Solidarity should never stop at borders, a powerful call!
Newsletter October 2025
Welcome to the October update of the Sport for Development Consortium. As autumn leaves begin to fall and the end of the year comes into view, our collective commitment is needed more than ever!
With global tensions rising a powerful message is echoing across the country: 'We are not an island'. Led by a broad coalition of Dutch organisations, this national campaign calls on political leaders to uphold their responsibility to global solidarity, because freedom and justice doesn’t stop at borders.
We’ll tell you more in this newsletter.
One we write together.
“Don’t cut development cooperation, stay committed to freedom, justice and solidarity.”
The Netherlands is not an Island
Against the backdrop of decided cuts to international development funding, a powerful coalition of Dutch organisations, including KNVB, FNV, Oxfam Novib, Cordaid, and Partos is pushing back. Through the campaign “The Netherlands is not an island,” they call on political leaders to reconsider. Their message is clear: now is not the time to retreat from international responsibility.
The coalition urges Dutch political leaders to honour existing commitments to development cooperation, including the OECD target of allocating 0.7% of GNI to Official Development Assistance (ODA). Their argument goes beyond morality, it’s strategic, economic, and urgent.
For every euro the Netherlands invests in international development, our exports grow by an average of two euros in goods and services. Moreover, development cooperation supports approximately 11,000 Dutch jobs, particularly in sectors like agriculture, machinery, and the food industry.
The call is backed by data and momentum: the Netherlands' reputation as a champion of diplomacy, development, and defense coordination is at stake. Meanwhile, global instability is rising and every cut in support risks widening the gap left behind.
This campaign directly aligns with our mission at the Sport for Development Consortium. We believe sport is not a luxury but a critical vehicle for peacebuilding and inclusion, especially for people in fragile contexts. Solidarity should never stop at borders, because we are one world, and we rise by lifting each other.
Sport is often seen as a soft power, but its impact is anything but soft. Across six regions, the Sport for Development programme has proven that well-designed sport-based interventions contribute directly to the SDGs: improving health, education, gender equality, peacebuilding and youth employability.
Sport creates safe spaces in fragile contexts. It helps children recover from trauma, fosters inclusion, and builds resilience. From Lebanon to India, young people report increased self-esteem, social connection, and leadership development through play.
In moments when the world turns inward, sport builds outward.
Sport for Development is more than a programme.
It’s a collective promise to build bridges where others build walls.
To keep showing up, especially when it's hard.
And beyond social impact, sport also strengthens public diplomacy and international trade, opening doors for government cooperation, economic opportunity and global visibility.
Thank you for being part of this movement.
Together, we play forward. Together, we stand for solidarity.
