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Michiel Servaes was a diplomat, politician, now director of Oxfam Novib, but has "always remained an activist". In conversation with FMS, he speaks out about inequality and climate change and, of course, the lawsuit against the Dutch government over the F35 parts for Israel. Despite the challenges and problems, he remains hopeful: "Solidarity is still in our society."
In a wood-panelled room in Oxfam Novib's office, located in a historic building on Mauritskade in The Hague, director Michiel Servaes occasionally glances obliquely at the notifications coming in on his phone.
For years, Servaes (52) was a diplomat, first in Macedonia - just a few years after the wars in Yugoslavia ended - and later in London. After spending four years in the Lower House speaking on foreign affairs on behalf of the Dutch Labour Party (PvdA), he became director of Oxfam Novib in 2018.
"They are three completely different positions, but I have always seen myself as an activist for social justice and international solidarity," says Servaes. "The question remains where you have the most impact. In the Lower House you have the most direct influence on policy, but in other positions you have a different kind of, social influence."
"As a diplomat, you often make a direct difference in people's lives. In Macedonia, in a society with huge contrasts, I found it beautiful to bring groups together and build bridges locally."
He feels he is currently in the right place as Oxfam Novib's director. "In these difficult times, change has to come from the bottom up. NGOs - if they still work well together - can bring a lot of people to the table, and that can have an impact."
The war in Gaza
Recently, it became clear how big an influence Oxfam Novib can have. Together with two other organisations (Pax and The Rights Forum), Oxfam filed a lawsuit against the Dutch government - and was proven right. According to the court, the government must stop exporting F-35 parts to Israel because of the risk that they will be used to violate the law of war in Gaza. Israeli bombing of Gaza has now killed many tens of thousands.
"The current policy is contrary to our Dutch tradition of human rights and international law," says Servaes. "With the lawsuit, we asked nothing more or less from the government than: stick to your own rules."
"With the lawsuit, we asked nothing more or less from the government than: stick to your own rules."
The fate of the people in Gaza concerns Servaes. "It grips me how things are going with colleagues in Gaza, where we have our own office. I feel a great responsibility to this page increase pressure to shift Dutch policy in this area."
Strategic blunder
Asked whether he finds the Netherlands' attitude explicable, he laughed. "I can venture an analysis to explain it, but I don't find it defensible."
Besides a moral failure, Servaes also considers the Dutch Middle East policy a strategic blunder. "I worked as a diplomat for 15 years and I still regularly speak to people who work at embassies. If you now speak out as a diplomat in Ghana, for example, about the human rights situation, you are laughed in the face: 'Why should I speak out about that from your hire anything else?" you will be told."
"If you speak out on human rights now as a diplomat, you will be laughed in your face."
According to the former diplomat, our influence in the world is being damaged. "It is unbelievable that politicians who understand geopolitics so well - who take Russia and China seriously and do want to pursue smart trade and defence policies - then fail to understand this. Fail to see that we are wasting our credit in the world, and giving China and Russia free rein to jump into that hole."
Shrinking space for critical voices
In exposing such problems, civil society organisations play a major role as critical watchdogs. In doing so, Servaes sees a worrying trend. "All over the world, we see that the space for civil society organisations is shrinking. This is abundantly clear in a country like Russia, but it is also happening in India, where Oxfam's office is prevented from working - and even here!"
Because in the Netherlands too, according to the Oxfam director, the space for debate, expression and demonstration is under pressure. "Just look at the right to demonstrate. A year ago, we already said that the preventive detention of climate activists crossed a line. And right now, it is difficult to engage in the debate on Gaza without being pushed into the far-left or even anti-Semitic corner. At the opening of the Holocaust Museum, the attention of the Lower House focused mainly on a small group at the museum, and not on the well-organised and very dignified demonstration that took place further down the road, nota bene by progressive Jewish youths."
"It is difficult to engage in the debate without being pushed into the far-left or even anti-Semitic corner."
Talking to his predecessors at Oxfam Novib, Servaes noticed big differences with today's problems. Twenty years ago, optimism prevailed, and development organisations seemed to have the wind in their sails. The SDGs seemed within reach, so to speak. "Now it almost feels like we have the wind against us on everything, and that you cannot even go on the attack because you are constantly on the defensive."
Inequality is the real problem
These headwinds are extra spicy because, besides less room for critical voices, there are also fewer resources available. Just think of the draconian €2.5 billion cut in development cooperation announced in the outline agreement. "The funds available for NGOs, development work and humanitarian aid are decreasing, while the needs are increasing. I worry whether we are sufficiently equipped for the major challenges in the world."
One of those big challenges is inequality. Oxfam Novib was once founded to defeat poverty and hunger. But while extreme poverty in the world has decreased - a success of development cooperation, among other things, says Servaes - inequality has actually increased. Inequality between countries and within countries.
"Besides promoting equal trade chains, a fairer tax system is needed. Multinationals in many ways channel their profits away from poorer countries. In this, despite steps in the right direction, the Netherlands plays a major role as a transit country."
"It is a continuous battle against the corporate lobby in Europe."
While the mantra "tackle Europe" should never be an excuse for not taking action at home - as Servaes believes still happens too often - fair taxes really do need to be regulated internationally. "Certainly on tax, it would be good to take a single line at the European level to ensure that tax havens and transit countries are tackled more effectively. Someone like Paul Tang has done a good job on that in recent years, so I hope someone else will take over that baton from him after the elections. It is a continuous fight against the corporate lobby in Europe."
Climate must be driven again
Inequality, moreover, according to the former MP, cannot be separated from climate. "Clubs like Oxfam, traditionally more focused on poverty reduction, have grown much closer to environmental clubs. Socio-economic equality cannot be seen separately from climate change. The poorest people in the world are hit hardest."
This is precisely why Servaes is concerned that the topic of climate change seems to be disappearing from the European agenda, whereas a few years ago it was at the top. "So if the momentum is waning, it will have to be driven by European politicians."
Solidarity is still in our society
More attention to injustice in the world, to inequality and climate, more resources to development cooperation - these are points that Dutch voters actually opposed in November.
Still, Servaes is hopeful. "The Dutch really do care about the world. When something as terrible as the earthquake in Turkey and Syria happened, the Netherlands was unique in the amount of people who donated money and sympathised with those people. And right now, our lawsuit is funded entirely from donations raised by crowdfunding. Solidarity is still in our society. It is still there."
