Datum: 09-05-2019Tijd: 10.00 - 12.00 uurLocatie: Commissarissen Zaal, Het Nutshuis, Den HaagWO=MEN Dutch Gender Platform invites you to the:
Roundtable Shadow Report UNSCR 2242:
What is the impact of countering financing terrorism on the work of Dutch CSO’s on gender equality and women’s rights worldwide?
Commissarissen Zaal, Het Nutshuis. The Hague
9 May 2019
10.00am – 12.00am
On May 9th WO=MEN Dutch Gender Platform, in collaboration with Human Security Collective will launch a shadow report on the impact of Dutch countering financing terrorism (CFT) measures on Dutch based organizations that work on women’s rights and gender equality worldwide. Policy makers, program coordinators and financial and legal officers of CSO’s, banks and governmental institutions are invited. Based on the outcomes we’ll dive deeper into the scope of the adverse impact of CFT faced by Dutch CSO’s. In addition, we’ll discuss recommendations for (I)NGO´s, donors and banks to tackle these problems.
You can register for the roundtable via
a.dekker@wo-men.nl or via
thalia@hscollective.org. Registration for this session is open until May 6th. Please note that there will be limited seats available. A detailed program will be provided after registration.
Context of the shadow report
The past years an increasing number of members and partners of WO=MEN Dutch Gender Platform have faced issues related to international and Dutch countering financing of terrorism (CFT) measures. To gain a better understanding of the impact of CFT measures on Dutch-based women’s organizations and organizations that work on women’s human rights and gender equality, the Gender, Peace and Security Working Group of WO=MEN initiated this shadow report. The report was written in close collaboration with Human Security Collective.
Impact of CFT measures
Over the years the focus on CFT as part of the global counter terrorism agenda has increased. However, the various interpretations of CFT rules by States’ and financial institutions in their policies have impacted the operating space of civil society, sometimes inadvertently and indirectly, sometimes intentionally and directly. Studies conducted by among others Duke International Human Rights Clinic & Women Peacemakers Program and Human Security Collective(1) specify how civil society organizations are experiencing limitations to transfer money to partners, increased administrative burdens and reporting requirements, freezing of assets, closure of bank accounts, and exclusion of financial and legal services. In practice, many of these trends overlap and are experienced simultaneously, which compound the potency of their effects.(2)
CFT measures have specific impacts on groups and organizations that work on gender equality and women’s rights in fragile and conflict affected contexts. In many contexts CFT adds to the social and political opposition these organizations often already face. As a consequence, these measures jeopardize the operating space of women’s rights activists, peace builders, humanitarian and development organizations to implement their mandates. In the long run it undermines the capacity of civil society to hold governments to account, provide much-needed aid and relief, and to advocate for political and social change.
UN Security Council Resolution 2242
In 2015 the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2242 (UNSCR2242). With this resolution the Security Council both acknowledges the importance to integrate a gender lens in countering terrorism strategies and the importance to cooperate with civil society to realize better approaches against terrorism and violent extremism. To ensure counterterrorism strategies do respect women human rights and women’s organizations the Security Council urges to develop targeted and evidence-based counterterrorism strategies. In addition, UNSCR 2242 urges Member States to ‘conduct and gather gender-sensitive research and data collection on […] the impacts of counter-terrorism strategies on women’s human rights and women’s organizations.’
The Netherlands has a long-standing tradition of promoting (women) human rights and gender equality worldwide as a foreign policy priority. This desire was reaffirmed by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs within its Foreign Trade and Development policy framework(3) and in its normative framework for its Foreign and Security Strategy(4). This includes the Dutch government’s efforts to engage women and civil society at large to prevent violent extremism and counter terrorism(5). Via funds as FLOW(6), the Addressing Root Causes Fund(7), Dialogue and Dissent(8), Leading from the South(9) and the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security(10) civil society organizations in the Netherlands and in Southern and Eastern countries are supported to promote, defend and implement (women) human rights, democracy, inclusive peace and security, rule of law and development.
However, to date, the Dutch government has not published any gender-sensitive research or data collection on the impacts of C(F)T or CVE on women’s rights organizations. It is unclear whether the Dutch Ministries of Finance, Foreign Affairs, the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV), financial institutions as the Dutch Central Bank, or any other relevant entity has assessed or monitors whether existing Dutch C(F)T or CVE measures respect women’s human rights and women’s organizations. Questions raised by the Dutch Parliament on this topic end of 2015 and in 2017 did result in the acknowledgement of the problem by former minister of Trade and Development, Ms. Ploumen. But it did never result in (public) information on the perceived impact of Dutch C(F)T and CVE measures on Dutch based organizations(11).
It is crucial to gain insight on how CFT effects are felt by Dutch organizations, including those that work on women’s human rights and gender equality. Not in the least to understand the coherence of Dutch international policies on countering violent extremism and terrorism and its commitments to supporting human rights, women’s rights and robust democracies.
[1] Duke Law International Human Rights Clinic and Women Peacemakers Program,
Tightening the
Purse Strings: What Countering Terrorism Financing Costs Gender Equality and Security (2017).
Charity & Security Network, Financial Access for US NPOs (2017).
HSC & ECNL,
At the Intersection of Security and Regulation: Understanding the Drivers of ‘De-Risking’ and the Impact on Civil Society Organizations (2018).
[2] Transnational Institute (2017)
On "shrinking space”: a framing paper
[3] Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (2018),
Investing in Global Prospects: For the World, For the Netherlands.
[4] Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (2018),
Wereldwijd voor een Veilig Nederland: Een Geïntegreerde Buitenland- en Veiligheidsstrategie 2018-2022, pp 11.
[5] Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and Development, Bert Koenders and Lilianne Ploumen (8 maart 2016),
Kamerbrief Vrouwen, Vrede en Veiligheid, pp 2.
[6] Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (2014 ),
Funding And Leadership Opportunities for Women (FLOW)
[7]Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (2016 ),
Addressing Root Causes Fund
[8] Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (2014 ),
Grant Programme Dialogue and Dissent: Strategic Partnerships for Lobby and Advocacy
[9] Website
Leading from the South
[10] 1325 Dutch NAP Partnership (2016).
The Netherlands Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2016-2019
[11] Letters to Parliament
BSG-2015.11321(26 November 2015) and
BZDOC-12345421577-13(23 October 2017).
