Feminist Letter to guide the Dutch Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation policy

Together with five feminist consortia* funded by the Dutch government, CMI! sent a strong feminist statement to the Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation. In the letter, we urged her to continue the government’s support for women’s rights and feminist movements and to ensure that all policy areas contribute to and uphold gender equality, human rights, climate justice and the transformation of the systemic roots of injustice and inequalities.   

Some of the key recommendations we made are: 

  • Ensure that gender equality and women’s rights is both a stand-alone theme and applied as a crosscutting dimension in all policy areas, at all levels, including international cooperation, foreign trade and investment, climate and sustainable economic development. 
  • Actively engage Global South-based organisations and consortia throughout your policy-making processes by making all documents accessible in multiple languages, including Southern voices in your advisory structures, and proactively inviting Southern partners and consortia for their input.
  • Be a bold donor by setting an ambitious target of 50% of programmes and consortia having a penholder from the Global South and actively engaging communities in funding and investment decisions that affect them.

This letter was sent as part of our response to MFA’s call for a consultation for their new Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation policy.

*The statement was signed by:

Count Me In! consortium, comprised of AWID, Mama Cash, CREA, JASS, UAF and UAF-Africa, and strategic partners Red Umbrella Fund and Wo=Men

Love Alliance, a partnership consisting of AFE, Aidsfonds, GALZ, GNP+, ISDAO, SANPUD, Sisonke and UHAI

Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action, consisting of FCAM, BothEnds and Mama Cash

Our Voices, Our Futures consortium, comprising CREA, AFE, APC, UHAI-EASHRI, Wo=Men and strategic partner IM-Defensoras

Women Gaining Ground consortium, consisting of Akili Dada, CREA and IWRAW-AP

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