Koos Wieriks appointed as member of UNSGAB water advisory board
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Koos Wieriks (right on photo) as a new member of the UN Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB).
The appointment was announced on 8 October 2013 at a meeting of the board during the Budapest Water Summit.
Ban Ki-moon attended this board meeting that was led by UNSGAB's chair HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan.
Personal advisor of previous UNSGAB-chair
Koos Wieriks is representative of the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment at the Dutch Embassy in Berlin. Prior to this he was the personal advisor of HRH Prince of Orange, who at that time was the chairman of UNSGAB.
Other previous appointments of Koos Wieriks include secretary of the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (Koblenz 1995-2000), Water Advisor to the Minister of Public Works in Indonesia (Jakarta , 2000-2005) and Secretary of the Water Advisory Committee (The Hague 2005-2010).
Field experiences with major floods
All Members of the UNSGAB participate in the board on a personal basis, all with different backgrounds in water issues and international experiences. Koos Wieriks has his background in the formulation and implementation of the Dutch national water policy and his field experiences with major floods as in Japan, Indonesia and Germany.
About UNSGAB
UNSGAB is an independent body established in March 2004 by the United Nations Secretary-General, to give him advice as well as to galvanize action on water and sanitation issues. The Board is composed of a wide range of dignitaries, technical experts, and individuals with proven experience in providing inspiration to achieve the current Millennium Development Goal on water and sanitation in 2015 and prepare for a new global water agenda for after 2015.
Top photo was taken during the Budapest Water Summit in October 2013 with Koos Wieriks (right) talking with Indonesian minister Djoko Kirmanto of Public Works (left) and UNSGAB-chair HRH El Hassan bin Talal (middle).
More information UN Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB) New York, USA www.unsgab.org