Ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Dutch NGO Oxfam Novib published a report on the world's extreme wealth inequality. The report, titled 'Time to Care', puts economic disparities in stark terms, noting that "in 2019, the world’s billionaires, only 2,153 people, had more wealth than 4.6 billion people", and that the total wealth of the world's 22 richest men is equivalent to the wealth of all African women combined.

The report focuses on gendered economic inequality and dives, as well, into the issue of taxation systems. In particular, Oxfam observes that the Netherlands remains a tax heaven, costing developing countries €100 billion annually: money that could be invested in health and education. 

Time to Care - Oxfam Novib

Press Release -Oxfam Novib (in Dutch)

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands published a Q&A document pertaining to two key funding programs supporting global civil society organizations: the 'Power of Voices' and the 'SDG 5' funding programs. These programs, which fall under the new policy framework 'Strengthening Civil Society', will guide Dutch funding around gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for the 2021-2025 period. 

The 28-page document clarifies the parameters of the two programs which are currently open for applications.

Q&A PDF - Government of the Netherlands

Dutch Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Stef Blok, spoke in an interview with the 'Faces of Democracy' initiative about his views around Dutch and EU policy, democracy, and the rule of law.

Mr. Blok shared his position on the EU's so-called Eastward Enlargement, the rise of the far-right populist party 'Forum door Democratie' in the Netherlands, and his expectations for the new president of the EU Commission and the EU member states regarding the dutch foreign policy priorities: migration, security, economy, climate policy, and the safeguarding of dutch values and interests abroad.

The privately-owned, German-based online initiative has run a number of other interviews with key European figures working to advance democracy, including the former president of the EU Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. 

News article - Faces of Democracy

On October 22, 2020, the Netherlands will host the Climate Adaptation Summit (CAS) in Amsterdam. Spearheaded by Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte, this summit will bring together global leaders to discuss adaptation needs for climate change. The summit aims to accelerate actions initiated by the Global Commission on Adaptation, led by Ban Ki-moon and co-chaired by Bill Gates and Kristalina Georgieva, to leverage further support for the global movement towards adaptation.

From October 19- 23, various additional initiatives will take place around the summit, as part of Climate Adaptation Week. These events include a Nobel Prize Summit, the Mayors Forum, and a Climate Adaptation Youth Summit.

Official website - Climate Adaptation Summit 

The Dutch government shared with the parliament of the Netherlands the overview of the most relevant parliamentary meetings for to the foreign affairs and development cooperation ministry in 2020.

The document includes the dates for regular development committee meetings as well as other parliamentary debates over upcoming evaluations of different programs or presentations of relevant reports, such as the report on human rights published in 2019.

Press release - Government of the Netherlands (in Dutch)

The Netherlands dropped 11 places on the 2020 World Economic Forum’s (WEF) gender gap report, which ranks more than 150 countries on progress towards gender parity in the areas of economic participation, education, health and survival, and political empowerment.

The report points to the lack of female political influence in the country as the main cause of the Netherlands' weakened ranking position, now #38 on the list. According to the WEF, it will take nearly 100 years to eradicate the global gender gap entirely. 

News article - DutchNews

Minister for foreign trade and development cooperation of the Netherlands, Sigrid Kaag, has been elected 'Whisperer of the Year' by Dutch broadcast BNR Nieuwsradio. The prize was awarded to Ms. Kaag by the public audience for being perceived as the most important 'silent power' and influential person within the government in 2019.

This award is part of BNR's political podcast 'Project Binnenhof' which is documenting and reporting about the most powerful figures in the Dutch political landscape.

Press release - BNR (in Dutch)

During the Netherlands' parliamentary negotiations over the 2019 foreign trade and development cooperation budget, the dutch parliament posed 18 factual questions to Minister Sigrid Kaag about changes to the budget. While the list of these questions and answers relating to the changes to this year's budget have been published, the final 2019 development budget reflecting these alterations will not be published until the spring of 2020.

Press release  - Government of the Netherlands (in Dutch)

The Dutch government published the guidelines in English pertaining to the next funding round (2021- 2025) of four of their seven instruments to fund civil society worldwide, which fall under the 'Strengthening Civil Society' policy framework. The documents relate to the following four funding mechanisms: 

1. Power of voices;
2. Power of women;
3. Women, peace, and security; and
4. SRHR partnership fund.

The government also published the English version of the eligible countries as well as the theory of change that guides all seven instruments under their policy framework. 

Press release - Government of the Netherlands (in Dutch)

On December 1, 2019, to celebrate World AIDS day, Ms. Mette Gonggrijp, Dutch ambassador for women's rights and gender equality, spoke in an interview about the efforts undertaken by the Dutch Ministry of foreign affairs towards the international response to HIV/AIDS. 

In the interview, Ms. Gonggrijp highlighted the importance of tackling stigma and discrimination and addressed linkages with the provision of other SRHR services to maximize coverage. She also spoke about her role as gender ambassador in the fight against HIV/AIDS, given that women are twice as likely to be infected with HIV, and given that there are multiple gender barriers to treatment and prevention specific to girls and women. 

Twitter - Mette Gonggrijp