Monitoring and evaluation of the Delta Plan for Spatial Adaptation
In 2014, all the Dutch governments collectively set down the goal of rendering the Netherlands as climate proof and water resilient as possible by 2050. This goal was set down in the Delta Plan for Spatial Adaptation. It has been elaborated into seven ambitions comprising concrete agreements for the short and medium terms. The national government monitors and evaluates the agreements with the local and regional governments annually via 45 working regions. The results are published – in the form of a progress report – in the Delta Programme, which the Delta Programme Commissioner presents to the House of Representatives every year at the State Opening of Parliament.
What is the purpose of the progress report?
The progress report is intended to gain the best possible picture of the progress being achieved in the 45 working regions. It also identifies and agendises points for attention and bottlenecks. In addition, the discussions and reports open up opportunities for the exchange of knowledge within and among working regions, as well as points of departure for enhancing the Delta Programme for Spatial Adaptation network.
How is the progress report developed?
The set-up of the progress report has gradually changed. Initially, the working regions’ input was amassed through a detailed survey. Over recent years, supplementary to the survey, the Climate-proof Together platform conducted progress meetings with a representative section of the working regions. This combination produces relevant insights, but for some of the working regions, the detailed survey takes too much time. For the report on 2022, therefore, the working regions were asked to reflect on their responses to the survey conducted in the year before and to answer four supplementary questions.
What does the most recent progress report say?
The progress report on 2022 (in Dutch) was presented to the House of Representatives in September 2023. According to this report, the governments are happy with the working region format for collaboration and satisfied with the results that have collectively been achieved in a short period of time. Points for attention are: staff shortages, knowledge preservation, and concerns regarding the lack of structural funding. Of note is the wide difference in the rate at which the working regions are progressing. Furthermore, the working regions report that they lack concrete goals to check whether they are on the right track.
What did the progress reports on previous years say?
The progress report on 2021 (in Dutch) identified staff shortage as a major problem. The funding of heat and greening measures constituted a significant bottleneck. A related issue is that the statutory requirements in place with respect to climate adaptation are less stringent than those pertaining to other themes, such as the energy transition. Furthermore, the report identified a growing need for developing knowledge on climate inequality.
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