Dutch Min. to visit tsunami region, Japan disaster conference

Minister Lilianne Ploumen (Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation) will be leading a Dutch delegation at a disaster management conference in Sendai, Japan next week. She, along with Princess Margriet, will also visit the tsunami disaster area near Sendai. The conference will take place from March 15th to March 17th and is the first of four major UN conferences this year in which agreements on disaster prevention for the next 15 years will be discussed. Member states will discuss how the impact of disasters can be reduced. The Dutch delegation also includes, among others, representatives from the Royal HaskoningDHV, knowledge center Deltares, the Red Cross, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment and the Ministry of Security and Justice.   "Water plays a major role in 70 percent of global disasters." Ploumen said. "Floods and droughts are the cause of thousands of victims worldwide. With all our knowledge and experience in water management the Netherlands can play an important role in the prevention of disasters." On March 16th, Ploumen and Princess Margriet will also visit the tsunami disaster zone in Sendai. The minister and Princess will examine the damage caused by the tsunami and determine how another disaster can be prevented through the build-back-better principle.