Riva The Netherlands: old wine in new bottles, and new vintages

So, you may ask: is this new name, new website and new brand simply a case of old wine in new bottles? Or perhaps you are wondering whether you can still get the same products and services that you have come to rely on over the years.

The short answer is one of continuity and expansion. We will continue doing the work we have always done, while broadening our reach and ambitions; through the same legal entity, alongside new ones; and across the thematic areas you know us for, while expanding into new fields.

First, the legal entity you have been working with remains unchanged. We are still the same Netherlands-based foundation that has existed for all these years. But there is more. What were once branch offices of the Dutch foundation are becoming autonomous legal entities within a wider network. While the Dutch entity remains the same, there are now new organisations with which you can collaborate. In this way, we retain our heritage and track record while creating new ones.

Similarly, the services we provide, including those accessible through this website, remain largely unchanged. You can still access our training courses through the Systems Academy. You can still find our thought leadership on water and sanitation systems, shared through a wide range of publications and resources. And we will continue to convene debates, high-level events and symposia, including the Africa Water and Sanitation Systems Leadership Symposium, which is taking place as this article is published.

At the same time, we are expanding our offer. We are placing greater emphasis on leadership development and advisory services, helping organisations and individuals navigate complex systems challenges.

Throughout this evolution, we keep our eyes firmly on the goal: ensuring that everyone can enjoy their human right to water and sanitation. At the same time, we recognise that this goal cannot be achieved through the water sector alone. We are therefore broadening our focus to include the wider public service systems within which water and sanitation are embedded.

In doing so, we build on a long history of working at the intersection of water and other sectors. Examples include our work on multiple-use services, water and climate, and WASH in healthcare facilities. This evolution is therefore a natural extension of the way we have always worked.

A final example of continuity combined with expansion is geographic. As IRC, we have traditionally focused on water and sanitation challenges in low-income settings, particularly in the Global South. But the systems that provide safe and reliable water services in the Global North are increasingly under pressure as well. Riva The Netherlands will therefore also address systemic water challenges in Europe.

To stay with the metaphor, this website offers a new bottle containing the best selection of our oldest wines: the mature vintages that our stakeholders continue to value. But you will also discover newer vintages, bringing fresh perspectives and ideas to the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Whether you come to us for trusted knowledge or new insights, we hope these vintages will help quench your thirst for the knowledge, ideas and expertise needed to address the water and sanitation challenges of the future.

Riva The Netherlands is here to advise and support you on that journey.

Stef Smits
CEO, Riva The Netherlands