Riva Netherlands - our story

Who we are  

Riva Netherlands is a member of the Riva Network  – an international network of local systems leaders driving change that transforms lives through resilient national systems and public services. We are trusted advisors to nation builders globally – the political leaders, decision makers, wealth generators and citizens who are remaking the systems that shape people's lives.   

Where we came from   

We began in 1968 under an agreement between the World Health Organization and the Government of the Netherlands. A global resource centre for water supply, sanitation and hygiene, evolving into a global knowledge hub: building our international expertise and working alongside government and partners.  As IRC, we became an independent foundation under Dutch law in 1981, continuing our role as a hub of global research, knowledge development and information dissemination in community water supply, and expanding also into sanitation and hygiene.   

From 2006, we started building more focused and longer-term relationships and presence in Ghana, Uganda, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia while maintaining our role as a Netherlands-based global knowledge institute. During this time we grew our influence and thought leadership in regional and global debates and discussion. 

Riva the Netherlands is the legal continuation of that institution, the Stichting IRC International Water and Sanitation centre.  

The work that shapes us  

We have maintained and developed a strong and valued partnership with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with other Dutch sector partners. We convene symposia, meetings and debates on expert topics in water, sanitation and hygiene, we act as a thought-leader on systems approaches, and we collaborate with a range of Dutch organisations in projects and programmes.   

What began decades ago as a small resource centre in the Netherlands, has evolved into the Riva network. Riva The Netherlands remains a member, continuing our Dutch roots and partnerships.  

We believe that water is the quiet force behind everything a nation hopes to become: a gateway to resilient public services, social justice and sustainable development. And while our background is in water, our work now flows through every essential system that shapes people's lives.