Stop the weakening of civil society organisations – listen to Parliament

Civic space is under pressure 

 
Civil society organisations are under increasing pressure worldwide: in the Global South, but also within Europe and the Netherlands. Governments are attempting to cut their funding, question the legitimacy of their work, hinder their access to justice, and exclude their voices from policy making.  
 
Civil society organisations (CSOs) are crucial to our democracy. They know what's happening on the ground and in local communities; they amplify the voices to those who are not heard and challenge the government to develop and implement better policies. This also applies to foreign and development cooperation policies. The knowledge and input of civil society organisations ensures that our policies align with the realities in other countries, where war, exploitation, and poverty are commonplace. CSOs bring and amplify the voices of people from these countries to our politicians and policy makers in The Hague. These organisations play a vital role, whether it concerns protecting women's rights and LGBTQIA+ rights, advocating for a clean and healthy environment, safe working conditions, freedom of religion and belief, democracy and rule of law, sustainable peace and security. This leads to better decision-making, which also benefits people in the Global South.  
The government should cherish and even facilitate this, as it is essential for a well-functioning democratic state. 
 
Instead, the current Dutch caretaker government is making this more difficult by prohibiting lobby and advocacy at the national level civil society organisations supported by funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is for a good reason that the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW) previously issued the warning that shrinking civic space poses a risk to the Dutch investment climate and international trade position. Goede Doelen Nederland (the industry association for certified charities) also expressed concerns about the increasing pressure on civil society and funding for NGOs in a letter to Prime Minister Schoof in January 2025. The Parliament has twice adopted a motion to reverse this by a majority. Nevertheless, the Schoof administration has maintained its position. This means a caretaker government is ignoring a clear wish from Parliament.  
 
We urge the government to listen to the Parliament and to strengthen the voice of civil society organisations, instead of weakening them.  
 

Signatories 

• Partos 
• MVO Platform  
• Breed 
• MensenrechtenOverleg 
• WO=MEN Dutch Gender Platform 
• Groene 11 

Together these signatories represent over 150 Dutch civil society organisations.