Two World Bank Development reports on Poverty (1990 and 2000) provided critical inputs for the MDGs[2]
The MDG's as a global agenda for the reduction of poverty and hunger were insufficiently geared towards solving the most critical development issues in the local context. Moreover, they did not include roadmaps towards achieving the goals.
Sector wide approaches (SWAPs) and Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) were the basis for sector budget support in line with national government objectives in developing countries.
The Maputo Declaration of the African Union (AU) Heads of State summit in 2003, focusing on domestic investments in agriculture (10% of the national annual budget) by African governments and increased productivity (6% per annum), was a turning point[3].
In this period the Netherlands continued its research and training efforts and maintained a focus on agricultural trade and investment, often aimed towards Dutch private sector interests.
In order to create a ´level playing field´, efforts were directed towards untying aid. Programs such as the Private Sector Investment Program (PSOM)[4] needed to be redesigned for this purpose. Policies and programs to promote investments by the Dutch private sector in developing countries continued, but were increasingly also aimed at promoting the local private sector.
Environmental and energy issues were addressed as a part of the MDG agenda. In this context, the production of biofuels, considered to be a climate friendly alternative to fossil fuels was promoted for a short while, but soon increasing concerns emerged about competition with food crop production, the use of arable land for biofuel production rather than food production[5] and negative effects on biodiversity and climate change, particularly when tropical forests were destroyed to expand the area under oil palm for biofuel production, e.g. in Indonesia and Latin America.
[1] Frank Ellis, Leo de Haan, Ton Dietz
[2] https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/230351468332946759/pdf/World-development-report-2000-2001-attacking-poverty.pdf
https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/6db831cb-da31-5fa6-a754-0dc7182ef75b
[3] AU Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security
https://www.nepad.org/caadp/publication/au-2003-maputo-declaration-agriculture-and-food-security
[4] Programma Samenwerking Opkomende Markten (Program cooperation in emerging markets) which later became PSI.
[5] e.g. large scale production of Jatropha by foreign investors in Tanzania