Netherlands – land

3. Results of the consultations and government response

3.3 Clarifying Due Diligence [page 21]

A point raised during the consultations was that the government should clarify the UN Guiding Principles, using language companies understand. Companies feel that the government has failed to say what it expects of them in terms of due diligence.

Sector Risk Analysis [pages 24-25]

Land-grabbing in Brazil

Several Dutch financial institutions were recently linked through an investment partner to land-grabbing in Brazil. The Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation immediately contacted the Dutch and Brazilian institutions concerned, and had talks with high-level representatives of ABN AMRO Bank, the ABP Pension Fund, Aegon, the Entrepreneurial Development Bank (FMO), ING Bank, the Dutch Banking Association, the Federation of Dutch Pension Funds, PFZW pension fund and Rabobank. They discussed the need for greater transparency with regard to loans and investments, and had a constructive exchange of views on participation of Dutch financial institutions in multi-sector consultations on better land and land-use rights.