The Netherlands and UNDP

Achieving the MDGs

The Netherlands took an important part in all the important development summits of the 1990's and this decade, including the Cairo Conference on Population and Development (1994), the Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women (1995) and the Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development (2002). These summits shared a common vision of sustainable poverty reduction, promoting the incorporation of the social and environmental dimensions of human wellbeing into the concept of development. They were also crucial in giving birth to, as well as fine-tuning the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Read about the Netherlands and the follow-up to Cairo, Beijing and Johannesburg.

The MDGs as a workplan

To follow up on the pledges made at these events, the Netherlands is now working actively to achieve concrete results in development cooperation by focusing on the Millennium Development Goals in the field of education, HIV/AIDS, reproductive rights, the environment and water. In order to maximize its development impact, it continues to support the use of MDG-based national poverty reduction strategies while encouraging countries to enhance their reporting practices.

In addition, the country has pursued a long-standing active engagement on issues of policy coherence in support of the MDGs. In 2004 it became the first donor country to produce a report on MDG8 - "setting up an international partnership for development" - and is a leading advocate of aid effectiveness, debt relief and trade liberalisation, all of which will contribute to boost the economies of developing countries. Find out more about UNDP and the MDGs.

The Netherlands and the MDGs, one by one

• MDG 1: reduce by half (compared to 1990) the number of people living on less than a dollar a day and who suffer from hunger. The Netherlands is working to strengthen the business and investment climate in developing countries, both of which will help to generate sustainable economic growth and employment. It is also fighting malnutrition by contributing to improvements in many areas, such as education, the supply of drinking water, health care, agriculture, transport and energy.
  
  
• MDG 2: ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling. Education is one of the priority themes of Dutch development policy because good education promotes social and economic development. By 2007, 15% of the total Dutch development cooperation budget (approximately 600 million euros) will be spent on education.
  
  
• MDG 3: achieve gender equality in primary and secondary education by 2015. Dutch cooperation policy intends to enable women to enjoy the same development opportunities as men in all of its priority areas and to play a more active role in politics, society and the economy. Approximately 40% of the Netherlands’ contribution to education now has an explicit gender-based goal.
  
  
• MDG 4: reduce by two thirds (compared to 1990) the mortality rate among children under five. The Netherlands is trying to achieve this aim by fighting malnourishment, financing early child development (ECD) schemes and promoting an integrated approach to achieving this goal. For instance many children become ill through drinking contaminated water. Promoting MDG 7, which aims to create a sustainable environment, is a vital part of efforts to reduce child mortality rates.
  
  
• MDG 5: reduce by three quarters (compared to 1990) the maternal mortality rate. Sexual and reproductive health and rights is one of the priority themes of Dutch policy. The Netherlands is helping the governments of developing countries to improve maternal health care by contributing to UN funds that counsel women during pregnancy and childbirth, by promoting wider access to contraceptives, and by providing essential drugs as well as training and medical equipment.
  
  
• MDG 6: halt the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB. The Netherlands will have doubled its budget for fighting AIDS, TB, and malaria to €270 million by 2007. The campaign against AIDS will continue to be spearheaded by effective public information to prevent new cases of HIV infection. The country will also develop its partnership with the business sector to provide care and affordable essential drugs for HIV, TB and malaria patients.
  
  
• MDG 7: reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water. The Netherlands is cofunding the installation of drinking water, sanitation and irrigation systems in 18 countries, 12 of which are in Africa, and is also supporting the drafting of integrated water management plans in 10 countries, six of which are in Africa.
  
  
• MDG 8: ensure that rich countries lift trade barriers to poor countries, lighten their debt burden, provide access to affordable medicines and make more financial aid available. In 2004, the Netherlands became the first developed country to compile a detailed report on MDG8. In the report, the country explained that it would continue to provide aid, offer better opportunities for trade whilst helping to remove obstacles to fair trade, provide debt relief and promote a sustainable environment. The Netherlands has also been an advocate of Common Agricultural Policy reform and is working hard to ensure that the interests of developing countries are represented in WTO trade talks.