Millennium Development Goals
In September 2000, 189 UN members agreed on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), outlined in the Millennium Declaration. The implementation of the goals started on the 1st of January 2001, and were discussed during the UN's Millennium Summits every five years to assess implementation and progress. The MDGs aimed to:
- Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
- Achieve universal primary education.
- Promote gender equality and empower women.
- Reduce child mortality.
- Improve maternal health.
- Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other major diseases.
- Ensure environmental sustainability.
- Develop a global partnership for development.
Progress on the MDGs was measured by 21 targets. The goals were inspired by Secretary-General Koffi Annan’s report ‘We the Peoples: The Role of the United Nations in the 21st Century’ published in April 2000. The Netherlands, as a UN member, ratified and was obligated to support developing nations to achieve the goals. Read more about the MDGs here.
The MDGs ‘succeeded’ the first three development decades (1960-70, 1970-80, and 1980-90) and the Human Development Reports, which characterised UN development efforts in the 1990s, marking a shift from revising goals every decade to a 15-year span from 2000 to 2015.
Campagne wereldburger.nl (A15921 in the NICC collection)
In late 2001, prime minister Kok kick-started the campaign worldcitizen.nl (campagne wereldburger.nl). The campaign was implemented under the leadership of COS Netherlands (Comissie Ontwikkelingssamenwerking) by a broad coalition of Dutch organisations, such as the NCDO, Novib, Icco, Cordaid, and Pax Christi, in the run up to local and national elections in the Netherlands. The campaign was focused on making politicians and other policymakers more aware of the interests of poor fellow citizens in different parts of the world, and how their faith was directly related to the future of the Netherlands, urging politicians to continue to support efforts to decrease poverty in developing countries, stimulate sustainable development, take proper care of refugees and promote corporate social and environmental responsibility. Politicians were asked to take international effects of their sectoral policy decisions into account and to enhance the coherence of policies with international dimensions, especially around agriculture, trade, market access and development. Afraid of the various Dutch politicians and parties that advocated to ‘close the windows and borders to the world’, they pushed to ‘re-open the windows to the world’. As such, the focus was not on generating funds or expanding the budget for development cooperation.
The attack on the twin towers on 9/11 in New York led to a slightly broader campaign as topics like human rights, conflict and interreligious dialogue were also included last minute. Both Prime Minister Wim Kok and Minister for Development Cooperation Eveline Herfkens supported the campaign.
Two quotes from the manifest of the campaign read [translated]:
“In our opinion parliamentarians are too little aware of the fact that, especially in the long term, Dutch interests are the same as the interest of the poor countries of this world. We want to see this relation made more visible, we want to hear this consideration more often.”
“A society which does not show solidarity with people far way undermines the support base for solidarity with people close by.”
Bert Koenders, then member of parliament for the PvdA and later minister for Development Cooperation, stated the following in the wereldburgers.nl campaign's booklet [translated]:
"Wereldburgers.nl is of great importance: finally beyond the pigeonholing spirit. At last a joining of forces that enters the long road of international citizenship. Attention to fighting poverty, beyond traditional development cooperation. An honest discussion about refugees, their rights and why they leave their country. And finally attention to corporate social responsibility in countries like India and Brazil. The World Citizens' Coalition Agreement can be used for years to show a new generation that what comes from outside concerns us all and that we should demand more say from institutions like WTO, IMF and World Bank. That international society offers opportunities as much as threats. World citizens, continue now that we as Dutch people are locking us in ourselves too much. You have started an incredibly important campaign. I am happy to keep participating."
They campaign did not proof to be a huge success. After 9/11 and with the popularity of the LFP, Pim Fortuyn’s party, political and societal focus was mainly national and on the West. Only after the elections of early 2003, the focus widened again, although mainly to Iraq and the European integration process. The campaign failed to substantially affect the Coalition Accord which formed the first Balkenende-cabinet after the national elections of 2002. An example of this is the change, or degradation, from ‘minister for development cooperation’ to ‘deputy minister for development cooperation’.
In 2004, after an earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean, which led to over 200.000 casualties in 14 countries, the SHO (Samenwerkende Hulporganisaties, a collective of various civil society organisations) started a national action to raise money for emergency aid. They raised 208 million euros from the Dutch public. This indicates that solidarity in the Netherlands was not absent.
Schokland Accords
In 2007, various NGOs, Dutch companies, ministers, and state-sectaries signed the 36 Schokland Accords, committing to achieve the MDGs. The then Minister for Development Cooperation, Bert Koenders, incentivised collaboration between private organisations and NGOs by offering co-financing subsidies as reward for working together. Balkenende’s fourth cabinet allocated approximately €50 million for the period 2008-2012 for international cooperation related to achieving the MDGs.
In 2010, Prime Minister Balkenende, accompanied by Prince Willem-Allexander and Princess Maxima travelled to New York City. While the Prime Minister addressed the UN’s General Assembly, the Prince and Princess delivered speeches at a simultaneous UN event focusing on the MDGs. As chair of the UN Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB), the Prince emphasized the importance of water sanitation among other issues. In her capacity as UNGSA, the Princess held a speech on inclusive finance.
Policy Note: Investing in Global Citizenship
On the 11th of May 2009, then Minister for Development Cooperation, Bert Koenders, presented the IOB-report ‘Support base research: evaluability and results’ (‘Draagvlakonderzoek: evalueerbaarheid en resultaten’) to the parliament. In his letter accompanying the report, he expressed his vision of the government on the societal support base for international cooperation and the government’s role in affecting this support base. He started this letter by expressing the necessity for modernisation of development cooperation, as citizens’ opinions on the ‘traditional’ development organisation and channels had changed.
He then proceeded to argue that the pressing issues of that time, such as the effects of globalisation, the financial and economic crisis, sustainability, safety, and human rights, demanded global citizenship. He emphasised that all these issues could not be resolved without the international dimension. To provide context to global citizenship, he stated there was a need for knowledge as well as a change in attitude and behaviour.
By adding the ‘global’ to citizenship, he aimed to achieve the necessary modernisation of development thinking. He advocated for shifting away from a ‘the developed world’ helping ‘the underdeveloped world’ mentality towards fostering change both domestically and internationally. Moreover, the concept of citizenship reflected the changing times, signifying a departure from the state-centric and organisation-centric development policies toward recognising the contributions individuals themselves can make. Consequently, ‘investing in global citizenship’ became a crucial focus for the government.
Sources and further reading:
- Bert Koenders (2007), Het Akkoord van Schokland. A03575 in the NICC collection.
- Hans Koch, Na Vlaardingen nu een Akkoord van Schokland in Trouw, 30 juni 2007.
- TV report by NOVA on "Global citizens campaign (campagne wereldburgers)", including interview with minister Herfkens, 17 June 2002, (2023). A15646 in the NICC collection.
- Wereldburgers.nl 2001/2002 een onvoor(t)(p)elbare campagne’. A15921 in the NICC collection.
