Promoting ‘inclusive development’ implies first and foremost that serious attention should be given to (a) strategies that create local employment opportunities and (b) opportunities that enable poor people to participate in the labour market. We propose 4 policy areas where Dutch aid and trade can be helpful to enhance employment at the bottom of the […]

The key to development in (West) Africa depends on how governments and development agents think about the youth development agenda. The key lies in putting young women in the centre of the development programming and giving more support to community and grassroots organisations with people centred-strategy. First, the Dutch government and partners working in (West) […]

Inclusive development is not only in the benefit of those previously excluded, but also makes optimal use of capacities of a broader range of people. There are serious business arguments for including women and youth in economic development. Dutch policy should promote inclusion of women and youth in business partnerships by actively supporting systematization and […]

In order for the Dutch development policies to work effectively they need to be relevant to and rooted in practise on the ground in the development countries. Poor people, especially women and youth, need to be able to have a voice in their formulation and be able to work with them. Transparency around those policies […]

In this contribution I will make three points: –          Gender inclusiveness is essential to any effective policy to promote inclusiveness, –          Collective action by women’s organisations is still crucial to achieve transformative change in gender relations, –          Emerging new and innovative partnerships engaging the private sector, civil society and knowledge institutions provide interesting avenues for […]

The singular most representative face of hunger, poverty and exclusion is a female smallholder farmer struggling to make ends meet. Because contrary to what many people believe, hunger and poverty most frequently occur in remote rural areas in relatively stable countries. This is the case today, and will be for the foreseeable future. It is […]