BHOS-beleidsnota
Reactie
| Naam | Anoniem |
|---|---|
| Plaats | New Delhi |
| 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?
For any investment in sustainable development it is key to involve the communities it may impact or it is intending to benefit. These communities understand their own context best and how such investments or initiatives will impact their land, resources and livelihoods. Local communities’ needs should be forefronted in decision making on sustainable economic transitions and investment projects to prevent these initiatives from becoming extractive by nature.
Extractive projects extract natural goods and resources (e.g. water, forests, human resources), harming the livelihoods of local communities. Women human rights defenders in different regions face much violence when speaking out against and organising to resist harmful extractive projects.
We therefore call on the Dutch government to ensure that all its trade and development efforts build on the expressed local needs and already existing local initiatives. The Dutch government needs to ensure that no harm is done to local communities and women human rights defenders in the context of Dutch investments and trade. In contexts where civic space is shrinking, digitalisation comes with its own digital security risks for civil society and puts already structurally excluded communities at greater risk.
We recommend that the Dutch government in its policies, investments and engagement in bilateral and multilateral spaces propagates:
1. Transparency and accountability;
2. Community engagement, support and safety, particularly of women, community-led organisations and women human rights defenders. Particular attention should go to structurally silenced women (in all their diversity) who are excluded due to their identity, background or work;
3. Responsibility and due diligence: fulfilling and monitoring international human rights and environmental protection obligations.
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 SDGs are an important overarching framework recognising the multi-faceted character and challenges of sustainable development. Achieving these goals is, however, voluntary and allows for cherry picking by each country. This may result in policies effectively contributing to for example climate, water or energy goals, while at the same time (unintentionally) exacerbating gender inequalities. Achieving gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls (SDG 5) is an intrinsic part of the entire SDG agenda. Policy coherence is thus crucial.
The Netherlands has played an important role these past years in promoting gender equality, the Beijing agenda and SDG5, for example in the leadership of Action Coalition 6 in the Generation Equality process. This included, among others, mobilizing diverse stakeholders (governments, private funders, companies, civil society including) to commit to the co-creation of the Global Alliance for Sustainable Feminist Movements to strengthen effective resourcing of women’s and feminist movements worldwide. An important initiative that requires continued commitment and follow-through, including from the Dutch government.
Civil society, including feminist and women’s rights organisations, play a crucial role in the achievement of the SDGs. Civil society was also a central partner in the creation of the SDGs. Women’s rights organisations bring the knowledge, issues and experiences of structurally excluded women to the global level such as the High Level Political Forum, connecting between local, national, regional and global networks. They are key to informing and ensuring effective and meaningful implementation that makes a difference for women in all their diversity and that leaves no one behind. We strongly recommend to actively engage and cooperate with civil society, with particular attention to inclusion of structurally silenced women and girls in all their diversity, in monitoring and evaluating the actual impacts of Dutch policies in the achievement of the SDGs, and to discuss ways to improve them.
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?
The Dutch government’s objective to achieve gender equality should focus on all dimensions that contribute to transforming the systemic roots of injustice and inequalities. In other words, for effective policy coherence for development it is essential to take the impacts of all policies on the position and human rights of women and girls, trans, intersex, gender non-conforming and non-binary persons into account. Policies affect people differently and have a gendered impact.
When working towards gender equality and women’s rights, the government should furthermore apply an intersectional approach that applies across all areas including aid, trade, defence, diplomacy and immigration policy. OVOF recommends that the government minimises contradicting objectives in its policies and accounts for the impacts on women and structurally silenced women and groups.
Involving local women-led organisations and communities in sustainable economic development planning, climate responses and political decision making will lead to better outcomes for all. This will ensure that policies are not just gender-sensitive or -responsive, but become gender-transformative by contributing to systemic change that benefits all.
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?
Importantly, the government needs to always ensure that no harm is done to local communities and women human rights defenders in the context of Dutch investments and trade.
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?
The Dutch government should support and invest in the development and testing of alternative economic models that benefit entire communities - including those structurally excluded and silenced - and are more sustainable for communities, climate, environment, resources and future generations.
Internationally there is huge potential for the Netherlands if it supports more women entrepreneurs and focuses more on economic empowerment. To achieve this, funds aimed at private sector development abroad should clearly take into account SDG 5 - Gender Equality and the empowerment of women and girls worldwide. Within funds, criteria should be set whereby new projects must have a positive impact on women and also on the poorest. Projects should prevent or reduce negative impacts on the environment, human rights and gender. Gender and women's rights should be integral to applications to funds and an applicant company should always be tested on having knowledge of human rights and gender roles. Applicant companies should be required to conduct a gender risk and impact analysis. The government and implementing organizations should ensure that this happens and that these analyses are followed up.
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?
-
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 has been part of leading the way internationally for women’s rights and gender equality. The Dutch MoFA has been a global innovator and front-runner in gender equality, civil society participation and support to movement building and championing Southern leadership. The Dutch partnerships demonstrate how a government can work together with civil society and provide much added value to just funding. The partnerships are effective collaborative processes to reaching sustainable change.
MoFA has also played a key role in funding and in mobilising more resources for women’s and feminist movements worldwide through initiating groundbreaking funding mechanisms like the Leading from the South Fund. The Netherlands has also been one of the driving forces behind new multi-stakeholder initiatives like the Global Alliance for Sustainable Feminist Movements.
With Dutch support many diverse women human rights defenders have been able to create change and contribute to more just and peaceful societies, advocate for their rights and resist violence and discrimination. The leadership by the Netherlands on topics such as abortion, LGBTQI and sex workers’ rights is important and impactful. It has increased visibility and access to decision making spaces for structurally silenced women and girls and has been a significant force holding the line against the pushback.
Women's rights advocates across movements and regions need support more than ever as the backlash against women's rights is growing and civic spaces both online and offline are shrinking. Civil society organisations holding the line for women's rights need to be able to count on Dutch support to uphold and protect universal women’s human rights, as women’s movements remain under-resourced. Continued support for lobbying and advocacy, creating civic space and building feminist movements and their leadership is vital.
OVOF recommends that MoFA applies gender equality and women’s rights as a crosscutting dimension in all policy areas, including aid, foreign trade and investment, climate and sustainable economic development.
We call on your commitment to continue increasing investments in gender equality as a principle and funded goal, and to allocate more funding to feminist and women’s rights organizations and movements. Particular attention and funding should go to organizations in the Global South and led by women and girls.
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?
The Netherlands has been a global innovator and front-runner in gender equality, shifting power and championing Southern leadership. We encourage the Dutch MFA to be bolder and more innovative in its efforts to shift the power and to provide direct support to structurally silenced women and self-led organizations of women and girls in the Global South by providing organisational development funding to build resilient, capable organisations.
We call on the Dutch MoFA to increase actively engage Southern-based organisations and consortia throughout all the policy making processes and advisory structures (e.g. Adviesraad Internationale Vraagstukken). Feminists offer alternative solutions that are driven by local needs and create change that benefits all. We ask you to set a more ambitious target of 50% of funding directly reaching Southern-led organisations and consortia and actively engaging communities in funding and investment decisions that affect them. More and better resourcing will enable them to get to that equal footing.
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 Netherlands has been a global innovator and front-runner in gender equality, shifting power and championing Southern leadership. The Netherlands has also been a key propagator of the important role of civil society in protecting and strengthening human rights and democracy. We are however concerned about signs of wavering support of the government: gender equality and women’s rights did not receive any mention in the international chapter of the government agreement.
Bold leadership and unwavering support for gender equality and women’s rights are needed from the Netherlands given the multiple and complex challenges that women face globally. A bold commitment to Feminist Foreign Policy, with Germany as the latest country to date to join the growing list, would account for a strong start. This should then be followed by a strong process of meaningful engagement of civil society to ensure a comprehensive and effective operationalization.
Of all gender equality funding only 1% reaches local women-led organisations. Most gender-focused funding goes to Northern-based NGOs. OVOF calls on commitment from the Dutch government to increase investments in gender equality as a principle and funded goal. OVOF also calls on the MoFA to allocate more funding that is directly accessible to feminist and women’s rights organizations and movements in the Global South. OVOF reiterates the need to allocate funding to organisations and movements led by women and LGBTQ+ persons from marginalised class, caste, religion, and disability locations.
OVOF welcomes the Dutch government’s commitment to strengthen civil society and local ownership in the Global South and to Shifting Power dynamics in its current funding framework Strengthening Civil Society. More and better resources will lead to greater autonomy, self-determination, and economic independence of women and structurally excluded people. However, of the current 20 Power of Voices consortia only 2 are led by organisations in the Global South. We call on the Netherlands to be bolder and more transformational in its approach to shifting the power by actively engaging Southern-based organisations and consortia throughout the policy making processes and advisory structures. We ask you to set a more ambitious target of 50% of funding directly reaching Southern-led organisations and consortia and actively engaging communities in funding and investment decisions that affect them.
Vraag10
Afrondende algemene vraag10. Heeft u nog andere punten van aandacht die u vindt dat meegenomen dienen te worden in de nieuwe beleidsnota?
(EN)
General closing question
10. Are there any other points that you believe should be included in the new policy document?
With the continuing increase of populist and authoritarian tendencies, a rise in the prominence of fundamentalisms, and opposition to the rights of women, LGBTQ+ people, violence against WHRDs in physical and digital spaces, sharp rise in the usage of surveillance technologies to silence dissent, increased state control on civil society as well as corporate impunity, a strong countermovement are urgently needed. Feminist Foreign Policy provides a helpful framework to thoroughly and structurally address unequal power relations underlying gender inequality and other forms of discrimination, oppression and injustice, and to ensuring policy coherence.
The Netherlands has been a strong ally to WHRDs. OVOF recommends the Dutch government to learn about and support a Feminist Holistic Protection (FHP) approach throughout its work and partnerships. The FHP approach strives to collectively sustain WHRDs’ work with security, wellbeing, resilience and autonomy. The linked document below shares key recommendations to further improve its commitment to support WHRDs: https://www.apc.org/sites/default/files/IMD-GEF-Demandas-ENG-Final.pdf.
The Netherlands is making great strides with its digital inclusion strategy which is helping people go digital and ensuring participation. While enabling services and spaces that are secure, trustworthy and inclusive, the MoFA should also focus on supporting communities to create their own content. There is a long tradition of community media, like community radios. Relevant local content and services are critical to close the digital divide. The best way to make them available is to enable the communities lacking access to create the content and services they consider important.
See also: https://www.apc.org/en/project/connecting-unconnected-supporting-community-networks-and-other-community-based-connectivity
COVID-19 exposed the disconnect between the international health, human rights and development sectors. Structurally excluded women and LGBTQ+ people in low and middle income countries, coming out of a health pandemic, are faced with an even more brutal human rights and economic pandemic that continues to undermine their livelihood. We call on the Dutch government to further invest in the economic integration of structurally silenced women and LGBTQ+ people in its foreign development and trade cooperations.