Reimagining Trade and Investment through a Feminist Lens
Last year, in 2022, the Netherlands announced that it would join a growing number of pioneering countries that are proposing their own Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP). Going forward, the Netherlands will focus increasing attention on inclusive processes of policy development and financing within the country's foreign policy. This bold development will help to ensure respect for women's and human rights, and to increase gender equality in Dutch foreign policy, including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ+) rights.
The Dutch commitment to FFP promises to turn a feminist lens on all aspects of foreign policy: security, trade and investment, tax, diplomacy, and international cooperation. This welcome announcement has re-ignited conversations around dreams of a feminist future, especially within social and environmental justice movements in the Netherlands and beyond.
Within the pages of this report, we – as members of the Fair, Green & Global (FGG) Alliance – want to inspire policy-makers and other stakeholders by sharing our visions of what a feminist future might look like in practice. Our proposals are developed in close collaboration with FGG partner organisations in the global South, who stressed the importance of jointly approaching Dutch policy-makers. The proposals are offered in the spirit of constructive collaboration as Dutch policy-makers create the building blocks for a forward-looking FFP on trade, investment, and tax for the Netherlands – a policy that prioritises women's human rights, care, and the planet above profit.
For more information
Themes
Read more about this subject
-
Dossier /Investment treaties
Investment treaties must be inclusive, sustainable and fair. That means that they must not put the interests of companies before those of people and…
-
Dossier /Trade agreements
International trade agreements often have far-reaching consequences not only for the economy of a country, but also for people and the environment…
-
Event / 21 February 2022, 16:00 - 17:30Webinar and launch of new publication about EU-Mercosur
What is the EU-Mercosur association treaty and why is it controversial? What could be the implications of the treaty for people and their livelihoods both in EU and Mercosur countries? For more information about these and other issues, see our new publication and join our interactive webinar next week…
-
Dossier /Towards a socially and environmentally just energy transition
To address the climate crisis we need to urgently transition away from fossil fuels towards clean, renewable energy. However, this transition is not only about changing energy sources. It requires an inclusive and fair process that tackles systemic inequalities and demanding consumption patterns…
-
Letter / 8 December 2024
People and the Planet Entebbe Declaration: Reclaiming investment frameworks for people and the planet
The time for change is now. Civil society demands international investment
frameworks that are aligned with economic justice, social and environmental
sustainability, and the needs of communities worldwide. -
News / 11 October 2019Rights for people, rules for corporations: the case of Paraguay
Indigenous communities in Paraguay saw their attempts to regain their ancestral lands thwarted by German investors. This is the level of impact that investment treaties can have on social, environmental and economic development and rights. Why? Because of the ‘Investor-to-State Dispute…
-
Dossier /Rights for People, Rules for Corporations – Stop ISDS!
Indigenous communities in Paraguay saw their attempts to regain their ancestral lands thwarted by German investors. In Indonesia, US-based mining companies succeeded to roll back new laws that were meant to boost the country’s economic development and protect its forests. This is the level of impact that investment treaties can have on social, environmental and economic development and rights. Why? Because of the ‘Investor-to-State…
-
Publication / 15 February 2022
-
Publication / 24 April 2023
-
News / 11 November 2024Kenya Terminates Bilateral Investment Treaty with the Netherlands
The government of Kenya has officially terminated its bilateral investment treaty (BIT) with the Netherlands, marking a significant win for economic justice and environmental protection. Kenya’s decision reflects a growing global trend of rethinking outdated treaties that often prioritize corporate interests over public welfare. The Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development recently confirmed that Kenya unilaterally ended the treaty in December 2023, rendering it inoperative from 11 June 2024. Kenya now joins South Africa, Tanzania, and Burkina Faso as the fourth African country to…
-
Dossier /Fair Green and Global Alliance (FGG)
Together with civil society organisations from all over the world, the Fair Green and Global (FGG) Alliance aims for socially just, inclusive and…
-
News / 26 November 2024The Time to Rethink Investment Rules: Amplifying Civil Society Voices
At the core of the Fair, Green, and Global (FGG) Alliance’s mission is the commitment to building a just and sustainable world. As members of this alliance, Both ENDS, SOMO, and the Transnational Institute (TNI) recognise the urgent need to reimagine global investment frameworks. These frameworks, entrenched in outdated treaties such as Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) and the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), often prioritise…
-
Publication / 12 November 2020
-
News / 2 April 2014Saying NO! to free trade agreements
Today, on the 2nd of April, activists from Africa and Europe are staging a protest action in front of the European Parliament in Brussels to make the voices of the poor and marginalised citizens heard. Holding banners and chanting slogans to the beat of djembe drums, they asked the African and European governments to prioritise peoples’ rights and interest in their trade deals and particularly, in the EU trade and development policies with…
-
Press release / 23 May 202360th anniversary of Dutch bilateral investment treaties no cause for celebration
On 23 May, the Netherlands celebrates 60 years of bilateral investment treaties (BITs). The first BIT was signed with Tunisia in 1963. These treaties were intended to make an important contribution to protecting foreign investments by Dutch companies. A study by SOMO, Both ENDS and the Transnational Institute (TNI), however, shows that in practice they mainly give multinationals a powerful instrument that has far-reaching consequences people and…
-
Publication / 12 April 2022
-
Blog / 14 April 2020Stop WTO talks until everyone can take full part in them again
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is often seen as an institution in crisis, powerless and no longer relevant, and especially after US president Donald Trump decided in 2019 to pull the plug on one of the WTO’s most important bodies (the one dealing with trade disputes). Now, more than 150 civil society organisations, networks and interest groups from around the world have signed an urgent letter to WTO Director General Roberto Azevedo…
-
Event / 21 September 2022, 13:00 - 14:30Showcasing transformative approaches for women’s land rights
Both ENDS and the Land Portal Foundation invite you to the third webinar in the Whose Land? Inclusive Pathways to Land Governance series. This third Whose Land? webinar will showcase gender transformative approaches on women's land rights. Gender transformative approaches are defined by women acting as agents of change, transforming structural barriers and redefining gender norms. These approaches facilitate the participation of women in land governance decision-making processes, but require closing the land data gender gap…
-
Publication / 23 May 2023
-
Publication / 31 December 2020
