Connecting for Global Change: Worldconnectors Yearbook 2011

ConneCting for global ChangeThe Round Table foR PeoPle and The PlaneT

Food SecurityGreen economyVital local communitieS

YeaRbook

2011

worldconnectorS 20111

connectinG For GloBal cHanGe

content

introduction to the worldconnectors

meet the worldconnectors

events in 2011

media coverage in 2011

tHeme Green economy

tHeme Vital communities

tHeme Food security

worldconnectors taking action

reflections on 20112012

Behind the scenes

If the world is a stage the year 2011 gave us some spectacular drama The effects of the financial crisis and other crises were felt globally In the meantime the potential of the Internet and social media to mobilise the masses was aptly demonstrated by what became known as the Arab Spring Another powerful message was sent out by the Occupy movement These and other events of public outspokenness were enough reason for Time magazine to pronounce 2011 the Year of the Protester This yearrsquos Worldconnectors yearbook is the first to appear exclusively in digital form The sustainability advantages of a paperless issue are of course self-evident And in a world that is increasingly geared towards online presence the Worldconnectors feel this format affords us an efficient way to expand our readershipIn 2011 the Worldconnectors focused on several themes One such theme was Food Security The past year showed unrelentingly elevated food prices leaving the poorest of the world in dire need of one of the most basic conditions for life The Worldconnectors released an updated version of their vision document on Food Security Green Economy was another theme high on the agenda of the Worldconnectors leading to the True Price Initiative Another topic of great interest to Worldconnectors was the theme Vital

Communities to learn more about how these communities arise and about the ways in which they contribute to tackling global challenges For the Worldconnectors 2011 was a year with a festive tinge as we were able to celebrate our fifth anniversary At a moment when our collective is still both fresh and firmly established the Worldconnectors judged the time fit to look back on our first years and evaluate how we are to continue promoting our vision of a just peaceful and sustainable world to policy makers world-wideMeanwhile the climate in the Netherlands is facing a change In both social and political terms the Dutch public debate has become more inward looking The work the World-connectors do is all the more important exactly for this reason although it is on some levels increasingly difficult to find responsive audiences In this light it is heartening that Dutch consumers again spent more on sustainable products last year and that the number of companies turning towards more sustainable ways of production has shown exponential growth As Worldconnectors we will continue to connect different sectors and people and to promote our vision of a world that is just peaceful and sustainable for all

Sylvia Borren and Herman Wijffels

From the co-chairs

3489

111213141617


Welcome


Introduction to the Worldconnectors

ABOUT THE WORLDCONNECTORS Who we areThe Worldconnectors are opinion leaders in the public business policy civil society and political arena Inspired by the UN Millen-nium Declaration and the Earth Charter we all share the ambition to build a sustainable and peaceful global society We critically analyse current trends and introduce new and innovative views to tackle global challenges We emphasise global interdependence the connections between all members of local national and global society

Our mission The mission of the Worldconnectors Round Table for People and the Planet is to encourage and enhance the role of the Netherlands - in all dimensions of society - as a key player in the global community of nations and peoples with the urgent aim of working towards a just sustainable inclusive and peaceful world

What we doThe Worldconnectors meet four times a year at a Round Table Meeting to engage in cross-sector dialogue on relevant themes We speak out within our own networks and in public on matters related to international solidarity global sustainable development and universal responsibility We endeavour to advance a global perspec-tive on the political agenda and the policy debate in the Netherlands We also aim to reinforce a global mindset amongst the Dutch public

How we do itIn preparation for each Round Table Meeting a selection of World-connectors and a number of external experts with a special interest in a particular theme collaborate in a Working Group We generally draft a central Statement or discussion document which explains our vision on a specific theme what the added value of the Worldconnec-tors is and how this vision is relevant for a wider public The Statement incorporates the perspectives of different stakeholders including those in developing countries Some Working Groups choose other means of stimulating the debate such as organising public outreach initiating direct dialogue with politicians journalists and other opinion leaders while others combine these activities

oVerView oF tHemeS

Worldconnectors themes 2011Green economy

Vital local communities

Worldconnectors themes 2010the Future of international cooperation

Food Security

Worldconnectors themes 2009Financial Systems

europe in the world

Sustainable world citizenship

Gender amp diversity

Worldconnectors themes 2008Sustainable development amp climate change

connection of civilisations

new Scarcities

Worldconnectors themes 2007migration amp development

Global Human Security

millennium development Goals

Policy coherence

Most of us participate in public events or media activities to raise attention for the themes Furthermore our website is used as a platform for dialogue with people interested in the Worldconnectors and their issues

More information can be found on the Worldconnectors website wwwworldconnectorsnl


Meet the Worldconnectors

Meet tHe WOrld-cOnnectOrs

ad melkertSpecial Representative of the Secretary-General at the UN for Iraq and former Minister of Social Affairs and Employment

Jan PronkProfessor of Theory and Practice of International Development at the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague and former Minister of Development Cooperation and the Environment He is President of SID International

Herman mulderIndependent adviser Chairman of the Global Reporting Initiative member of the Supervisory Boards of NCDO and Utz Certified member of the Advisory Board of TEEB former Senior Executive Vice President Group Risk Management of the ABN AMRO Bank

Harm eVert

waalkenSFormer member of the Dutch Parliament and owner of an organic dairy farm Harm Evert Waalkens joined the Worldconnectors in 2011

lynn ZeBedaCo-Founder of Dr Monk and consultant in the field of leadership development and social entrepreneurship Member of the Steering Group as of September 2011

JoS Van GenniPCurrently President of Socires and President of the NCDO Board until December 2011 Jos van Gennip left the Steering Group at the end of 2011 He is one of the initiators of the Worldconnectors and a former member of the Dutch Senate

JoriS VoorHoeVeProfessor of International Organisations at Leiden University lecturer Inter-national Peace Justice and Security at The Hague University of Ap-plied Sciences and Director of the Amartya Sen Foun dation for Re-search on International Cooperation He is a for-mer Minister of Defense

Bert koenderSUnited Nations Envoy for the Ivory Coast and former Dutch National Parliament Minister Bert Koenders joined the Worldconnectors towards the end of 2011

ton dietZDirector of the African Study Centre Professor in the Study of African Development at Leiden University and Professor in Human Geography at the University of Amsterdam Ton Dietz left the Steering Group at the end of 2011

reneacute GrotenHuiSDirector of the international develop-ment organisation Cordaid and President of SID Netherlands

Jan BertelinGChairman of the ATMS Foundation for AMSCO Projects a former Ambas-sador of the Netherlands to the FAO and former SID NL Board Member Jan Berteling decided that he was unable to invest sufficient time in the Worldconnectors and re-signed in April 2011

ruud luBBerSOne of the initiators and first chair of the Worldconnectors an active member of the Earth Charter Commission former Prime Minister of the Netherlands and former UN Commissioner for Refugees

Steering group

Prominent Political Persons

Herman wiJFFelSCo-chair of the World connectors and Professor of Sustainabil-ity and Social Change at the University of Utrecht Previous functions include head of the Rabobank Dutch Representative at the World Bank and leader of the negotiations for the Dutch cabinet formation in 2007

FranS Van

den BoomPresident and CEO of NCDO He has extensive experience in the fields of international development global health advocacy and resource mobilisation

SylVia BorrenCo-chair of the World connectors co-chair of GCAP (the Global Call to Action against Poverty) and its Dutch chapter EEN member of the Advisory Council on International Affairs (IAV) for the Dutch government Executive Director of Greenpeace Netherlands as of February 2011

the worldconnectors inspire and connect both with each other and with third parties to build a just sustainable and peaceful global society every year a number of worldconnectors give way to new members with fresh views and different networks meet this group of inspiring people on wwwworldconnectorsnl

willemiJn aerdtSFormer researcher at the Dutch Ministry of For-eign Affairs until mid-2011 Currently a tutor in Minor Intelligence Stud-ies at the University of Amsterdam Founder of Young Womenrsquos Network and a former Youth Rep-resentative to the UN General Assembly Spe-cial Session on Children



Joan BoerAmbassador for the Netherlands in Bangkok and former Ambassador of the Netherlands to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

Joke BrandtFormer Director-Gener-al of the Department of International Coopera-tion at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs As of early 2012 Deputy Executive Director of the UN Childrenrsquos Fund (UNICEF)

ruud treFFerSExecutive Director at the World Bank Until October 2008 he was Director-General of International Coopera-tion at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

roel Van

der VeenAcademic Adviser at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs

ineke BakkerFormer director of the Oikos Foundation and General Secretary for the Netherlands Council of Churches Ineke Bakker is currently Director of Stek the foundation for city and church in The Hague

roB ViSSerAnthropologist and former Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

awraHam

SoetendorPRabbi of the Union of Dutch Reform Jewish Communities He is also Earth Charter Commis-sioner ambassador for the MDGrsquos President of the Jacob Soetendorp Institute of Human Val-ues and active for Green Cross and One Voice

Paul HoeBinkDirector of the Centre for International Development Issues and Head of Department of Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies at Radboud University Nijmegen

tariq ramadanProfessor of Islamic Studies at the Faculty of Theology at Oxford University

karen Van

oudenHoVen- Van

der ZeeProfessor of Organisa-tional Psychology Cultural Diversity and Integration at the University of Groningen in 2011 She is now Dean of Behavioral Sciences at Twente University

doekle terPStraFormer President of the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences lsquoHBO-Raadrsquo Doekle Terpstra is currently Chairman of the Board of Hogeschool Inholland

rudy raBBinGeProfessor of Sustainable Development and Food Security at Wageningen University and former member of the Dutch Senate for the Labour Party Prof Rabbinge is also a member of the FAO High Level Panel of Experts Steering Committee

HanS Van GinkelChair of the Institute for Social Studies in The Hague and of the Zentrum fuumlr Entwick-lungsforschung in Bonn and honorary professor in Human Geography and Planning at Utrecht University He is former Rector of the United Nations University Tokyo

HalleH GHoraSHiProfessor of Manage-ment of Diversity and Integration at the VU University (Vrije Universiteit) in Amsterdam

monika Sie

dHian HoDirector of the Wiardi Beckman Foundation

annelieS

ZoomerSProfessor of Interna-tional Development Studies (IDS) at Utrecht University and chair of the IS-academy on land governance (LANDac)

Knowledge and Advisory Centres

(Inter) National Government Actors

Religious Leadership


tineke lamBooyTineke Lambooy conducts research for the Centre for Sustainability at Nyenrode University specializing in Corporate Social Responsibility and Globalisation and is also a part-time lecturer and researcher at the Faculty of Law of the University of Utrecht


dirk elSenFormer Chief Executive at SNV Netherlands Development Organisa-tion Dirk Elsen is now Director Emerging Markets for Triodos Investment Manage-ment

Jan ernSt

de GrootFormerly Director of KLM Jan Ernst de Groot is currently General Counsel and Managing Director External Affairs at TNT Express He joined the Worldconnec-tors at the end of 2011

HanS eenHoornHans Eenhoorn has been a member of the UN Task Force on Hunger an associate professor of Food Security and Entrepreneurship at Wageningen University and the initiator and Chair of SIGN

Business Community Actors

cHarlotte

lemmenSBoard Member at Rabobank Leiden Oegstgeest and Leiderdorp member of the Advisory Board of the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) and the founding director of the Leaves For Life Foundation and of the Aelium an innovative and educa - tional family fun park

andre VenemanCorporate Director SustainabilityHealth Safety and Environment at AkzoNobel and chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Dutch Institute for Sustainable Trade (IDH)

eelco keiJFounder consultant and fundraising strategist of KeyLance Consultancy LLC in New York (USA)

Sayida

VanenBurG Corporate Social Responsibility Adviser at KPMG and a former Youth Representative of the Netherlands at the UN Commission on Sustainable Develop-ment

nanno kleiterPChairman of the Management Board of the Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO)

keeS BroereAfrica correspondent for the Dutch newspaper the Volkskrant and for the NOS the Dutch broadcasting corpora-tion He is based in Nairobi Kenya

Pieter BroertJeSMayor of the Municipal-ity Hilversum board member of SID NL and former Editor in Chief of the Volkskrant a national newspaper

anna cHoJnackaDirector of the 1Club and former Youth Representative of the Netherlands to the General Assembly of the United Nations

rindert de GrootWriter editor presenter and producer for Empowerplant

(New) Media

andrew

makkinGaRadio DJ amp presenter at VPRO a Dutch radio and television broadcasting corporation

naema taHirWriter and human rights lawyer at Tahir Advocacy for Womenrsquos Rights and lecturer at the Roosevelt Academy

micHael

JonGeneelCOO and member of the Executive Board of Triodos Bank and Managing Director of Triodos Investment Management



dirk JanSSenYouth Representative of the Netherlands to the General Assembly of the United Nations member of the advisory board of SID and student of Economics and Political Philosophy at University College Maastricht

adrian de Groot

ruiZAssistant Professor of Finance at Radboud University Nijmegen with a PhD in Economics

Youth and Young Professionals

BoriS dittricHAdvocacy Director of the Lesbian Gay Bisexu-al and Transgender Rights Programme at Human Rights Watch and former member of the Dutch National Parliament

Jack Van Ham Chairman of the Liliane Fund Supervisory Board member of the People 4 Earth Supervisory Board and former director of ICCO

tereSa

FoGelBerGDeputy Chief Executive for Stakeholder Relations at the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) One of her many former positions was Director of Climate Change at the Netherlands Ministry of Environment

JoHan Van den

Gronden CEO of World Wildlife Funds (WWF) in the Netherlands

leontien PeeterSCommunications Director at the Bernard van Leer Foundation

Jannet VaeSSenManaging director of contemporary womenrsquos platform WOMEN Inc

lucia Van

weSterlaakPolicy adviser at the FNV Trade Unionrsquos Confederation

Non Governmental Organisations

nora aSramiPhD student at the Dominican Study Centre of Theology and Society and Dutch coordinator of the European Project for Interreligious Learning

erik tHiJS

wederSHoVenMember of Operations Strategy Group at KPMG and board member of Rutgers WPFMaster of Public Affairs at Institut drsquoEtudes Politiques de Paris the University of Tokyo and London School of Economics and Political Science Youth Representative to the UN General Assembly 2004-2006

micHel ScHolteFounder of NewSilk-Roads and student at the VU Amsterdam Graduate School for Social Sciences

alPHa BarryInternational AidCooperation Officer at the European Commis-sion in Brussels

maSooma

youSuFZaiHistory student at Groningen State University board member of the Netherlands Red Cross and former Youth Representative to UNESCO

lotte Van elPMaster student in Journalism War and International Human Rights at the University of Lincoln columnist for Vice Versa and former programme officer for Afghanistan at Cordaid

Zita ScHellekenSPublic Affairs Consultant at Heineken Interna-tional and board member and trainer at the Alfred Mozer Foundation Former Political Adviser to the Minister of International Trade

Sandra Van

BeeStBoard member of Stand Up for Your Rights and former Netherlands Youth Representative to the General Assembly of the United Nations


Events in 2011

to engage the wider public world-connectors organise public events and media activities in addition to these events worldconnectors are often invited to participate in events arranged by other orga ni sations in order to share their thoughts this year the worldconnectors had many thematic discussions with experts but they also connected with people at festivals and conferences during informal dinners and through networking events

Public events organised by world-connectors and closed round table meetings

co-production public activities

Public events organised by external

organisations in which world-connectors participated

keep an eye on the agenda on wwwworldconnectorsnl for information about upcoming events in 2012

if you would like to invite a worldconnector to your event email us at roundtableworldconnectorsnl

84 round table meeting on lsquocivic driven

changersquo in the middle east and north africa

149 Sid conference Global Values in a

changing world

1111 First worldconnector webchat with

Herman wijffels

912 round table meeting lsquoconnecting

worlds to build 100 Vital communitiesrsquo

celebration of 5 years of the world-

connectors

912 worldconnector webchat with Sylvia Borren

410 youth worldconnector dirk Janssen

speaks at un General assembly

510 round table meeting about lsquothe Post-

2015 development agenda millennium

development Goals in Perspectiversquo

1810 debate on dual citizenship in new york

(First worldconnectors event outside

the netherlands)

105 launch of video project lsquoa day without

immigrantsrsquo

106 Public debate on aiV advice on the future

of international cooperation post-mdGs

184 Herman wijffels speaks at hearing on

development cooperation dutch ministry of

Foreign affairs

16 round table meeting on creativity and

knowledge mobilisation

WORLDCONNECTORS AT A gLANCE

watchonline

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Volkskrant

Uitzending Premier Gezocht

Media coverage in 2011

Worldconnectors on radio and televisionbull 4AprilHans Eenhoorn was interviewed about the Food Security

Statement by Business News Radio (BNR) bull 15JuneRindert de Groot spoke to the listeners of Radio 1 about

youth and citizenship bull 21August Lynn Zebeda and Ton Dietz were interviewed in the

radio show lsquoHot Talksrsquo about Food Security on Stadsomroep Den Haag

bull 8December Lynn Zebeda launched the idea of the True Price as a candidate in the Dutch television programme lsquoPremier gezochtrsquo (lsquoWanted Prime Ministerrsquo) produced by the national broadcaster VPRO

Worldconnectors in the newspapersIn addition to the publications related to the themes of 2011 the Worldconnectors were interviewed on many occasions and also wrote about other topics Below a selection of publicationsbull Trouw published an article about the radical recommendations

on food security and agriculture by the Worldconnectors lsquoBesteed meer ontwikkelingsgeld aan landbouwrsquo 6 April 2011

bull Anna Chojnacka about the integration debate in Dutch daily newspaper De Pers lsquoHilarisch hoor alle allochtonen wegrsquo De Pers 12 May 2011

bull Green Business Special featuring an interview with Herman Wijffels about practicing sustainable business Media Planet Financieel Dagblad ndash Groen 29 June 2011

bull Reneacute Grotenhuis in the International Spectator about develop-ment and new paradigms lsquoZij zijn arm en wij zijn rijk een sleets paradigmarsquo September 2011

bull Ruud Lubbers and Worldconnectors adviser Financial Systems Paul van Seters about the Euro summit in Volkskrant lsquoKritiek op Eurotop in Brussel onterechtrsquo

bull Paul Hoebink about the cuts on development in Trouw lsquoDie vier miljard euro van Wilders bestaan nietrsquo 27 November 2011

bull The Worldconnectors and NCDO about the Occupy Movement and Financial Systems lsquoDe occupytentjes worden geruimd verzet tegen graaicultuur blijftrsquo in Trouw 24 December 2011

in 2011 worldconnectors spoke out in order to raise awareness on several issues by means of opinion articles interviews and radio shows these activities were all meant to stimulate dialogue and to draw the wider public into the debate on global issues the worldconnectors were particularly active in the written media but also communicated via radio television and social media

In tHe MedIA



dual citizenshipWorldconnector Eelco Keij raised great awareness about the topic of dual citizenship in and outside the Netherlands This was a hot topic due to the bill proposed by Dutch Minister Donner which could take away the Dutch nationality from present Dutch nationals living outside the Netherlands Besides a highly successful online petition there was extensive media coveragebull lsquoIk ben het slachtoffer- zegt de Expat Nederlanders in New York

bezorgd over strengere nationaliteitsregelsrsquo NRC Handelsblad 19 October 2011

bull lsquoExpats dupe van verlies dubbele paspoortrsquo De Telegraaf 26 October 2011

bull lsquoBeperking meervoudige nationaliteit onzinnig en economisch nadeligrsquo Staatscourant 2 November 2011

bull Eelco Keij about the petition dual nationality on Wereldomroep lsquoNederlanders in VS starten petitie voor dubbele nationaliteitrsquo 24 October 2011

bull Outside the Netherlands Eelco Keijrsquos article in The Economist lsquoDutchmen groundedrsquo

bull For updates see wwwNederlanderBlijvennl and wwwEelcoKeijcom

Worldconnectors in the ranking listsbull These Worldconnectors earned a place in the list of the 100 most

influential sustainable Dutch men and women put together by newspaper Trouw Herman Wijffels (6) Johan van de Gronden (15) Andreacute Veneman (33) Rudy Rabbinge (68) Herman Mulder (73) Sylvia Borren (76) Anna Chojnacka (80)

Worldconnectors on the internetBesides the activity of Worldconnectors on the Worldconnectors website through weblogs and news-items Worldconnectors also shared their views and ideas through social mediabull Worldconnectors are active on Twitter with 1360 followers

nrc

staatscourant

trouwnl

Volkskrant


IncreAsed InVestMents FOr GlOBAl FOOd secUrItY in the light of the parliamentary debates in the dutch Senate and Second chamber on food security and agriculture in developing countries in april 2011 the worldconnectorsrsquo working Group on Food Security released an updated version of their vision document

The Working group

worldconnectorsTon Dietz (chair) Willemijn Aerdts (co-chair) Hans Eenhoorn Jos van Gennip Rudy Rabbinge Jan Berteling Teresa Fogelberg Dirk Elsen Erik Thijs Wedershoven Annelies Zoomers Tineke Lambooy Sayida Vanenburg Lynn Zebeda

SupportersAlide Roerink Iem Roos

The global community is currently confronted with two major food-related challenges In the short term one billion people with chronic hunger require immediate help In the long-term there is a need to ensure food security for a growing world population (an estimated 9 billion in 2050) in the context of the increasing scarcity of land water energy and minerals

RecommendationsThe Working Group on Food Security reviewed a range of recent international reports and conference outcomes on this matter and interviewed a large number of experts in the field The outcome of this extensive research is the urgent recommen-dation that although international and in particular European cooperation should be actively pursued the Dutch government can take the lead by using the ODA (Official Development Assistance) budget

to allocate at least one billion Euros per year to agricultural development

Ton Dietz (chair working group) ldquoOne billion Euros is a lot of money but against the backdrop of one billion chronically hungry people it represents only one Euro per human being per year or one Euro cent per chronically hungry African per day Can the Netherlands afford to do lessrdquo

Part of this money should be used to set up special agri-hubs in developing countries where the Dutch government NGOs and business work together to strengthen local agriculture and educate small holders on sustainable ways to maximize their crop A long-term commitment of at least ten years is vital to the success of such an enterprise

In November 2011 a delegation of the Worldconnectors Working Group had a

meeting with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ben Knapen to discuss the World-connectorsacute vision document and recom-mendations to Deputy Ministers Knapen (Foreign Affairs) and Bleker (Economic Affairs Agriculture Innovation)

tHeme Food security

sustainable development and climate change


tHeme Green economy

enVIrOnMentAl And sOcIAl InteGrItYin 2011 the worldconnectors set up the working Group Green economy to explore recommendations for the transition to a sustainable economy as an extension of this theme the true Price initiative was started lsquothe Green economy in the context of poverty eradication and sustainable developmentrsquo is declared one of the central themes at the un conference on Sustainable development rio+20 which will be held in June 2012

The challenge of sustainability is to find an economic model that manages resources equitably between and within generations Current markets fail to do so as the price of transactions only reflects the interests of those who make the deal and not of all stakeholders The Working Group Green Economy concluded that a key to sustainabil-ity is to let prices reflect all true environmen-tal and social costs (ie to internalize the externalities) Since this involves a paradigm shift in all sectors (business government academia NGOs) the Worldconnectors are ideally placed to make a contribution The Green Economy Working Group initiated a new initiative for this the True Price initiative

Currently it is very difficult (and thus costly) for consumers and producers to determine social and environmental externalities Many labels (such as Fair Trade UTZ Certified and Rainforest Alliance) aim to address this issue However all use a different methodology and none quantify the external costs What we need is a true price that makes the invisible costs visible

If the True Price is made visible then it becomes clear which products and brands are the best choice The True Price is the price that reveals hidden social and environmental costs If for example cleaning up the CO2 emissions caused by the production of a plastic bottle costs an estimated 50 cents per bottle the True Price will include these 50 cents The extra revenue can then for instance be used to reduce CO2 emissions either during the production processes or on a global level When the True Price is paid users of products pay the cost instead of our children grandchildren and people in distant countries such as the workers and commu-nity members in production areasResponsible consumers will shop for those products with the lowest external costs This will increase the competitiveness of sustain-able products and make investments in sustainable technology more profitable Increased competition enhanced efficiency along the value chain and more investments will reduce internal and external costs of products This will increase the market share and variety of sustainable products further

As soon as it becomes a social norm all but the staunchest anti-sustainability people will buy sustainable products Competition will force lagging producers to follow the trendThe Green Economy Working Group is currently developing a plan of action to implement the ideas of the True Price initiative For this purpose the group has launched The True Price Foundation

The Working group

worldconnectorsBernard Berendsen Hans Eenhoorn Hans van Ginkel Teresa Fogelberg Adrian de Groot Ruiz Johan van de Gronden Ruud Lubbers Herman Mulder (chair) Zita Schellekens Michel Scholte Andreacute Veneman Lucia van Westerlaak Erik Thijs Wederhoven Lynn Zebeda

SupportersAlide Roerink Miguel Heilbron


tHeme Vital local communities

tHInK GlOBAl Act lOcAlthe worldconnectors working Group on Vital communities set up in 2011 explores what defines a vital community the aim is to learn more about how these communities arise and about the ways in which they contribute to tackling global challenges

For many global problems we may need new solutions at a local level When are communities vital open and supportive to people inside and outside the community Research shows that happiness is signifi-cantly determined by being part of a group working towards a goal A community can become vital when it tries to become more sustainable Can Vital Local Communities provide solutions to global challenges These and other questions are discussed in the Working Group Vital Local Communi-ties

At the Round Table Meeting on Vital Local Communities the discussions underlined the importance of knowing what is going on in various communities and of learning from each other Many of these discussions

The Working group

worldconnectorsSylvia Borren (chair) Nora Asrami Lotte van Elp Dirk Janssen Charlotte Lemmens Karen van Oudenhoven-van der Zee Jannet Vaessen Masooma Yusufzai

advisers Hans Agterberg Bert-Jan van der Mieden

SupportersAfke de Groot Alide Roerink Miguel Heilbron

also have a practical side what are the activities of specific communities How is the community organised How can the communitiesrsquo goals be achieved

In 2012 the Worldconnectors working group on Vital Communities will continue these discussions focusing on the defini-tions and concepts surrounding the theme as well as its practical consequences


Worldconnectors taking action

apart from the themes they select at the beginning of each year worldconnectors are on the look out for topical events which call for immediate action

WORLDCONNECTORS TAKINg ACTION

Dual CiTizen-ship iniTiaTive A new bill proposed by the Dutch government - regarding dual citizenship - almost passed by unnoticed But Worldconnector Eelco Keij noticed that the possible effects for Dutch nationals living abroad could be massive and organised the first Worldconnectors event outside the Netherlands to discuss this

In his place of residence New York a debate on the matter took place in October 2011to-gether with the New York sections of major Dutch political parties Worldconnectors Ruud Treffers Herman Mulder and Boris Dit-trich were among the attendees The overseas discussion was followed by a call for action to preserve the possibility of dual nationality The response was overwhelming the petition that was started attracted well over 23000 signatories Signatures from prominent (former) CEOs of large Dutch companies and multinationals clearly indicated that the current bill does not help (international) business either In addition further Parlia-mentary questions were filed to Ms Spies Minister of the Interior regarding the (non)sense of the current bill

rounD Table CiviC Driven Change in The MiDDle easT anD norTh afriCaIn April a special Worldconnectorsrsquo Round Table took place at the Royal Tropical Institute With thirteen expert guests in their midst the Worldconnectors spoke about the current situation in the MENA (Middle East and North African) countries with a special focus on the role of youth the West women and religionAt the Round Table a Skype interview was held with two young change makers Ahmad Esseily journalist film editor and producer from Egypt and Kinda Mohamadieh GCAP coordinator of the Arab region in Lebanon Both gave an interesting inside view of the situation in their countries and the hopes and worries they have for the future Later on Tariq Ramadan also shared his vision and ideas via a Skype connection

After interesting discussions on the role of the West women and religion the Worldconnec-tors discussed concrete follow-up action an active role in the MasterPeace project a call to political leaders and a media article the Butterfly effect 20 and continuation of the theme through a Globalisation Lecture



YouTh WorlDConneCTor Dirk Janssen speaks aT un general asseMblY

ldquoThe young are becoming a globally interconnected generationrdquo said Youth Worldconnector Dirk Janssen in his speech at the General Assembly of the United Nations in October Dirk Janssen is the 2011-2012 Netherlands Youth Representative to the UNrsquos General AssemblyDirk gave two key recommen-dations to the UN and national governments provide a

perspective for all youth in the world and let youth participate in decision making in a meaningful wayIn his speech Dirk made note of a special conversation with a young Middle Eastern woman that took place earlier that year at the Worldconnectorsrsquo Round Table Civic Driven Change in the Middle East and North Africa

MDgs DebaTe on The fuTure of The MDgs in aMsTerDaM

In June a lively debate was held in lsquoPakhuis de Zwijgerrsquo in Amsterdam organised in close cooperation by the Worldconnectors and the Advisory Council on International Relations (AIV) During this debate the AIV report lsquoThe Post-2015 Development Agenda Millen-nium Development Goals in perspectiversquo was discussed

The debate was hosted by Sylvia Borren co-chair of the Worldconnectors Having succeed-ed in bringing together experts on international development the meeting was attended by Worldconnectors the authors of the report several policymakers from the Dutch govern-ment and others who had an interest in the topic

Participants suggested improvements for the MDGs It was felt that some of the ideas put down in the 2000 Millennium Declaration are not effectively executed by the MDGs in their present form And even though the MDGs prove to be effective in putting development issues on the international agenda the lack of political will remains the foremost barrier to success

siD ConferenCe acuteglobal values in a Changing WorlD Challenging universaliTYrsquoOn Wednesday 14 September 2011 SID organised its annual conference in The Hague in cooperation with the Worldcon-nectors NCDO Amnesty International and PwC It was the closing event of the 2010-2011 Lecture Series lsquoGlobal Values in a Changing Worldrsquo and focused on the concept of Universality 115 People attended the event and more than 300 people followed the conference online via a live stream which could also be viewed on the Worldconnectors website

Youth Worldconnector Andrew Makkinga chaired a lively programme with keynote speeches and discussion Human rights expert Jack Donnelly (Denver University) stressed that human rights are universally important to protect individuals Meghna Abraham from Amnesty International talked about the current challenges in ensuring the universal applicability and implementation of human rights In the discussion different approaches towards universality were explored with contributions by several experts on human rights in international relations including David Forsythe Tom Zwart Seth Kaplan and Human Rights Ambassador to the Dutch government Lionel Veer

watchonline

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Reflections ndash Looking back and forward

Take a close look at any Worldconnectors meeting and yoursquoll spot them the young members This subspecies is quite the eccentric bunch They work all day and every day speak as if theyrsquove seen it all dream the biggest dreams

If you managed to tie one down for a second and asked them to look back on the year 2011 you would hear something like this What have they learnt this year bull That the times they are a-changing have

a-changed Celebrating our first lustrum made us realize how much the context in which we operate has changed a country where politicians turn a blind eye to the future a world where power is rapidly shifting a time when the impact of human technology becomes clearer every day

bull That this makes our mission more relevant than ever We need to connect

dreAM And MAKe It HAPPen By lynn Zebeda on behalf of the youth amp young Professional worldconnectors

dUAl nAtIOnAlItY tHe stOrY BeHInd tHe MOVeMentBy eelco keij

people across generations sectors and vested interests in order to come up with new ideas and solutions

bull And that young people are a major driving force in pushing these solutions forward

Several exciting Worldconnectors initiatives have popped up this year all of them intergen-erational efforts There was Sophia a new movement that uses the wisdom of women to forge bonds between people of different religions There was the dual-passport initiative which directly influenced Dutch policy And then there was the True Price which started with the realisation that if prices reflected the true environmental and social costs the world would be a much cleaner and fairer place This in turn resulted in a Founda-tion that aims to achieve transparent pricing and a shift in thinking among all segments of society

In spring 2011 I visited an Amsterdam-based lawyer specialised in nationality law on behalf of a friend who was trying to regain his lost Dutch citizenship At the time I was in the process of acquiring US citizenship myself The lawyer warned me about the current govern-mentrsquos proposal to ban dual nationality for Dutch citizens I was lsquosafersquo for that moment but if the bill was passed others in identical situations would lose their Dutch citizenship

Outraged I wondered whether this would be a topic of interest for the Worldconnectors who I had just joined I spoke with various Worldconnectors (WillemijnAerdts Boris Dittrich Herman Mulder Ruud Treffers to name a few) and decided to organise a public debate After reaching out to USA-based branches of Dutch political parties the debate was jointly organised in New York on 18 October by the Worldconnectors PvdA New York VVD USA and D66 New York

With a strong panel an eloquent moderator a full room and three members of Dutch parliament unexpectedly showing up the debate was a great success and inspired us to

start an online petition against the upcoming proposal Other people soon joined in and currently our lsquopetition teamrsquo counts about ten members most with legal backgrounds

Within weeks the petition drew over 5000 signatories and in April six months later we were nearing the 25000 markndash signed by Dutch people all over the world including prominent leaders of Dutch industry The press also jumped on dual nationality promoting it from an obscure topic to a front-page issue that was discussed at ministerial level and divided one of the coalition parties Even The Economist and Huffington Post paid attention to this seemingly atypical position of the Dutch government

Then in April to our astonishment the cabinet fell Suddenly with the demands of the PVV evaporized all parties could freely express what they really thought about the dual nationality proposal CDA and VVD quickly joined the ranks of opposition parties like D66 and PvdA thus effectively killing the bill

The rest is procedural the bill will not be discussed by parliament nor is there even a

remote chance of having it re-introduced by the next government This means a victory for all Dutch people and their children living abroad as well as a success story for the Worldconnectors

Without the help of fellow Worldconnectors volunteers and political representatives in New York dual nationality would never have become a politically sensitive matter In the meantime the ldquopetition teamrdquo will continue to work on the remaining hurdles that Dutch people abroad still struggle with unnecessarily

I say thank you all

For any updates visit the website wwwNederlanderBlijvennl and wwwEelcoKeijcom

I for one can say that this turbulent year has left me fired up and ready to work even harder experience even more and dream my giant dreams Because if there is one thing that 2011 has shown us if you can dream it you can make it happen


Behind the scenes

the support teamOrganising Worldconnectors Round Table meetings stimulating media coverage coordinating information flows updating the website and documenting and assisting the thematic Working Groups The Support Team works on a daily basis to make the Worldcon-nectors an effective initiative and consists of

ALIDE ROERINKSpecial Adviser at NCDO and Project Leader of the World-connectors

PAMELA MOOREManagement Assistant at NCDO and Focal Point for the World-connectors

GABI SPITZProject Officer at NCDO and member of the Worldconnec-tors Support Team (until September 2011)

ANNE-KATRIEN DENISSENAdviser New Media at NCDO for the Worldconnectors website (until September 2011)

MIGUEL HEILBRONNetwork Officer at NCDO and member of the Worldconnec-tors Support Team (as of September 2011)

JUDITH KURVERSNetwork Officer at NCDO and member of the Worldconnectors Support Team (as of September 2011)

AFKE DE GROOTCoordinator of SID NL and member of the Worldconnectors Support Team

IEM ROOSDirector of SID NL and member of the Worldconnectors Support Team (until May 2011)

Since Alide Roerink is leaving NCDO she concluded her role and responsibilities as Project Leader at the Worldconnectors Round Table in December 2011 Since then Peter Heintze (NCDO) has taken over the position of Project Leader

BEHIND THE SCENES

the steering GroupHerman Wijffels (Co-chair) Sylvia Borren (Co-chair) Jos van Gennip (Chairman of the Board NCDO) Reneacute Grotenhuis (President SID NL) Frans van den Boom (Director NCDO) Ton Dietz (former Taskforce member DPRN) Herman Mulder (Board member NCDO) Willemijn Aerdts (Youth amp Young Professional Worldconnector first half of 2011) Lynn Zebeda (Youth amp Young Professional Worldconnector second half of 2011) and Jan Berteling (until April 2011 former Board member SID NL)

After 4 years of service Sylvia Borren handed over her role and responsibilities as co-chair to Willemijn Aerdts during the Worldconnectors Round Table in April 2012

the supporting organisations

The Society for International Development in the Netherlands (SID NL) is a debate-driven network organisation and part of a broader international network founded in 1957 that facilitates dialogue and promotes knowledge-sharing at a global scale SID NL sharpens the thinking on international development by creating a platform for discussion for different stakeholders and opinion-makers wwwsid-nlorg

NCDO (National Committee for Interna-tional Cooperation and Sustainable Develop-ment) is a Dutch expertise and advisory centre for citizenship and international cooperationwwwncdonl

supporting organisationsrsquo developmentsIn 2011 the new role of NCDO as a knowl-edge institute demanded a major transforma-tion For the coming years NCDO remains committed to supporting the work of the Worldconnectors as does SID NL

coloPHon

Authors and text contributionsmiguel Heilbron daniel naamani

Judith kurvers

Final editor miguel Heilbron

English editors daniel naamani amp Pamela moore

Design roquefort ontwerpers

Photos ed lonnee unPhoto

Photo selection rosalie de Bruijn

With special thanks to alide roerink Pamela moore

Peter Heintze Herman wijffels

Sylvia Borren willemijn aerdts lynn

Zebeda eelco keij

TheMes amp evenTs 2012

In 2012 the Worldconnectors will continue to work on previous themes As in previous years the World-connectors will be active in many ways in order to stimulate dialogue and to draw the wider public into the debate on global issues

Keep an eye on the calendar on wwwworld connectorsnl to see when debates conferences and other events take place

connectinG For GloBal cHanGe

content

introduction to the worldconnectors

meet the worldconnectors

events in 2011

media coverage in 2011

tHeme Green economy

tHeme Vital communities

tHeme Food security

worldconnectors taking action

reflections on 20112012

Behind the scenes

If the world is a stage the year 2011 gave us some spectacular drama The effects of the financial crisis and other crises were felt globally In the meantime the potential of the Internet and social media to mobilise the masses was aptly demonstrated by what became known as the Arab Spring Another powerful message was sent out by the Occupy movement These and other events of public outspokenness were enough reason for Time magazine to pronounce 2011 the Year of the Protester This yearrsquos Worldconnectors yearbook is the first to appear exclusively in digital form The sustainability advantages of a paperless issue are of course self-evident And in a world that is increasingly geared towards online presence the Worldconnectors feel this format affords us an efficient way to expand our readershipIn 2011 the Worldconnectors focused on several themes One such theme was Food Security The past year showed unrelentingly elevated food prices leaving the poorest of the world in dire need of one of the most basic conditions for life The Worldconnectors released an updated version of their vision document on Food Security Green Economy was another theme high on the agenda of the Worldconnectors leading to the True Price Initiative Another topic of great interest to Worldconnectors was the theme Vital

Communities to learn more about how these communities arise and about the ways in which they contribute to tackling global challenges For the Worldconnectors 2011 was a year with a festive tinge as we were able to celebrate our fifth anniversary At a moment when our collective is still both fresh and firmly established the Worldconnectors judged the time fit to look back on our first years and evaluate how we are to continue promoting our vision of a just peaceful and sustainable world to policy makers world-wideMeanwhile the climate in the Netherlands is facing a change In both social and political terms the Dutch public debate has become more inward looking The work the World-connectors do is all the more important exactly for this reason although it is on some levels increasingly difficult to find responsive audiences In this light it is heartening that Dutch consumers again spent more on sustainable products last year and that the number of companies turning towards more sustainable ways of production has shown exponential growth As Worldconnectors we will continue to connect different sectors and people and to promote our vision of a world that is just peaceful and sustainable for all

Sylvia Borren and Herman Wijffels

From the co-chairs

3489

111213141617


Welcome







oVerView oF tHemeS




Food Security


europe in the world





new Scarcities




Policy coherence









Harm eVert










Steering group



FranS Van










roel Van




awraHam




karen Van

oudenHoVen- Van






monika Sie


annelieS









Jan ernSt




cHarlotte




Sayida







(New) Media

andrew



micHael





adrian de Groot





tereSa


JoHan Van den




lucia Van




erik tHiJS




maSooma




Sandra Van



Events in 2011











changing world


Herman wijffels




connectors









the netherlands)


immigrantsrsquo





Foreign affairs




watchonline

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Volkskrant

















In tHe MedIA













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The Working group










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I say thank you all




Behind the scenes











BEHIND THE SCENES







coloPHon


Judith kurvers









Zebeda eelco keij










oVerView oF tHemeS




Food Security


europe in the world





new Scarcities




Policy coherence









Harm eVert










Steering group



FranS Van










roel Van




awraHam




karen Van

oudenHoVen- Van






monika Sie


annelieS









Jan ernSt




cHarlotte




Sayida







(New) Media

andrew



micHael





adrian de Groot





tereSa


JoHan Van den




lucia Van




erik tHiJS




maSooma




Sandra Van



Events in 2011











changing world


Herman wijffels




connectors









the netherlands)


immigrantsrsquo





Foreign affairs




watchonline

watchonline

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watchonline


Volkskrant

















In tHe MedIA













nrc

staatscourant

trouwnl

Volkskrant



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watchonline

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I say thank you all




Behind the scenes











BEHIND THE SCENES







coloPHon


Judith kurvers









Zebeda eelco keij










Harm eVert










Steering group



FranS Van










roel Van




awraHam




karen Van

oudenHoVen- Van






monika Sie


annelieS









Jan ernSt




cHarlotte




Sayida







(New) Media

andrew



micHael





adrian de Groot





tereSa


JoHan Van den




lucia Van




erik tHiJS




maSooma




Sandra Van



Events in 2011











changing world


Herman wijffels




connectors









the netherlands)


immigrantsrsquo





Foreign affairs




watchonline

watchonline

watchonline

watchonline


Volkskrant

















In tHe MedIA













nrc

staatscourant

trouwnl

Volkskrant



The Working group










tHeme Food security



tHeme Green economy






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watchonline

watchonline





















I say thank you all




Behind the scenes











BEHIND THE SCENES







coloPHon


Judith kurvers









Zebeda eelco keij









roel Van




awraHam




karen Van

oudenHoVen- Van






monika Sie


annelieS









Jan ernSt




cHarlotte




Sayida







(New) Media

andrew



micHael





adrian de Groot





tereSa


JoHan Van den




lucia Van




erik tHiJS




maSooma




Sandra Van



Events in 2011











changing world


Herman wijffels




connectors









the netherlands)


immigrantsrsquo





Foreign affairs




watchonline

watchonline

watchonline

watchonline


Volkskrant

















In tHe MedIA













nrc

staatscourant

trouwnl

Volkskrant



The Working group










tHeme Food security



tHeme Green economy






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watchonline

watchonline





















I say thank you all




Behind the scenes











BEHIND THE SCENES







coloPHon


Judith kurvers









Zebeda eelco keij








Jan ernSt




cHarlotte




Sayida







(New) Media

andrew



micHael





adrian de Groot





tereSa


JoHan Van den




lucia Van




erik tHiJS




maSooma




Sandra Van



Events in 2011











changing world


Herman wijffels




connectors









the netherlands)


immigrantsrsquo





Foreign affairs




watchonline

watchonline

watchonline

watchonline


Volkskrant

















In tHe MedIA













nrc

staatscourant

trouwnl

Volkskrant



The Working group










tHeme Food security



tHeme Green economy






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watchonline

watchonline





















I say thank you all




Behind the scenes











BEHIND THE SCENES







coloPHon


Judith kurvers









Zebeda eelco keij







adrian de Groot





tereSa


JoHan Van den




lucia Van




erik tHiJS




maSooma




Sandra Van



Events in 2011











changing world


Herman wijffels




connectors









the netherlands)


immigrantsrsquo





Foreign affairs




watchonline

watchonline

watchonline

watchonline


Volkskrant

















In tHe MedIA













nrc

staatscourant

trouwnl

Volkskrant



The Working group










tHeme Food security



tHeme Green economy






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watchonline

watchonline





















I say thank you all




Behind the scenes











BEHIND THE SCENES







coloPHon


Judith kurvers









Zebeda eelco keij





Events in 2011











changing world


Herman wijffels




connectors









the netherlands)


immigrantsrsquo





Foreign affairs




watchonline

watchonline

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watchonline


Volkskrant

















In tHe MedIA













nrc

staatscourant

trouwnl

Volkskrant



The Working group










tHeme Food security



tHeme Green economy






The Working group








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watchonline

watchonline





















I say thank you all




Behind the scenes











BEHIND THE SCENES







coloPHon


Judith kurvers









Zebeda eelco keij





Volkskrant

















In tHe MedIA













nrc

staatscourant

trouwnl

Volkskrant



The Working group










tHeme Food security



tHeme Green economy






The Working group








The Working group

























watchonline

watchonline





















I say thank you all




Behind the scenes











BEHIND THE SCENES







coloPHon


Judith kurvers









Zebeda eelco keij
















nrc

staatscourant

trouwnl

Volkskrant



The Working group










tHeme Food security



tHeme Green economy






The Working group








The Working group

























watchonline

watchonline





















I say thank you all




Behind the scenes











BEHIND THE SCENES







coloPHon


Judith kurvers









Zebeda eelco keij






The Working group










tHeme Food security



tHeme Green economy






The Working group








The Working group

























watchonline

watchonline





















I say thank you all




Behind the scenes











BEHIND THE SCENES







coloPHon


Judith kurvers









Zebeda eelco keij






tHeme Green economy






The Working group








The Working group

























watchonline

watchonline





















I say thank you all




Behind the scenes











BEHIND THE SCENES







coloPHon


Judith kurvers









Zebeda eelco keij









The Working group

























watchonline

watchonline





















I say thank you all




Behind the scenes











BEHIND THE SCENES







coloPHon


Judith kurvers









Zebeda eelco keij























watchonline

watchonline





















I say thank you all




Behind the scenes











BEHIND THE SCENES







coloPHon


Judith kurvers









Zebeda eelco keij















watchonline

watchonline





















I say thank you all




Behind the scenes











BEHIND THE SCENES







coloPHon


Judith kurvers









Zebeda eelco keij
























I say thank you all




Behind the scenes











BEHIND THE SCENES







coloPHon


Judith kurvers









Zebeda eelco keij





Behind the scenes











BEHIND THE SCENES







coloPHon


Judith kurvers









Zebeda eelco keij




Connecting for Global Change: Worldconnectors Yearbook 2011

Documents

karen van oudenhoven

jos van gennip

round table meeting

radboud university nijmegen

triodos investment management

global reporting initiative

young professional worldconnector

tackling global challenges