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Self Report 2017

The self-report on WHS Commitments below is organized according to the 24 transformations of the Agenda for Humanity. It is based on commitments pledged at the time of report submission. Click on the 'Expand' symbol to expand each section and read the reporting inputs by transformation.

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2E
Uphold the rules: a global campaign to affirm the norms that safeguard humanity

Joint Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility

  • The Netherlands pledges to continue to promote universalization of the Convention on Cluster Munitions. It will continue to promote compliance and adherence, and to reinforce the norms being established by the Convention. It will uphold its commitment to foster the humanitarian standards set by the Convention and to work for a world without cluster munitions. The Netherlands remains gravely concerned about the continued use of cluster munitions and will continue to condemn any use by any actor.


  • Advocacy
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
Partners: State Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Commit to promote and enhance respect for international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and refugee law, where applicable.
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    The Netherlands has long been a staunch promoter of international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL). By making this commitment, we have sought to reaffirm this position and to underline the importance of increasing respect for IHL and IHRL, and to thereby improve respect, for example, for the protection of civilians.

  • Achievements at a glance

    As the President of the Meeting of States Parties (MSP) of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM; Geneva, 5-7 September 2016) the Netherlands has promoted universalisation of, as well as compliance with and adherence to the Convention. A Political Declaration was drafted and adopted by all Parties to the Convention, in which any use of cluster munitions by any actor was condemned. By doing so, the norm against cluster munitions (and in favor of respect for IHL) was strengthened. Moreover, 2030 was identified as the year in which all Parties will be rid of cluster munition contamination on their territory.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Progress is monitored through reporting by all CCM States Parties. During the MSP in September, the Netherlands’ Presidency and the CCM Implementation Support Unit encouraged more reporting by setting up a reporting booth, which contributed to more complete reporting. Moreover, universalisation efforts are assessed by the number of CCM States Parties, and efforts to strengthen the norms on non-use of cluster munitions are assessed by the number of incidents of the use of cluster munitions.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    The CCM is a work in progress; its implementation carries challenges that are similar to many new treaties. Chief among those are universalisation and implementation (including clearance of cluster munition, which takes a lot of time due to the levels of contamination). Moreover, inaccurate initial estimates of contamination by cluster munitions has in some countries led to the need to re-assess the extent to which territory is contaminated. Finally, the fact that some countries still consider cluster munitions to be an essential weapon for defense of their territory hampers universalisation efforts.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    The Netherlands has, together with Norway, become co-coordinator for clearance during the 2016-2018 period, and will in that capacity continue to contribute to clearance efforts. The Netherlands particularly stresses the need for accurate estimations of cluster munition contamination and the value of both technical and non-technical surveys in determining said contamination. The Netherlands also values the German-devised concept of ‘country coalitions’.

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑2D - Take concrete steps to improve compliance and accountability

3D
Empower and protect women and girls

Joint Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility
  • The Netherlands commits to reduce the gap between the need of women and girls for sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services and the services provided in humanitarian and conflict by: (i) Jointly with UNFPA, the Netherlands will ensure that the need for adequate funding, integration and operational prioritization of SRH in humanitarian appeals is high on the international agenda, on the interagency agenda both within and outside the UN. Therefore, the Netherlands commits to seconds a staff member to UNFPA in support of this work. (ii) Jointly with the International AIDS Society, the Netherlands ensures that the integration of HIV/AIDS prevention and care in humanitarian interventions is on the agenda of the HIV/AIDS conferences in Durban (2016) and Amsterdam (2018), for development of operational recommendations. (iii) The Netherlands commits to work with UNFPA on repositioning of UNFPA Supplies, a facility providing governments and humanitarian actors with fast and cost-effective access to an adequate range of quality SRH commodities. (iv) The Netherlands and the Inter Agency Working Group (IAWG) for Reproductive Health in Crises will work on updating adequate training modules for humanitarian staff and to focus on SRHR related aspects. In addition, the Netherlands and the Inter Agency Working Group contribute to the revision of the Minimal Initial Service Package (MISP). (v) The Netherlands commits to cooperates with IPAS on training related to safe abortion and post-abortion care in humanitarian crises.
  • Operational
  • Leave No One Behind
Partners: UNFPA, International AIDS Society, Inter-Agency Working Group, IPAS

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility
  • The Netherlands commits to allocate funding (including pooled funding) only to humanitarian actions that explicitly include a gender analysis with sex and age disaggregated data, and which can demonstrate how they meet women and girls needs equally with men and boys, by 2018.
  • Financial
  • Leave No One Behind

  • The Netherlands commits to comply with and submit to monitoring to ensure women and girls are equally protected under international humanitarian law and receive medical care without adverse distinction as the "wounded or sick", by 2018.


  • Operational
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind

  • The Netherlands commits to ensure national accountability mechanisms to monitor the extent to which gender equality and women's empowerment is implemented in crisis settings.


  • Operational
  • Leave No One Behind

  • The Netherlands commits to ensure that all humanitarian response plans and programmes include gender responsive and gender inclusive financial monitoring tools that can be applied throughout the humanitarian programme cycle.


  • Policy
  • Leave No One Behind

  • The Netherlands commits to ensure that all policy and legal responses to displaced populations recognize the gender-specific needs of displaced women and girls at different stages of the displacement cycle - during flight, settlement and return - and do not discriminate different groups (including women with disabilities, older women, women with HIV/AIDS, women belonging to ethnic, national, sexual or religious minorities).


  • Policy
  • Leave No One Behind
  • The Netherlands commits to ensuring the meaningful and equitable participation of women and adolescent girls (including women with disabilities, older women, women with HIV/AIDS, women belonging to ethnic, national, sexual or religious minorities) in the leadership of humanitarian preparedness, response, protection and recovery programmes, and the formulation of humanitarian policy. In particular, the Netherlands commits to ensuring meaningful participation of women and adolescent girls in all formal and informal decision-making from refugee camp committees to peace processes, reaching parity with men and adolescent boys by 2030. It commits to striving towards a minimum of 30% representation and meaningful participation of women in all local, national and international peace negotiations and conflict transformation processes. Further, the Netherlands encourages all actors to advance women's participation in humanitarian action, and actively support the use of social accountability tools and processes to bring women's voices into needs assessments, design, monitoring and evaluation of humanitarian programming as well as disaster risk reduction and preparedness efforts.
  • Operational
  • Leave No One Behind

  • The Netherlands commits to prioritize the empowerment and engagement of local and national organizations that promote women's rights and gender equality. In particular, it commits to strengthen partnerships with a diverse range of local and national women's rights organisations on both policy decision-making and practice; it commits to ensuring that women can equally access cash assistance programmes, sustainable and dignified livelihoods, vocational and skills training opportunities throughout the humanitarian programme cycle by 2020; and it commits to support INGOs, including international women's organizations, to play their role in strengthening the capacity of local and national women's right organizations, sharing knowledge and expertise and creating meaningful partnerships, with the aim to increase the absorption capacity of local and national organizations.


  • Operational
  • Leave No One Behind

  • The Netherlands funds programmes and commits to advocate for better inclusion of the voices of the most marginalised groups, especially women and girls, in all stages of the humanitarian programming process.


  • Advocacy
  • Leave No One Behind Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

  • The Netherlands has joined the Secretary General's Every Woman Every Child Everywhere initiative and commits to its corresponding roadmap, by 2017, to work to end all preventable deaths of women and adolescent girls in crisis settings.


  • Policy
  • Leave No One Behind
  • The Netherlands supports increased funding for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services in humanitarian response by holding structural political dialogues with Emergency Directors and staff working in humanitarian agencies and NGOs that it funds, stressing the importance of SRHR in humanitarian aid and applying a comprehensive internationally accepted gender marker that is SRHR sensitive.
  • Financial
  • Leave No One Behind
  • The Netherlands will apply the IASC, ECHO or other gender and age marker to 100% of its humanitarian funding allocations by 2018, in order to extend the monitoring of gender-equality measures across the full cycle of humanitarian programming, and promote more rigorous accountability.
  • Financial
  • Leave No One Behind

  • The Netherlands will continue and tailor to crisis settings the support to the implementation of the targets for the 2030 Agenda on maternal, newborn and adolescent health to ensure safe delivery, emergency obstetric, ante-natal and post-natal services in crisis settings, improved access to information, voluntary family planning, and basic items for safe delivery and sanitary supplies, necessary medical and psychological services for SGBV survivors as well as improved capacity of health systems and workers with immediate effect. In addition, the Netherlands commits to a better provision of comprehensive sexuality education, increased access to safe-abortion facilities and measures and post-abortion care during humanitarian crises.


  • Operational
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind
  • The Netherlands will support humanitarian programmes that are inclusive and stimulate access to sexual reproductive health for all, including adolescents and other marginalized groups (not discriminating on the basis of age, gender, location, sexual orientation and/or marital status).
  • Operational
  • Leave No One Behind
  • The Netherlands will support initiatives to improve availability of reproductive health commodities, from the beginning of a crisis response until recovery and if necessary beyond. This will include support for supply and distribution systems, in particular for contraceptives and reproductive health lifesaving medicines.
  • Operational
  • Leave No One Behind

  • The Netherlands will support strategies for sexual and reproductive health and rights capacity-building by supporting the review of the Minimal Initial Service Package and the application of the IASC Gender Based Violence guidelines.


  • Operational
  • Leave No One Behind
  • The Netherlands will support the inclusion of more sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) indicators in data collection and analysis, e.g. rapid needs assessments and monitoring & evaluation, and in humanitarian programs coordinated by the protection and health clusters of the humanitarian system.
  • Policy
  • Leave No One Behind
  • The Netherlands will take a leading role in supporting funding and programming of access to modern (emergency) contraceptives, including access to and training concerning safe abortion, as elementary in the first humanitarian aid package, as well as comprehensive sexuality education for adolescents (both girls and boys), psychosocial support, and the promotion of LGBT rights.
  • Financial
  • Leave No One Behind

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Empower Women and Girls as change agents and leaders, including by increasing support for local women's groups to participate meaningfully in humanitarian action.
  • Leave No One Behind
  • Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the Outcome documents of their review conferences for all women and adolescent girls in crisis settings.
  • Leave No One Behind
  • Ensure that humanitarian programming is gender responsive.
  • Leave No One Behind
  • Fully comply with humanitarian policies, frameworks and legally binding documents related to gender equality, women's empowerment, and women's rights.
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    The Netherlands is committed to improving access to sexual and reproductive health services and commodities for people, particularly women and girls in crisis situations, to providing them with adequate medicines, contraceptives, and safe abortion services so that unwanted pregnancies can be prevented or safely terminated. The Dutch policy on gender equality stresses both the need to improve protective measures, increasing access to all necessary medical care of high quality (including safe abortions) and empowering women and girls. Women and girls in all settings should have the right and the means to decide for themselves.

  • Achievements at a glance

    - Netherlands has seconded a staff member to UNFPA working on prioritizing sexual and reproductive health in the international and humanitarian agenda. It is in the process of seconding a gender expert (P4) to UN Women’s Humanitarian Action and Crisis Response Unit in Geneva.
    - Netherlands works closely with organizations such as IPPF, IPAS and MSI supporting their work in crisis settings and has committed to support the IAWG in updating training modules for humanitarian staff.
    - Netherlands continuously stresses the importance of SRHR and gender equality in humanitarian aid in strategic dialogue with its implementing partners.
    - Netherlands asks implementing partners to comply with the standards of the Minimum Initial Service Package.
    - Netherlands supports UN missions in preventing and responding to sexual violence in conflict situations.
    - The Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation launched the “She Decides” initiative on 26th of January 2017, safeguarding funding for family planning for women in developing countries, including in crisis settings.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    For promotion of SRHR, including HIV/AIDS in humanitarian aid and fragile contexts, coverage of the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP), including basic obstetric care (BeMOC) will be assessed. To assess promotion of gender equality and better protection and empowerment of women and girls the Netherlands will encourage its implementing partners to systematically use the gender marker and increase the level to which their programmes contribute to gender equality.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    One of the main challenges is shifting policy to practice. Despite progress made - especially related to the development of standards to address sexual and gender-based violence and sexual and reproductive health in crises – services and protective measures on the ground are often not available. Situations are complex, the issues sensitive and resources scarce. Although the importance of empowering women to participate in relief and recovery in displacement and humanitarian settings is acknowledged, the weak capacity of women’s organizations is a major challenge.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    Next steps to take are:
    - Mainstreaming SRHR and gender equality in Dutch humanitarian and development policies and broadly communicating this policy to partners.
    - Standard inclusion of SRHR services and protective measures for women and girls in humanitarian appeals.
    - Together with UNFPA and UN Women continue prioritizing SRH and gender in the international and humanitarian agenda.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Gender ☑ People-centred approach

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑2D - Take concrete steps to improve compliance and accountability

5A
Invest in local capacities

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility

  • Recent changes in Dutch regulations mean unearmarked support can be provided to foreign NGOs (some Dutch NGOs are already provided core funding).


  • Financial
  • Invest in Humanity
  • As a way of channeling more funds to local responders, Netherlands is a strong supporter of country-based pooled funds and will continue to increase its contributions as a proportion of total assistance. Over past years, Netherlands has also been consistently a top 5 donor of CERF.
  • Financial
  • Invest in Humanity

  • The Netherlands commits to continue funding sustainable solutions to crises, as is done in the context of Syria. In addition the Netherlands commits to fund national and local development plans that focus on inclusion of refugees to increase resilience and ensure development opportunities (linked to education and employability).


  • Financial
  • Leave No One Behind Invest in Humanity
  • The Netherlands has invested in strengthening capacities of number of national societies of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in the past decade as important actors in national disaster preparedness and response. It will continue long-term investments in strengthening the role and capacity of local actors, especially through the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
  • Financial
  • Invest in Humanity

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Commit to empower national and local humanitarian action by increasing the share of financing accessible to local and national humanitarian actors and supporting the enhancement of their national delivery systems, capacities and preparedness planning.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    Netherlands attaches great value to the role of CSOs and the private sector in protection and assistance. These organizations can assist and add value to the role of governments, hold governments accountable and in cases where the government is not able, or failing, provide essential life-saving/sustaining services. It is important that capacities of local actors are strengthened. This means both investing in strengthening capacities and empowerment by giving these organizations a formal role in the system. Direct funding is a way to strengthen roles of local actors, alongside participation of local actors in all aspects of the Humanitarian Program Cycle.

  • Achievements at a glance

    In 2016 the Netherlands approved a 3 year EUR 7 million program to strengthen humanitarian response capacity of 5 national Red Cross/Red Crescent organizations. This program is part of the wider IFRC/ICRC program to strengthen national Red Cross/Red Crescent organizations.
    - Netherlands also gives unearmarked support to UN organizations like UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF, UNRWA and OCHA. It is indirectly contributing to strengthening humanitarian preparedness and response capacities of governments via these organisations.
    - Netherlands sees funding to country-based pooled funds as a practical and efficient mechanism to fund local actors directly; in 2016 with EUR 60 million (14% of humanitarian spending).
    - Netherlands is revising its humanitarian policy and drafting a new policy framework for the next 5 years. We are considering to fund a program to strengthen humanitarian capacities of national/local CSOs. The policy will be based on the humanitarian results framework developed in 2016 (preparedness/capacity building of local actors is one of the pillars).

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Within the program with the Dutch Red Cross, a baseline of existing capacities of the 5 national societies at the start of the program was made. The program has developed indicators (process, output and outcome) to measure progress over the 3-year period. The Dutch Red Cross reports on a yearly base; the first report is due in summer 2017.

    UN organizations report on activities each year, including their activities related to strengthening response and preparedness capacities of national governments. However, the resources for and activities related to strengthening disaster management and response capacities of government institutions are limited because of underfunding.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    - Growth of funding has not kept pace with the fast growing needs. The consequence is that limited funds are available for DRR of which preparedness is a key element.
    - Strengthening capacities of local actors requires a long-term and sustained holistic approach that focuses on organization development (strengthening capacity of an organization) and institutional development (strengthening horizontal relationships and collaboration) between organizations. Until now capacity building has focused on short term “training” of staff, which is important but just one aspect of organizational development. The Netherlands funded Red Cross/Crescent capacity building program is a good example of a long-term holistic approach.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    The Netherlands will monitor progress of the Red Cross capacity building program and take stock of achievements of the results of capacity building efforts by humanitarian partners. The Netherlands will also revise its humanitarian policy, which will include a section on preparedness.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Country-based pooled funds ☑ Disaster Risk Reduction

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑4A - Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems ☑ 4B - Anticipate, do not wait, for crises

5E
Diversify the resource base and increase cost-efficiency

Joint Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility
  • Mapping the investment of affected host communities and systems, the Netherlands will fund the development of a generosity tracker by CIVICUS.
  • Financial
  • Invest in Humanity
Partners: CIVICUS

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility

  • Recognizing the costs associated with donor requirements, the Netherlands is committed to lessen the burden on agencies by harmonizing requirements.


  • Financial
  • Invest in Humanity

  • The Netherlands is a strong supporter of cash assistance. With a 63% share of unearmarked funding (2009-2014), Netherlands allows agencies to make their own decisions as to the most effective, dignified methods of delivering aid.


  • Financial
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
  • The Netherlands is committed to joint regular functional monitoring and performance reviews and reduce individual assessments, evaluations, verifications, risk management and oversight processes.
  • Financial
  • Invest in Humanity
  • The Netherlands is in the process of launching a help desk for support to Dutch partners in using IATI.
  • Financial
  • Invest in Humanity

  • The Netherlands supports IATI and will continue to do so.


  • Financial
  • Invest in Humanity

  • The Netherlands will harmonize the open data requirements with other donors, so that the "report once, use often" principle applies to partners using their open data to report to more donors.


  • Financial
  • Invest in Humanity

  • The Netherlands commits to reduce the reporting requirements by accepting progress reporting through IATI (compatible with Dutch guidelines), and is prepared to harmonize reporting guidelines with other donors.


  • Financial
  • Invest in Humanity

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Commit to increase substantially and diversify global support and share of resources for humanitarian assistance aimed to address the differentiated needs of populations affected by humanitarian crises in fragile situations and complex emergencies, including increasing cash-based programming in situations where relevant.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
  • Commit to promote and increase predictable, multi-year, unearmarked, collaborative and flexible humanitarian funding toward greater efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and accountability of humanitarian action for affected people.
  • Invest in Humanity

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    The Netherlands is a strong supporter/champion of the Grand Bargain to reform the humanitarian sector: reduce management/overhead work and increase the effect of humanitarian assistance. By providing unearmarked, multi-annual and flexible funding, aid can be provided flexibly, quickly and effectively. Netherlands already gives most of its funding in a flexible and unearmarked manner. Implementing partners from their side will have to work as efficiently as possible and show results of unearmarked funding to attract more from other donors. It is imperative that the positive effects of unearmarked aid are undisputed and well known so that donors will opt for flexible funding.

  • Achievements at a glance

    Netherlands is actively promoting the use of IATI. From 2017 onwards, Dutch partners have to report to IATI. Discussions are ongoing with other donors to harmonize reporting requirements. As co-convener of the transparency work stream of the Grand Bargain, Netherlands is supporting the use of open humanitarian data to enhance transparency of results & funding. By linking to other Grand Bargain work streams such as reporting, Netherlands aims to lessen the pressure on implementing organizations by harmonizing reporting requirements by advocating for unearmarked funding and use of cash and joint evaluation and monitoring whenever applicable. Netherlands also funds the set-up of the generosity tracker, meant to enhance transparency of aid flows from local communities. By supporting the OCHA data center in The Hague, the Netherlands also contributes to more transparency and accountability, by providing more data on e.g. humanitarian aid flows, which can lead to more efficiency and effectiveness in aid delivery.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Most of the Dutch commitments are already implemented and can be considered current policy. As co-convener of the Grand Bargain on transparency, the Netherlands is actively engaged with Development Initiatives and to a lesser extent with the Red Cross/Crescent movement and ICVA to advocate for implementation of the open data standard commitments. The Grand Bargain commitments are regularly monitored, both internally and externally.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Challenges are time and capacity constraints to fully implement all of the commitments in the first 2 years. Since most of the commitments and effects can only be reached by working together with other parties, it will take time to ensure change. Another challenge is the fluctuation in funding and uncertainty due to the Dutch elections. In 2017 less flexible funds are available, resulting in less opportunities to change policy.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    The Netherlands will revise the Dutch humanitarian policy to include WHS and Grand Bargain commitments and continue to work on the transparency work stream in the context of the Grand Bargain.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Diversify the resource base and increase cost-efficiency', what would it be

    What is needed is more transparency of what has been achieved and how efficiently funds are used throughout the aid chain (from donor to affected populations). By using one open data system and a harmonized set of reporting definitions and requirements, organizations can focus more time and funds on humanitarian aid, instead of overhead, while donors have more clarity on what has been achieved and by whom.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Cash

  • Specific initiatives

    ☑Centre for Humanitarian Data ☑ Grand Bargain

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑5D - Finance outcomes, not fragmentation: shift from funding to financing