The Netherlands, Mexico and Malawi team up to tackle floods in Malawi
‘The Netherlands, Mexico and Malawi represent a changing world and a different way of achieving development goals. Traditional donors, new middle-income countries and developing nations work together as equals and learn from one another.’ Foreign trade and development minister Lilianne Ploumen made this comment today in Mexico City, where she signed a special cooperation agreement between the three countries.
They are working together on solutions for Malawi, which was hit by severe flooding earlier this year. The new cooperative agreement is a model for implementing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which will be finalised in New York later this month.
Every year, Malawi has to contend with flooding and serious drought. It is now teaming up with the Netherlands and Mexico to tackle the problems in its three worst-affected regions. ‘There are several basic solutions, like mapping annual weather patterns and setting up an early-warning system using mobile phones. But it is also important to provide public information about using water responsibly,’ Ms Ploumen said. ‘This collaborative approach allows us to tackle a persistent problem in Malawi. Government, the business world and knowledge institutions from the three countries can learn from each other’s experiences.’ An expert mission from the three countries visited the affected areas two weeks ago and drafted a working plan.
The cooperative agreement was signed during the six-monthly conference of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC), of which the Netherlands, Mexico and Malawi are the three co-chairs. The Partnership brings together 161 countries and 56 organisations engaged in pursuing the new UN sustainable development goals in innovative ways. ‘To eradicate extreme poverty, we need a new approach,’ the minister said. ‘The challenges are huge and the resources are limited. We need more partnerships between rich and poor countries, and between businesses, NGOs and philanthropic organisations. In Malawi we have discovered a format for successful partnerships.’
The Netherlands believes that trilateral partnerships can create solutions for a changing development world. For instance, the Netherlands is working with China and Indonesia on sustainable palm oil. Meanwhile, in response to the Ebola crisis, it has forged a cooperative partnership with Rwanda and Ghana with the aim of strengthening health care in Guinea and Sierra Leone.
The Sustainable Development Goals will be adopted by the UN General Assembly in New York later this month. In order to achieve them, the Netherlands is advocating an approach that combines aid, trade and investment. This means a greater role for the business community and also enables developing countries to make a bigger contribution of their own, for instance by improving their taxation system.