Letter from April 16th, 2021 from the Minister for Foreign Trade

Letter from April 16th, 2021 from the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Sigrid Kaag to the Senate of the States General on the impact of the COVID‑19 pandemic on conflict risks

The impact of the COVID‑19 pandemic is being felt around the world. Nearly every country has been hit by coronavirus, and the measures taken to curb its spread have affected societies and economies everywhere. In response to the question raised by the GroenLinks during the Senate debate of 15 December 2020 on the foreign trade and development cooperation budget, this letter discusses the impact of the COVID‑19 pandemic on conflicts and on conflict risks, and sets out what we, together with our partners, have done to address this. In addition, the letter offers suggestions regarding Dutch conflict prevention efforts in the light of the COVID‑19 pandemic.

One of the key goals of Dutch Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation policy, as established in the policy document ‘Investing in Global Prospects’, is to prevent conflict and instability. The policy focuses on tackling the root causes of poverty, irregular migration and conflict, and offers a broad prevention agenda that directly contributes to meeting the internationally agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This letter focuses on the impact of the COVID‑19 pandemic on Dutch efforts to achieve SDG16: just, peaceful and inclusive societies.

Please find the original letter in Dutch here.