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With the introduction of\u00a0<\/span>FemFocus<\/span><\/a>\u00a0substantially changes the character of Dutch policy on international women's rights. D<\/span>it instrument is a\u00a0<\/span>part of the new 2026-2030 policy and grant framework, designed to provide targeted and effective support for women's rights.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0In a\u00a0<\/span>fire letter\u00a0<\/span><\/a>of May 2025, made public last week, women's rights organisations warn that the new grant framework significantly limits the scope for political influence. CSOs are positioned primarily as implementers of predetermined policy goals rather than partners, while the other role of CSOs in agenda-setting, policy criticism and influencing power is largely outside the framework. This raises the question for the incoming Jetten administration to what extent structural change remains possible without explicit space for political involvement.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The breakdown of feminist foreign policy<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This content delineation goes hand in hand with fina<\/span>ncial taper.\u00a0<\/span>The Netherlands was in the spotlight less than three years ago with the announcement of a\u00a0<\/span>feminist foreign policy (FBB)<\/span><\/a>. It stated that 85% of ODA spending\u00a0<\/span>gender significant<\/span><\/a>\u00a0should be. The core was clear: gender equality would no longer be an afterthought, but an integral premise of diplomacy and development cooperation.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Real<\/span>r due to the arrival of cabinet Schoof, the Netherlands halves its spending on international women's rights and gender equality from this year, and Feminist foreign policy is pontifically sidelined. Embassies will lose their delegated budgets on FBB, and\u00a0<\/span>Netherlands stops<\/span><\/a>\u00a0with funding from the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women. This shifts not only the nature of interventions, but also their scale and strategic flexibility.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n At the same time, the international political context in which women's rights are promoted is changing. Internationally, a well-organised anti-gender movement has become visible in recent years, focused on rolling back women's and LGBTQ+ rights.\u00a0<\/span>Recent research<\/span><\/a>\u00a0shows that these networks worldwide invest more than a billion euros annually in legislation, legal proceedings, framing and institutional power building at the expense of women's rights and democracy. Interestingly, 73% of this funding comes from Europe. This places the Netherlands among the top six donor countries. Donors include advocacy organisations and lobbyists, fundraising foundations and think tanks.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The effectiveness of these strategies can be seen in several European countries, where rights under dru<\/span>k have come to stand.\u00a0<\/span>Abortion rights<\/span><\/a>\u00a0have been reversed in Poland, more and more\u00a0<\/span>femicide<\/span><\/a>\u00a0for in Europe, and the dr<\/span>uk on international institutions such as the UN, WHO and the Istanbul Convention\u00a0<\/span>increasing<\/span><\/a>. These developments highlight that women's rights are not just a social or humanitarian issue, but are explicitly subject to broader political power dynamics.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n