Investing in global prospects : for the world, for the Netherlands : policy document on foreign trade and development cooperation

The policy document shows how the government is responding to international challenges and opportunities in the interests of the Netherlands. The new Dutch policy on foreign trade and development cooperation promotes four closely connected objectives:

• preventing conflict and instability;
• reducing poverty and social inequality;
• promoting sustainable and inclusive growth and climate action worldwide;
• enhancing the Netherlands' international earning capacity.

A cross-cutting goal of the policy is to advance gender equality and improve the position of women and girls.

The focus of development cooperation will shift to unstable regions (the West African Sahel, the Horn of Africa, the Middle East and North Africa) in order to tackle root causes of poverty, migration, terrorism and climate change. 

The policy document begins by analysing international trends and developments and their policy implications. This is followed by a chapter on investing in stability and poverty reduction in line with 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It includes broad development policies on sustainable water management and drinking water and sanitation. Chapter 3 discusses the combined agenda for foreign trade and development cooperation, which aims to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth in the Netherlands, in developing countries and worldwide – in line with international agreements on climate change and the SDGs. The following two chapters deal with trade (chapter 4) and the EU, multilateral cooperation and civil society. The final chapter elaborates on the new focus regions for development cooperation and budget amendments.