Netherlands Visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Oikocredit

By: Katherine Marshall

December 15, 2006

Responding to a long-standing invitation from the Institute of Social Studies, based in the Hague, I visited the Netherlands this week. The trip was essentially in my "new life" as a professor, but because the World Bank and its work, and the issues of religion and development were so very central, I summarize the discussions for both Bank and Georgetown colleagues.

Salient points include the strong and quite new focus among a quite wide range of Dutch institutions on the issues of religion as it relates to the development agenda , free-flowing debates about the topic with quite different views in the arena, strong links to the hot public policy issues of the day including security, migration, and multiculturalism, and probing interest in implications of our work (the World Bank and the Berkley Center/WFDD) for development generally and specific topics like socially responsible investing, environment, and dialogue with Muslim countries more specifically. The experience and status of the World Bank/IMF/World Council of Churches dialogue process came into the picture from several directions. Apart from the rich intellectual content of the discussions, the debates have relevance for ongoing IDA discussions and for bilateral relations with the Netherlands and other European countries because they flag the growing interest and tenor of debate on the question of how, indeed, are religion and development linked and what can and should we do about it.

ISS

The centerpiece of the visit was a day long seminar on December 12 at the Institute of Social Studies, chaired (and inspired) by Professor Gerrie der Haar (a noted scholar of religion with a focus on Africa). ISS is a leading development research and graduate training institution (its website describes it as Europe's leading development studies center - http://www.iss.nl/about_iss), with much of its student body coming from developing countries. I was the keynote speaker, with a presentation on development and religion; it focused on the World Bank: what the Bank has done in relation to religion, what it has learned, and what issues have arisen. Professor Eelke de Jong was the other major presenter, focusing on a review of research on religion and development from an academic perspective. Some 140 people were registered, from the ISS and the broader development community (including NGOs and government).

The meeting's focus was on "new partnerships", especially faith-inspired organizations for operations and research, and it was organized jointly with the Knowledge Center on religion and development, which is a roughly two year old organization primarily comprised of NGOs, which focuses on religion and development. The Knowledge Center includes Cordaid, ICCO, the Islamic University of Rotterdam, Stichting-Oikos, and the Seva Network (Hindu).

The introduction by ISS' rector was telling. He focused on the highly divergent approaches to religion among different elements of the ISS community, yet observed that to date the topic had rarely entered into discussions and programs. The student body, he hypothesized, was keenly interested in religion and often strongly motivated by it (he was moved by the dedication of the thesis of an African student). The professors tended to be rather sceptical, "doubters", one person observed, while administrative staff probably fell between. He indicated his pleasure that the topic was centrally on the agenda, and left no doubt of his conviction that the issues have central importance for ISS's work.

The discussions during a full day of intensive exchange focused on many topics but some highlights included the following (these were reflected in my closing comments):

-Focus on the insights gained on multiple public policy implications of the issues discussed: they matter, stakes are high, and range from micro issues like strategies on malaria bed net distribution to macro security issues.
-Better knowledge can shape development policies and programs in positive ways
-Difficulties of definition (the wise rector emeritus suggested that there is little point in devoting much energy to defining religion, faith, spirituality etc as it can tie us all in knots).
-Dangers in lumping all "religion" into a basket given its enormous diversity and complexity.
-Nonetheless focusing on what words mean is essential in efforts that cross disciplinary boundaries and different world views.
-Questions around "instrumentality" - hesitations when development agencies view faith organizations as instruments to convey messages or implement programs, or, in contrast, faith organizations view development finance as a support for religious work.
-Clear recognition of multiple dimensions, religion AND development as part of the solution, part of the problem.
-Focus on searching for common ground, and on dialogue as a central instrument.
-Focus on issues for weak and failing states and potential avenues for increasing knowledge there.
-Frequent return to the ends of development, which is clearly more than a "prosperity gospel" about wealth.

Economics is a means to an end which is increasingly defined in broad terms of human dignity and welfare. But the image of development institutions as driven by wealth alone is quite persistent. In their images of development institutions (and referring to the WCC dialogue), three "Es" echo the three "Ds" which I presented:
(a) the idea that Empire is at issue, dominance, with links to US policy;
(b) Concern with the Effects of development policy, with special reference (still) to structural adjustment and debt; and
(c) Enigma: the large institutions are poorly known and understood.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

I was contacted quite separately some months ago by an official of the Foreign Affairs Ministry about the World Bank's work on religion and development, and had met the key staff during the WCRP Kyoto Assembly. They organized a presentation to Ministry staff and some cooperating NGOs on November 13, chaired by Rob de Vos, deputy Director-General and chair of the Knowledge Forum. I was to meet the Minister but she was out of the country.

The context is a significant new initiative (two years old) inspired by the current Minister of Development (Ms. Agnes van Ardenne), who is keenly interested in the topic of how religion relates to development. A result has been a "Knowledge Forum" which is jointly run by the Ministry and NGOs and which focuses on issues for religion. Among other issues the Forum focuses on religion and conflict (for example focusing on southern Sudan), religion and key development issues like HIV/AIDS and gender, and FBOs as "drivers of change". The Forum seeks our active engagement and support.

There was considerable discussion of how the Knowledge Center and Knowledge Forum relate; there is considerable overlap in membership but the key difference is that the Forum is led by the Ministry whereas government is not involved in the Center. Their objectives have much in common and there is considerable cooperation.

I was impressed by the turnout at the sandwich lunch (some 30 officers and NGOs), and the lively discussion. It covered the full gamut of issues including probing on the Bank experience and its future directions and risks and issues. There was a particular focus on the roles of faith institutions in weak and failing states.

Oikocredit

My visit coincided with a meeting hosted by Oikocredit in Amersfoort about socially responsible/faith consistent investment, so I was invited to participate and speak on December 11. This was a small group which was meeting a second time, comprising people with significant investment responsibilities within religious organizations. Their goal is both more transparency on criteria for investing and better instruments to direct investments in socially responsible and "faith-consistent" directions. The meeting was a highly professional and quite revealing exploration of this complex field, with particularly interesting presentations by Ben Simmes from Oikocredit, Laurence Loubieres, Xavierian Sister and Meeschaert Asset Manager, and Neville White, secretary to the Church of England Ethical Investment Advisory Group. Among practical issues discussed were networks and website outreach.

Michiel Hardon, a founding member and director of 3iG (International Interfaith Investment Group) and long-time World Council of Churches Finance director, participated and the links between this effort (largely Christian in focus), the ICCR (Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility) and 3iG emerged through his engagement. Also noteworthy (and exemplified in Oikocredit itself) are strengthening links with microfinance approaches and institutions.

I urge that the links established with these groups be developed as we move forward. Overall I was impressed, compared to earlier encounters, by the significant advances in both thinking and mobilization within a community concerned with the social impact and practices of investment managers. There was a particular focus on transparency in the sense of being publicly clear about the criteria and risks of investment decisions, despite recognition that such transparency can at times invite fractious discussion (as one person said, we can "put our fingers in a wound". Two other comments that stick in my mind: "We should be as shrewd as the sons of this world"; and an urging to focus on process as much as on outcome. An underlying tension in many such discussions turns around benchmarks and whether the implication of SRI or FCI is accepting lower returns. The tension remains but the overall approach at least of this group is that sound investment with good returns should be quite consistent with keen attention to social and environmental dimensions.

Rabbi Soetendorp

I was able to meet Rabbi Soetendorp who is a leading figure in the Netherlands and internationally on issues of respect and tolerance. He is a passionate advocate of the Earth Charter and of making the MDGs a centerpiece of interfaith work, and is also a member of the Council of 100 of the World Economic Forum. Among other topics we explored the potential for engaging the Netherlands Government in the C100 Education work program which focuses on education for respect in multicultural settings. The education minister has expressed considerable interest in engagement and when the current political situation is clarified Rabbi Soetendorp intends to follow up with her or her successor.

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