03/12/2025
What the new D66āCDA agenda could mean for Dutch international development and NGOs.
The joint āinhoudelijke en ambitieuze agendaā of D66 and CDA marks a shift in tone compared to the political climate of the past years. Although the document focuses on five domestic prioritiesāhousing, agriculture/nature, economy/energy, migration, and defenceāit contains several passages with direct implications for international development and the NGO sector.
Most importantly, the agenda explicitly recognises that the Netherlands has weakened its international role ādoor fors te korten op ontwikkelingssamenwerking en door het sluiten van diplomatieke postenā and calls for reversing that trend. It proposes to reinvest in diplomacy, rebuild global partnerships, and āstapsgewijs toewerken naar 0,7% van het BNI voor ontwikkelingssamenwerking.ā This is a significant signal: after a decade of budget pressure on ODA, two major parties are putting restoration of Dutch international engagement back on the table.
The agenda also links development cooperation to security and global stability. With major increases planned for defence and European cooperation, D66 and CDA frame international development as part of a broader effort to tackle the root causes of conflict, displacement, and geopolitical instability. This creates space for NGOs to position their work not as charity, but as strategic investment in global resilienceāaligned with a government prioritising security, rule of law, and European partnerships.
For civil society organisations, several implications stand out:
ODA may no longer be the ābalancing item.ā The political commitment to move back toward 0.7% BNI provides a strong advocacy anchor point, though actual funding depends on coalition negotiations and the tight fiscal framework.
Attention may shift toward themes that link domestic and international priorities, such as food security, climate, circular economy, water, and humanitarian aidāareas where the agenda highlights Dutch expertise.
Diplomatic and multilateral engagement is set for expansion, opening opportunities for NGOs active in human rights, conflict prevention, and international justice.
Migration policy becomes stricter but also more Europeanised, which will likely increase demand for NGO expertise in asylum, integration, and legal protectionāboth in the Netherlands and in EU external programmes.
In short, while the document is not a development strategy, it signals a reopening of the Dutch international window. For NGOs, this is a moment to re-engage: align impact narratives with the governmentās focus on security, climate, and global stability; demonstrate how civil society contributes to those public goals; and help shape the eventual coalition agreement into a real recovery of Dutch international solidarity.
