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NL Critical SDG Spotlight report 'Beyond Boundlessness' well received
On 1 March, the (online) launch of the first Dutch SDG Spotlight report took place. In it, Dutch policy on SDG 10 (reduce inequality) and SDG 15 (life on land, biodiversity) are critically scrutinised. The results are downright uncomfortable. The frame that the Netherlands is 'doing well' with the SDGs is not correct.
Online climate summit in the Netherlands: biggest problem remains unsolved
Last week, the Netherlands hosted the first ever Climate Adaptation Summit: a meeting with world leaders, companies and organisations on climate adaptation. Good steps were taken, but a critical look at results of the summit reveals that the biggest problem - climate finance - remains unsolved.
Genocide against the Uighurs: where are the sanctions?
Between one and three million Uighurs are currently detained in Chinese concentration camps in appalling conditions. They undergo torture that cannot bear the light of day. The millions of Uighurs outside the camps are also severely repressed and in constant danger. And it doesn't stop at China's borders, as the Uyghur diaspora is under constant surveillance beyond, including in the Netherlands. While this crime against humanity has been going on for years, hardly any countries have introduced sanctions against the Chinese government. Even the Netherlands has not taken any action so far.
How a bunch of simple questions can make Dutch politics more sustainable ánd fairer
Properly implementing the SDG test in new Dutch policies and regulations is very simple and can have a huge positive impact on developing countries and gender equality. Yet 95% of relevant policies and regulations do not apply the test properly, such as the Invest International bill, which will be debated in the House of Representatives on Monday.
Shell is no longer a small child
Now two months ago, Lammert van Raan of the Party for the Animals asked 25 highly critical parliamentary questions to Finance Minister Hoekstra and Economic Affairs and Climate Minister Wiebes about the questionable climate plans of oil and gas companies. Minister Wiebes took a long time to answer. When it finally came, the minister turned out to be an excellent spokesperson for Shell and a champion at dodging questions and thus responsibilities.
Political Leadership (series) part 2: types of leaders
The elections in the Netherlands are approaching. 17 March 2021 is the date. The FMS is conducting training courses in many countries. Political leadership is an important topic. What is involved in leadership? This series covers various aspects of it.
By Arjen Berkvens, director FMS
Political leadership (series) part 1: struggle
The elections in the Netherlands are approaching. 17 March 2021 is the date. The FMS is conducting training courses in many countries. Political leadership is an important topic. What is involved in leadership? This series covers various aspects of it.
By Arjen Berkvens, director FMS
Time for a fair tax policy
Tax avoidance by multinationals is currently in the spotlight. Booking.com, for instance, recently announced that it was invoking emergency aid from the Dutch state, while until recently it was making billions in profits and paying little tax on them. A political and social debate that has of course been going on for some time. Hence the request from the Lower House (following Omtzigt's motion) for the Advisory Committee on Multinational Taxation to investigate how the Netherlands can make taxation of multinationals fairer. This resulted in the report 'Towards balance in corporate taxation' with various recommendations and advice. On the positive side, it contains a clear call for the Netherlands to make constructive international efforts to really tackle tax avoidance. It is unfortunate, however, that the report pays very little attention to the role of the Netherlands as a tax haven.
Foundation Max van der Stoel is looking for 2 interns for Africa Day 2020!
On 4 April 2020, the Max van der Stoel Foundation (FMS) will again organise the Africa Day! With more than 1,000 visitors, 200 speakers and around 100 volunteers, the Africa Day is the biggest event in the field of Africa and international cooperation in the Netherlands. The FMS is looking for two interns to organise this day. Together with the responsible project coordinator, you will contribute to the substantive and organisational work of this major event.
How do we make the national budget SDG-proof?
Since 2014, the FMS has been working intensively with Partos and Woord & Daad (Building Change partnership) to put policy coherence for development firmly on the map in the Netherlands. In this way, we strive for an ambitious and coherent implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015. Following the successful campaign 'Adopt an SDG' and lobbying for an SDG test in the policy-making process, this autumn we are focusing on the UN theme 'Financing for Development'. With Prinsjesdag and the presentation of the national budget for 2020, September was also the perfect time to put policy coherence within the national budget based on the SDGs on the map. Building Change did this with the opinion article 'include the SDGs in the national budget'.
