Strong Chamber during debate on new development cooperation note

Yesterday, the Lower House held the debate - long-awaited because already postponed once - on the new development cooperation policy paper, "Doing what the Netherlands does best". During the debate, we saw a strong Chamber with a lot of brought in points that we as FMS and Building Change had touched on, but also a weak minister who did not have immediate answers to many questions.

Good news is that Don Ceder of the Christian Union tabled a motion to make the SDG test, which takes into account upfront impact of policies on developing countries, more visible. Jasper van Dijk (SP) also tabled two motions around tackling tax evasion, a subject we are working hard for through Tax Justice Netherlands. PvdA MP Joris Thijssen also had a strong contribution and advocated a 'trickle up' system, focusing precisely on people's needs and not necessarily what the Netherlands is good at.

Next Tuesday, the chamber will vote on all motions submitted during the debate. A more detailed report on this important debate will also soon be online on our website.