Maatschappij tot Redding van Drenkelingen
The World Congress on Drowning is an initiative of the Dutch Society to Rescue People from
Drowning (Maatschappij tot Redding van Drenkelingen) which was founded in Amsterdam in 1767
and is still active in the Netherlands.
In the eighteenth century, the Age of Reason, with a growing social understanding of responsibility
for the well-being of fellow citizens, a number of foundations and societies were established to serve
the "Common Good".
One of the first of such societies in the Netherlands was the Maatschappij tot Redding van
Drenkelingen (Society to Rescue People from Drowning), which was established in Amsterdam in
1767. At that time a society with such a goal fulfilled an important need in a city like Amsterdam,
with its numerous open canals. This still existing and flourishing society is currently the oldest
society in this field in the world.
During its existence for more than 235 years the Society has continuously promoted the use of the
most effective means of rescue and resuscitation. The contributions by the Society have always
included: awarding medals to proven heroic rescuers, promoting health education by means of
training, publications and films, awarding gifts to organisations in the field of first aid and rescue
from the water, and financial support of scientific or medical research projects.
The original idea of holding a Congress on Drowning was conceived in 1995 by the Society's Board
of Governors. By holding such a congress at the beginning of the new millennium the Society, as
the oldest of its kind in the world, intended to guide the way to tackling the issue of drowning in
the twenty-first century.
In 2000, due to the increasing support and respective size of the Congress, the Society established
the 'Drowning Foundation' to facilitate the practical and financial aspects during the preparatory
stages leading up to the Congress.