Dutch advisory council: development aid model is outdated and needs overhaul

The Netherlands risks losing credibility and influence in a rapidly changing world unless it fundamentally rethinks the way it approaches international development cooperation, according to a new government advisory report. The advice, to be presented to Foreign Trade and Development Minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, argues that traditional aid relationships are no longer fit for a world in which countries in Africa, Asia and the Gulf have far more options and bargaining power than before. What would replace the old model, however, could reshape not only Dutch development policy but also its broader geopolitical strategy.