Dutch envoy for regional coop on water

"Treat water as a regional resource. Its development and management should be done in a rational, efficient and equitable way, also across borders," he said while addressing a three-day International Water Media Conference here yesterday.

"Not only for sustainable flood mitigation but also to reap mutual gains, such as hydropower, the Netherlands is ready to support any initiative regarding regional cooperation on water that contributes to economic growth in the regions concerned. This offer stands, also in the context of Bangladesh, but it is up to local actors to take their responsibility and make use of this offer," he said.

Recalling last year's two separate occasions, he said the Dutch embassy had brought together eminent representatives from Bangladesh civil society, and invited them to participate in a dialogue project to promote regional cooperation on common rivers.

"The overall idea is to link this to a similar initiative in India," he told the journalists who attended the gala occasion as participants giving their respective opinion on rational use of water for equitable benefit of all countries in regions.

For sustainable poverty reduction, Kees called for media support and underscored the need for integrated water resources management in regions.

"There is a global recognition of the need to adopt an integrated approach towards the management of water resources, as a response to the growing water crisis and its direct impact on poverty," Ambassador Kees added.

But, he said, implementation of integrated water resources management needs more effective stakeholder involvement. The media need to play a pro-active role.

He also stressed the need for poverty alleviation and linking it with the Millennium Development Goals and said integrated water resources management plans have been drawn up in many countries to reach the MDGs. Poverty alleviation requires that they be linked with other development efforts, including integrated rural development, he added.