The cabinet believes that all programs funded by the Netherlands must directly contribute to our own interests: trade, security, and less migration. This is an unprecedented blunder. Cuts in development cooperation, specifically on gender and womens rights, are not in the interest of the Netherlands. On the contrary, they are directly opposed to it. Investing in gender equality and womens rights pays off, everywhere in the world, but especially in fragile countries.
Read the opinion piece by Derk and Anne Kwakkenbos in the Nederlands Dagblad of March 7
Safeguarding Womens Rights Worldwide
The Netherlands has always been a leader when it comes to womens rights and gender equality, but we are shamefully relinquishing that role, say Cordaid employee Anne Kwakkenbos and CDA MP Derk Boswijk, with an eye on International Womens Day.
All programs we finance must directly contribute to our own interests: trade, security, and less migration. No, this does not come from Donald make America great again Trump, but from our minister Reinette Klever. It is her summary of the new policy for development aid. And her defense of unprecedented large cuts.
An unprecedented blunder, we think. Cuts in development cooperation, specifically on gender and womens rights, are not in the interest of the Netherlands. On the contrary, they are directly opposed to it. By the way, we are still talking about development cooperation, not aid. Words matter.
King Willem-Alexander stated last week that the Netherlands takes a leadership role. Is that so? No.
The Dutch governments cut of almost forty percent of the funds for development cooperation affects people all over the world, but women and girls the hardest. What has happened to the Netherlands? The Netherlands has always been a leader when it comes to womens rights and gender equality. It was a political spearhead in our domestic and foreign policy. It made us more effective in our defense, in our policy, in our development cooperation.
We have lost that position as an exemplary country on the world stage in a short time. Progressive? We are no longer.
Better life choices
And that is an expensive loss. Because when women are actively involved in peace negotiations, peace processes are more sustainable. The chance that a peace process lasts longer than two years increases by twenty percent due to the participation of women. And the chance that a peace process lasts longer than fifteen years increases by even 35 percent with the participation of women.
When women receive education, women and girls can make better life choices, and this often results in healthier children. When women have a job and can participate in society, countries perform better on all fronts. And military operations that are gender-sensitive, taking into account the different needs of women and men, are more successful.
Conflicts increasingly dominate the world. Well, if only men with weapons are at the table, the entire population is sidelined. Too often, too much attention is paid to those who create conflicts, unfortunately usually men. Too little to those who take care of peace, in their own home, church, village, city, or country. Often these are women.
King Willem-Alexander stated last week that the Netherlands takes a leadership role. Is that so? No. With this cabinet, precisely at the moment when gender equality and womens rights are under strong pressure for the first time in a long time, we are shamefully relinquishing that leadership role.
The current cabinet states that the Netherlands must be central. We agree. But the Netherlands can only flourish in a more stable world. And a more stable world is not possible without the crucial role of women and girls in all their diversity.
Organizations like Cordaid work in the most fragile situations in the world: in countries and regions affected by armed conflicts, humanitarian disasters, and natural disasters. The most important lesson from work in these countries is that you are only effective if you work inclusively. We know from practice: no women, no peace. When women have access to contraception, family income grows with positive consequences for future generations. And when more girls go to school, it translates into a higher gross national product (GDP) of a country.
Lets reclaim our role as an exemplary country. Or, mindful of the Dutch trading spirit: make gender equality that proud and highly necessary export product again. And yes, that is also in the interest of the Netherlands. Because that makes a difference, more than a narrow vision of self-interest.
Investing in gender equality and womens rights pays off, everywhere in the world but especially in fragile countries. Investing in a more sustainable world is crucial right now. Let that sink in as we approach this coming Saturday, March 8. Then it is International Womens Day.