BHOS-beleidsnota
Reactie
| Naam | FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics (Vice President External Affairs W.R. Brock) |
|---|---|
| Plaats | Geneve, Zwitserland |
| Datum | 14 april 2022 |
Vraag1
(see english below)Nexus (samenhang) Ontwikkelingssamenwerking & Buitenlandse Handel
Het Nederlandse bedrijfsleven kan door middel van handel, investeringen en marktkracht een belangrijke rol spelen bij een aantal van de grote wereldwijde uitdagingen van deze tijd. Om de Nederlandse inzet richting het bedrijfsleven een focus mee te geven wordt gekozen voor een focus op de “twin-transities”; de digitale transitie (via onder meer artificiële intelligentie) en de verduurzamingtransitie. Deze twin-transities op digitale innovatie en verduurzaming zullen de komende jaren een grote rol spelen om de Parijs en Glasgow-doelen voor klimaat te halen. Die doelen moeten we in Nederland halen, maar ook wereldwijd. Hoewel er een grote behoefte is aan Nederlandse expertise en investeringen, zien we dat meer nodig kan zijn om het Nederlandse bedrijven te betrekken bij deze transities in (lage en) midden-inkomenslanden.
1. Hoe kan het Nederlandse bedrijfsleven meer betrokken worden bij de twin-transitie in (lage en) midden-inkomenslanden?
(EN)
Nexus between development cooperation and foreign trade
Through their trade, investment and market position, Dutch businesses can play a key role in tackling some of the major challenges facing the world today. The focus of Dutch policy vis-a-vis the private sector will be on the 'twin transitions' of digitalisation (including artificial intelligence) and sustainability – both of which will be key to achieving the Paris and Glasgow climate goals in the years ahead. We must achieve these goals not only in the Netherlands, but across the world as a whole. While Dutch expertise and investment funding are in great demand, we also see that more may be needed when it comes to getting Dutch companies involved in these transitions in low- and middle-income countries.
1. How can we increase the involvement of Dutch companies in the twin transitions in low- and middle-income countries?
Dutch companies can increase involvement through investment in institutional capacity building in LMIC markets where Health is likely going to be a key growth market. This includes, in the digital component of the twin transition approach, where Dutch companies can partner with key stakeholders to raise awareness on the critical role of digital health in solving critical world health challenges. This awareness is key to growing markets.
Digital technologies have a vital role to play in diagnosis, surveillance and health security and across the healthcare cascade, from supporting screening and ensuring accurate diagnosis to providing treatment monitoring information. By bridging the gaps that prevent many people from receiving timely and accurate diagnosis, digital technologies have the potential to promote more effective diagnostic delivery.
FIND the global alliance for diagnostics is catalyzing collective actions to support the development and scaling of fit-for-purpose digital solutions that can be integrated into existing workflows in LMIC, address users’ pain points, and are suitable for healthcare workers’ digital literacy levels and local digital infrastructure.
Vraag2
Nederland kent een lange traditie van publieke private samenwerking. Nu de mondiale uitdagingen steeds groter worden, is het van belang deze publiek-private samenwerkingen te verdiepen en te versnellen. De duurzame ontwikkelingsdoelen zijn in 2015 vastgesteld als actieplan voor overheden, bedrijven, kennisinstellingen en burgers om duurzame ontwikkeling te verwezenlijken wereldwijd.2. Hoe kunnen overheid, bedrijfsleven en kennisinstellingen beter samenwerken om de duurzame ontwikkelingsdoelen te halen?
(EN)
The Netherlands has a long tradition of public-private partnership. As the global challenges grow ever bigger, it is important to deepen and accelerate these partnerships. The Sustainable Development Goals were presented in 2015 as a plan of action for governments, companies, knowledge institutions and private individuals to achieve sustainable development worldwide.
2. How can government, the private sector and knowledge institutions work together better to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals?
The COVID-19 pandemic has added further layers of complexity to the many challenges—economic, social, political, and environmental to achieving the SDGs and especially the health SDGs – both primary health care focused infectious disease control and elimination and health security. It exposed more inequalities and poverty across the world. But has also made the critical role of collective, collaborative and joint efforts by all in tackling these common challenges more obvious. New innovative public-private partnership models are critical to addressing new emerging world challenges and catalyse speedy achievement of the SDGs. Private sector primary health care delivery is probably the largest potential growth market globally and certainly in LMICs.
The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, is a ground-breaking collaboration to reduce death and severe disease through the accelerated development, equitable allocation, and scaled up delivery of COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines through strong health systems and restoring societies and economies. Since its set up in April 2020, this partnership involving governments and the private sector have worked tirelessly to end the pandemic and both develop the new health care products like tests and vaccines needed but also ensuring a global, fair and equitable, market at a size and scale never seen before.
Funding and creating flexible collaborative public-private engagement are key, where the Netherlands should invest in both financially supporting development through health care focused grants in order to ensure a seat at the table for private sector engagement in the massively growing health care markets. Co-leading the Diagnostics Pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator uses for instance FIND’s tried and tested global alliance model and 20-year experience as a product development partnership (PDP) to maximize impact on the SDGs, aligning innovation to implementation. Replicating and or adopting this model will enable government, private sector and knowledge institutions work better together towards achieving the SDGs in a way that have most impact, are cost effective and evidence-based.
Vraag3
Nederland heeft sinds 2016 een actieplan beleidscoherentie voor ontwikkeling. Beleidscoherentie voor ontwikkeling heeft als doel om in niet-hulp (OS) beleid schade voor ontwikkelingslanden te verminderen en synergiën en samenwerking te versterken. Het Nederlandse actieplan is in 2018 herzien en geeft een overzicht van vijf Nederlandse beleidsthema’s die een invloed hebben op de ontwikkelingskansen in ontwikkelingslanden. Deze thema’s zijn: (1) het tegengaan van belastingontwijking/ontduiking, (2) ontwikkelingsvriendelijke handelsakkoorden, (3) een ontwikkelingsvriendelijk investeringsregime, (4) verduurzaming van productie en handel en (5) het tegengaan van klimaatverandering.3. Hoe kan de bovengenoemde Nederlandse inzet op beleidscoherentie voor ontwikkeling verder versterkt of verbeterd worden?
(EN)
The Netherlands has had an action plan on policy coherence for development since 2016. The aim of policy coherence is to reduce the negative effects on developing countries caused by policies in areas other than development, and to strengthen synergies and cooperation. The action plan, which was revised in 2018, identifies five Dutch policy themes that can enhance developing countries’ opportunities for development: (1) combating tax avoidance/evasion, (2) development-friendly trade agreements, (3) a development-friendly investment regime, (4) more sustainable production and trade, and (5) combating climate change.
3. How can the Netherlands’ efforts to achieve policy coherence for development be further strengthened or enhanced?
We applaud the five Dutch policy themes of (1) combating tax avoidance/evasion, (2) development-friendly trade agreements, (3) a development-friendly investment regime, (4) more sustainable production and trade, and (5) combating climate change; and believe these are still relevant in enhancing developing countries’ opportunities for development. We recommend that in investing and deploying these policy themes, that it be done through an innovation and equity lens – meaning invest in new products needed AND ensuring receiving Dutch tax payers money requires companies to make public health products (health care, food) affordable and available globally – either directly or through mechanisms like tech transfer or IP sharing. We also recommend that the Dutch government focus on health system strengthening in its development plans to ensure health security is achieved as avoiding this investment has leads to catastrophic economic costs as COVID-19 has shown.
Vraag4
Buitenlandse HandelInternationale handel en investeringen zijn van groot belang voor de Nederlandse welvaart en werkgelegenheid. De Nederlandse welvaart wordt voor een derde verdiend door internationale handel en een derde van onze banen zijn verbonden aan internationale handel. Onze internationale concurrentiepositie is onderhevig aan de “twin-transities” (digitalisering/innovatie en klimaat/duurzaamheid) en verschuivende geopolitieke verhoudingen. Het is voor Nederland van groot belang om het verdienvermogen te versterken nu en in de toekomst.
Strategisch en duurzaam handelsbeleid
In anticipatie op de geopolitieke en transitie-ontwikkelingen sturen ook buitenlandse staten sterker op hun nationale en internationale beleid. Zo passen staten in toenemende mate assertievere economische diplomatie toe en zetten zij economische machtsinstrumenten in om hun internationale doelen na te jagen. Nederland kan hierin niet achter blijven. De verwevenheid van ons land met de rest van de wereld is groter en kwetsbaarder dan ooit. Als onderdeel van een samenhangend buitenland beleid, zal Nederland zich toeleggen op een strategisch en duurzaam handelsbeleid.
4. Hoe kan de overheid het duurzame verdienvermogen van Nederlandse bedrijven in het buitenland versterken?
Foreign trade
International trade and investment are crucial to prosperity and jobs in the Netherlands. International trade accounts for a third of our national income and is linked to a third of our jobs. But our international competitiveness faces risks posed by the twin transitions (digitalisation/innovation and climate/sustainability) and the shifting geopolitical balance of power. It is therefore vital for the Netherlands to strengthen its earning capacity, both now and in the future.
Strategic and sustainable trade policy
Other states are also anticipating the above-mentioned transitions and geopolitical shifts, and are adjusting their national and international policies accordingly, for instance by pursuing their international objectives through more aggressive economic diplomacy and the use of economic instruments of power. The Netherlands cannot afford to fall behind. Our country’s interconnections with the rest of the world are both greater and more fragile than ever. The Netherlands will therefore focus on strategic and sustainable trade policy as part of its coherent foreign policy.
4. How can the government strengthen Dutch companies’ sustainable earning capacity abroad?
Health care is probably one of the largest global growth markets and investments in public-private partnerships like PDPs with knowledge of health needs in LMICs, technical capabilities to support innovation, knowledge and influence in global and national regulatory systems and access to markets and procurement mechanisms is a high value add. This does require grants to reduce the risk involved in bringing appropriate new technologies to these complex markets
Vraag5
Thema’s en sectoren van de toekomstNu de wereld in transitie is om een goede toekomst voor ons en de generaties na ons te bewerkstelligen verandert de focus van bedrijven, overheid en kennisinstellingen.
5. Op welke thema’s of sectoren ziet u kansen om internationaal te ondernemen?
(EN)
Themes and sectors of the future
The focus of companies, governments and knowledge institutions is changing in light of the global transition to ensure a bright future for current and future generations.
5. In which themes or sectors do you see opportunities for international enterprise?
Health, both development of new products like tests, medicines and vaccines, but also other products like PPE. Besides this, private sector primary health care will be one of the largest growing sector to reach billions of people without access to quality health care. Investing in this both have massive opportunity AND will create health and economic security for an open economy like the Netherlands.
Vraag6
Samenwerking publiek-privaat en rol Midden en Klein Bedrijf (MKB)Een succesvolle aanpak op het gebied van internationale handel vraagt samenwerking tussen burgers, bedrijven, maatschappelijke organisaties en de overheid. Het is nuttig om aan te sluiten op de behoeftes van de markt. Waar zijn bedrijven (specifiek het MKB) mee geholpen om de exportkracht en innovatiekracht te vergroten?
6. Hoe kan de overheid het bedrijfsleven (specifiek het MKB) dat internationaal onderneemt (of dat zou willen) beter ondersteunen om zaken te doen in het buitenland?
a. Welke ondersteuning hebben bedrijven nodig om internationaal succesvol te zijn op terreinen van digitale innovatie (innovatiesamenwerking) en verduurzaming?
b. Voor handel met welke landen (of regio’s of markten) zou ondersteuning moeten zijn?
c. Wat zou de overheid op het gebied van handelsbevordering niet meer moeten doen?
(EN)
Public-private cooperation and role of SMEs
A successful approach to international trade requires cooperation between the public, companies, civil society and government. It is also useful to align with market demand. What would help companies, and SMEs in particular, to increase their export performance and innovative capacity?
6. How can the government better support companies (and SMEs specifically), that are doing or wish to do business abroad?
a. What type of support do companies need in order to achieve international success in the areas of digital innovation (innovation partnerships) and sustainability?
b. For what countries, regions or markets should the government provide private sector support?
c. What type of trade promotion activities should the government stop doing?
1. Provide access to information about market size that are often staggeringly larger than understood, especially in health care
2. Fund public-private partnerships that can help companies adapt products to local environments and needs and designs that allow sustainable margins whilst reducing costs the markets can bare
3. Create investment tools to overcome trade financing and product scale up barriers with first loss and early proof of concept grants linked to low cost investment capital to help reach scale in new and complex markets
Vraag7
OntwikkelingssamenwerkingDevelopment cooperation
Nederlandse inzet op Ontwikkelingssamenwerking
Nederland is op verschillende thema’s actief op gebied van ontwikkelingssamenwerking. Zo investeren we in het realiseren van de Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) en zetten we extra in op opvang in de regio, toegang tot vaccins, klimaatadaptatie en -mitigatie. Nederland gaat door met wat goed gaat en focust op waar Nederland goed in is, zoals verbinding tussen diplomatie en ontwikkelingssamenwerking. Meer informatie over het ontwikkelingssamenwerkingsbeleid van Nederland is te vinden op www.nlontwikkelingssamenwerking.nl.
7. Waar is Nederland op het gebied van ontwikkelingssamenwerking volgens u goed in? Op welke thema’s zou Nederland een aanjagende rol kunnen vervullen?
(EN)
Dutch development cooperation activities
The Netherlands is actively pursuing a number of policy themes in the area of development cooperation. For example, we're investing in efforts to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reception in the region, access to vaccines, and climate adaptation and mitigation. The Netherlands will continue its efforts in areas where progress is being made and will focus on its strengths, such as linking diplomacy and development. For more information about Dutch development policy, go to www.nlontwikkelingssamenwerking.nl.
7. In your opinion, what are the Netherlands’ strengths when it comes to development cooperation? In which policy themes could the Netherlands play a leading role?
The Netherlands have made good progress and impact in the following areas;
• Social infrastructure and services - Aid for trade
• Gender equality and women’s empowerment including women’s health
• Global health, with the upcoming AIV advice as important starting point to grow this across aid, trade and security plans
The Netherland can play a leading role in the global health innovation space and resulting markets. Recognising the current efforts and investment in this area, we believe that the Netherland can do more in particular to accelerate the achievement of universal health coverage and in the context of the pandemic, global heath security and pandemic preparedness in LMIC.
Health is fundamental to personal wellbeing, economic development, and global security, and controlling or eliminating deadly diseases is a critical step towards building a safer and more prosperous world. The Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated this clearly
Whilst Covid has dominated the discourse of the last 24 months, threats remain from other diseases which have slipped down the agenda but remain a human and economic burden for countries the Netherlands wishes to work with and in many respects are unfinished business. These diseases include HIV, TB, Malaria, and also the growing risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Only by ensuring equal and universal access to health tools such as testing, drugs and vaccines can we make the world safer for everyone.
Vraag8
Innoveren op OSNederlandse internationale samenwerking is flexibel en kennisintensief, we zijn vernieuwend. Zo ontwikkelt Nederland nieuwe manieren van werken en partnerschappen die daarna door bijv. de Europese Commissie en Wereldbank worden opgepakt of opgeschaald. De Nederlandse internationale samenwerking fungeert dus veelal als een creatieve en kennisintensieve incubator (een broedplaats voor nieuwe ideeën. Nederland is een relatief kleine donor, maar als lidstaat van de EU en via bilaterale hulp kan Nederland de zichtbaarheid van EU-hulp vergroten en additionele relevante kapitaalstromen generen.
8. Op welke manier en op welk vlak kan de Nederlandse ontwikkelingssamenwerking nog meer innoveren?
(EN)
Innovative development cooperation
Dutch international cooperation is flexible and knowledge-intensive. We are also innovative, developing new ways of working and new types of partnership that are subsequently adopted or scaled up by others, like the European Commission and the World Bank. In this respect, Dutch international cooperation is like a creative and knowledge-intensive incubator. We are a relatively small donor, but as an EU member state and through bilateral aid we can make EU aid more visible and generate additional, relevant capital flows.
8. In what other ways and areas could Dutch development cooperation innovate more?
We applaud the Dutch’s flexible multiyear funding approach and recommend this continues. In light of the pandemic and the critical lessons leant globally, new innovative financing mechanisms are required and essential. For example, going forward, Dutch development cooperation investment is critical to continue to build resilience globally to address the ongoing and any future pandemics. Investment in equitable access to diagnostics and strengthening health and laboratory systems in LMICs is needed.
Vraag9
Een donor met durfDe Nederlandse internationale inzet is gedurfd, omdat we financiële investeringen koppelen aan onze diplomatieke inzet en expertise. We continueren thema’s waar we traditionele meerwaarde hebben: seksuele en reproductieve rechten en gezondheid (SRGR), water, voedselzekerheid en veiligheid & rechtsorde. Daarbij kunnen we nog meer gebruik maken van het diplomatieke gewicht van o.a. de EU. We investeren in systeemverandering om te zorgen dat we de SDG’s in 2030 realiseren. Met systeemverandering bedoelen we dat we de systemen die armoede en ongelijkheid in stand houden aanpakken.
9. Op welke manier/welk vlak kan Nederland als donor nog meer durf te tonen?
(EN)
A bold donor
Dutch international efforts can be characterised as bold, because we link financial investment to diplomatic efforts and expertise. We will continue our work on themes where we have always added value: sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), water, food security, and security and the rule of law. We will also make better use of the diplomatic weight of the EU. To ensure we achieve the SDGs by 2030, we will invest in systemic change, i.e. tackling the structures that maintain poverty and inequality.
9. In what ways or areas could the Netherlands, as a donor, be even bolder?
The Dutch government should stop being apologetic and defensive about development cooperation and grow its budget back to the committed 0.7% of GDP, understanding the enormous pay-off from this small budget for a small country with an extremely open economy that is so dependent on international relations. The significant technological advances that have been made over the past decade and especially during COVID-19 are a massive opportunity with catalytic investments as laid out in the G7 declaration from 2021 and its 100-day challenge. The Netherlands can demonstrate boldness and have far-reaching impact with its investments by putting a well-coordinated system of grants and financing to international public-private partnerships that transform good ideas and innovation to public health focused markets at scale.