Deltares, RMI sign strategic partnership

Government of The Republic the Marshall Islands and Deltares have signed a strategic partnership – promoting present and future climate resilience.

As the impacts of climate change, sea level rise and natural hazards continue to escalate, so too will the demand for new knowledge and innovative and transformative adaptation strategies.

The strategic partnership, signed yesterday, aims to develop and share knowledge required to tackle these current and future challenges and puts the country at the forefront in the battle against climate change.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) consists of 29 low-lying coral atolls comprising of 1,156 individual islands in the northern Pacific Ocean.

With a land elevation averaging only 2 meters above mean sea level, the country is one of the world’s smallest, most isolated and most vulnerable nations.

RMI is affected by several natural hazards, including drought, coastal erosion, and flooding due to typhoons, swell waves, and extreme rainfall, all aggravated by sea level rise and climate change.

Deltares is an independent research institute that focuses on applied research and specialized consultancy in water, soil and subsurface-related issues. With its headquarters in the Netherlands, Deltares works globally to develop and apply knowledge and tools to tackle challenges affecting coastal areas, deltas and river basins.

Small Island Developing States (SIDS), in particular, are a priority area in the Deltares research agenda.

RMI and Deltares have been working together since 2016 to assess the impact of sea level rise and develop innovative adaptation measures for RMI, among other topics.