This major international conference provides a powerful opportunity for exchanging information on how climate change is impacting river deltas and how deltas are responding, as well as to create and strengthen partnerships between delta regions and organizations.
Two days of the conference will be dedicated to science, one day to policy issues and international cooperation between Delta institutions. The conference pursues three main goals:
- exchange of up-to-date top science on climate change and delta planning
- strengthening of international cooperation between deltas and delta cities
- exploring and strengthening the links between science, policy and practitioners at international level
The International Delta Alliance advisory board will meet during the conference. Further, Delta Alliance will host the following sessions during the conference:
Launch of Delta Alliance
The launch of Delta Alliance will be celebrated in this plenary event hosted by journalist Tracy Metz. Representatives from deltas around the world will participate, including minister Tineke Huizinga of The Netherlands and Governor Bowo of Jakarta. A highlight will be the signing of the Delta Alliance Declaration, a statement on the value of the world's deltas and the importance of international cooperation for improving their resilience. Further there will be a presentation of the winners of the student DeltaCompetition 2010. The launch will be followed by a reception, where all participants will be invited to sign the Delta Alliance Declaration and become a member of the international network.
Program
| | Time | |
| | 17:00 | Welcome – Ms. Tracy Metz, Master of Ceremonies |
| | 17:05 | Towards international cooperation in adaptation to climate change
Ms. Tineke Huizinga, the Dutch Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment |
| | 17:15 | Delta Alliance: the creation of a global knowledge network
Mr. Kees Slingerland, Chairman of Delta Alliance |
| | 17:25 | New inspiration for adapting deltas to climate change
Presenting the winners of the DeltaCompetition 2010
Mr. Cees Veerman, Chairman Netherlands Delta Commission 2008 |
| | 17:30 | A shared mission: cooperating for resilient deltas worldwide
Interview session with high-level representatives, hosted by Ms. Tracy Metz- Ms. Tineke Huizinga (Dutch Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment)
- Mr. Fauzi Bowo (Governor Jakarta, Indonesia)
- Dr. Hussein El Atfy (First Undersecretary and Head Irrigation Department, Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, Egypt)
- Nguyen Thai Lai (Vice Minister, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Vietnam)
- Dr. Wenwei Ren (WWF China)
- Mr. Will Travis (Executive Director of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission)
- Mr. Kees Slingerland (Chairman, Delta Alliance)
| |
| | 18.00 | Signing the Delta Alliance Declaration
To be signed by representatives from Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, The Netherlands, USA, Vietnam |
| | 18:10 | Closing – Ms. Tracy Metz |
| | 18:15 | Reception in Exhibition Hall |
Thursday 30 September, 17:00- 18:15
Rotterdam Hall
Master of Ceremonies: Ms. Tracy Metz, journalist and former member of the Netherlands Delta CommissionDeltaCompetition2010 Awards
The worldwide DeltaCompetition challenged students to formulate creative solutions for adapting the delta cities of the world to climate change impacts. The competition, run by Delta Alliance, the City of Rotterdam and Royal Haskoning, received 24 unique submissions from eleven countries on five continents. Submissions covered and integrated many disciplines including engineering, policy, and landscape architecture. In this session the three winning student teams will present their submissions. Final prizes will be awarded and the top 10 submissions will be represented by posters.
Thursday 30 September, 15:15- 17:00
Beurs Lounge
Chair: Mr. Tom Smit, Director of Spatial Development, Royal Haskoning
Delta Alliance Electronic Board Room Session
The focal deltas of Delta Alliance will shortly present their major issues, which they think are relevant for international sharing of experiences and identification of possible joint collaboration (bi- or multilateral). In a state-of-the-art interactive ‘Electronic Board Room Session’ this will be discussed and all attendants are able to contribute their own ideas in a joint learning process. Most promising joint project opportunities in the field of delta research and development will be identified and prioritized. Also the ongoing comparative delta study within Delta Alliance will be subject of discussion. The results of this session will be used in the plenary session of the Delta Alliance launch on Thursday afternoon.
Wednesday 29 September, 14:00 – 17:00
Blue Room
Chair: Mr. Rob Schoonman, Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, the Netherlands
Showcasing Inter-Delta Cooperation
Deltas around the world are faced with many of the same challenges – how can deltas most effectively learn from and assist each other in responding to these challenges? Delta Alliance is hosting this session to showcase two examples of cooperation between deltas: The Dutch Dialogues in New Orleans and the Delta Research And Global Observation Network (DRAGON). Working from these examples an interactive session will focus on key factors critical for successful cooperation between deltas, and how to strengthen and build upon existing cooperation mechanisms.
Thursday 30 September, 13:00 – 14:45
Van Walsum Room
Chair: Ms. Lies Janssen, Senior Project Officer of the Netherlands Water Partnership
For more information visit the conference website. Receive updates of the latest information on the conference by signing up to our mailing list.
