ABSTRACT
During the past decade, the Netherlands has gained the well-deserved reputation of having one of the most progressive development cooperation programs among DAC donors. Development cooperation has formed one of the cornerstones of Dutch foreign policy, stressing the need to promote world peace by helping to remove what they consider to be one of the basic causes of tension and world polarization--the poverty of the third world. Consequently, assistance volume from the Netherlands has been one of the highest, with disbursements above the DAC target of .7 percent of GNP since 1975, and currently almost 1.0 percent (Table 4.1). Development policy guidelines have been similarly far-reaching, focusing on efforts.to reduce underlying world tensions through increasing the independence of developing nations, as well as improving the opportunities and welfare of the poorest people in these countries. The Netherlands has also played a leading role in efforts to promote structural adjustments, both in Holland and within the European Community in order to facilitate market access for third world products. In the Netherlands itself, development cooperation policy has a high profile and appears to enjoy widespread parliamentary and public support, with the government’s extensive assistance to NGOs and advisory bodies providing a variety of opportunities for the involvement of private individuals and groups in development activities. 1
