Luzette Kroon new chairwoman of the NWB Fund

The NWB Fund has a new chairwoman: Luzette Kroon, water board director of Wetterskip Fryslân. Since this year, she has been the portfolio holder for international affairs at the Union of Water Boards. In that role, she was nominated for the position at the fund; the board unanimously appointed her on April 26. Her predecessor, Hein Pieper, director of the Rijn and IJssel Water Board, has been honorably discharged.

Luzette is also the chairwoman of the Blue Deal, the collaboration between the water boards and the ministries of Infrastructure and Water Management (I&M) and Foreign Affairs (BZ) for water management abroad. She will be the central figure in the international field of water boards. "It is time for water boards to consider international cooperation as a given. We have a lot of expertise and the moral obligation to share it with countries that need it. But water boards can also gain knowledge from abroad. For example, regarding climate adaptation, we can learn from countries that have been dealing with drought for much longer than we have," said the new figurehead.

The NWB Fund set a new strategic course last year, focusing on climate adaptation in a nature- and human-inclusive manner. Projects will be financed, and water board professionals will be trained through the Knowledge and Introduction Program for International Water Boards (KIWI). A new group will begin in September; recruitment and selection of participants will start soon.

Want to learn more? Read the course document on our website or contact the program manager.