank and the Green Climate Fund are participating.