On 10-13 June 2025, partners of the Pove Water Project CoVE came together in Leeuwarden (Netherlands) for the fourth in-person meeting hosted by the Firda and CIV Water.
We need to bring water action to the regional level of climate change. It is a priority for the European Union. A Water Resilience strategy will bring together inclusive dialogue stakeholders and interested parties to take stock of progress made in enhancing water resilience across all levels of government/regional, business and civil society, and monitoring implementation of this strategy. Our society faces the challenging task of decisively addressing this water crisis. Water sources such as desalination and extracting water from the air can contribute to the solution. Even a water-rich country like the Netherlands, known for its innovative solution to global water problems, has faced water scarcity recently.
For these 3 days event and workshops marked a key milestone in the project’s journeys, partners reviewed progress and moved to the next step: VP learning, Ownership, A source of input for policy reform, International mobilities and Water Learning Teaching Training Material.
The meeting agenda opened with a warm welcome from Pieter Hoekstra, followed by updates on project management and progress toward the 3rd Periodic Report. The afternoon focused on reflecting on the impact of PoVE Water so far and strengthening the Pove Water community across the network.
We noticed from workshops and presentations that water drives economic engines, think manufacturing, farming and urban growth, but it lacks the financial systems to reflect its true value. The water industry’s infrastructure is crumbling. Water isn’t just life’s essence – it’s cornerstone for smart investing.
“We hope that we can continue to do work on it, because we really understand what our challenges are and how to deal with them, with companies, with teachers and with students. Of course, I hope that everyone does their best to make sure that we have, after our project meeting in Leeuwarden, the opportunity to continue in what way, what sort”, undelined project coordinator Pieter Hoekstra.
Check PoVE Water website
