Reflecting on the aid-and-trade agenda

Published on: 16/09/2014

In 2013, Dutch development policy shifted from aid to trade as the primary engine of growth. The Dutch policy framework suggests that aid can be replaced by trade and that aid relationships are a stepping stone for developing a trade relationship. This approach raises a range of questions for the water sanitation and hygiene sector. To name a few: 

• Are aid and trade interchangeable or sequential interventions?
• Will they serve the same groups, or should they be seen as separate interventions?
• How will Dutch policy alter the roles of NGOS, government and private sector?
• Will trade target the poor and those currently unserved, or will it focus on improving levels of service for the middle class?
• Will the Dutch private sector be held accountable for the long-term effects of its investments, and if so, by and to whom?
• How does the Dutch agenda relate to international agreements on aid effectiveness?

Tomorrow's debate —The Limits of Aid, the Future of Trade? will shed light on opportunities and challenges of the aid-and-trade agenda for improving national WASH sectors and government leadership towards achieving water, sanitation and hygiene goals for everyone, for life.

A diverse group of speakers and panelists will debate these questions and present their views on the aid-and-trade agenda for development cooperation in the WASH sector. See the links below for more information.