The Netherlands and UNDP

Thematic priorities

Dutch development cooperation aims to reduce poverty and achieve the MDGs in developing countries by working on five priority themes: education, the environment, water, HIV/AIDS and reproductive health and rights.

Other areas of intervention include:

• democratic governance (cross-cutting)
• crisis prevention and recovery
• private sector development
• gender mainstreaming (cross-cutting)

Education

The common goal of Dutch development policy in this field is to ensure that MDG3 is accomplished by 2015, namely that children everywhere, both boys and girls, will be able to attend and finish their schooling.

Environment

The Netherlands is integrating responsible environmental management into its poverty reduction activities in the 36 partner developing countries. The goal of the country's development policy is sustainable economic growth. By 2007 the Netherlands wants to allocate 0.1% of GNP from its development budget to environmental protection.

Water

The Netherlands is working towards the goal of halving the number of people without access to safe drinking water and sanitation by 2015. In order to achieve this goal, the country is helping developing countries to build drinking water and hygenic sanitation facilities as well as efficient irrigation systems.

HIV/AIDS

The country is promoting the development of new preventive technologies, such as vaccines and microbicides, and working to increase the availability of cheap anti-retroviral medicine and condoms, focusing on the most vulnerable groups – women and girls, orphans and people with HIV. It also helps developing countries to implement AIDS programmes and organize public information campaigns that will help to prevent new HIV infections.

Reproductive health and rights

The Netherlands takes a holistic approach to reproductive health and rights, which promotes people's and especially women's rights to choose freely whether they wish to have children. This approach includes a combination of adequate health care, sex education, contraceptives, gender equality and the promotion of rights relating to sexuality and number of children.

Democratic governance

The Netherlands is helping governments to implement economic policy, combat corruption, set up a more humane prison system, bolster an independent judiciary, and strengthen political parties in order to promote democracy. All of these activities are essential for the security and prosperity of everyday citizens.

Crisis prevention and recovery

The Netherlands has taken part in activities that are designed to help countries recover from conflicts, such as in the area of small arms and demobilization, mine-clearing and the return of refugees. Natural disaster reduction activities include rebuilding livelihoods and contributing to early warning systems as in the case of the Asian tsunami.