DGIS is responsible for development cooperation policy, its coordination, implementation, and funding. An important DGIS focus is on the coherence between Dutch and EU policies on developing countries. In order to develop and carry out development policy, the Netherlands works with the governments of other countries and with international organizations, such as the UN, the World Bank, and the EU. Civil society is another important source of partners; these include non-governmental organizations, such as Novib, and interest groups such as the employers’ confederation, VNO/NCW, and the small and medium enterprise lobby group, MKB-Nederland. DGIS themes include agriculture, gender, Aids, education, fragile states, sustainable economic development, and the environment.

CBI is an agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and part of the development cooperation effort of the Netherlands. Operating since 1971, CBI’s main objective is to contribute to the economic independence and equitable development of a selected number of countries in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, the Mediterranean and the Pacific by providing export marketing and management support to their SME exporters and business support organizations with the purpose of increasing their exports of goods and services to Europe. CBI stimulates and supports economic activities that are sustainable, socially responsible and environmentally sound. This implies compliance with international social standards, more specifically ILO Conventions and European consumer health, safety and environmental requirements. Requirements are both legislative and market-driven. In order to accomplish its mission, CBI concentrates on five core competencies: (i) market knowledge − CBI has an intimate knowledge of the structures, characteristics, developments and requirements of markets in the European Union; (ii) product and production improvement − CBI is able to provide technical assistance in improving products and production processes that contribute to competitiveness on the EU markets; (iii) quality control − CBI coaches exporters and business support organizations in meeting the quality requirements of the European market;(iv) export marketing and management − CBI is able to provide technical assistance and training on improving export marketing and management knowledge and skills within companies and business support organizations; and (v) market entry − CBI is able to provide guidance and market entry services to companies in gaining access to, and maintaining and expanding market share in, the EU markets.

ISS is an international graduate school of policy-oriented critical social science, which brings together students and teachers from the global South and the North in a European environment. Established in 1952 as the International Institute of Social Studies by Dutch universities and the Netherlands Ministry of Education, it does research and teaching and provides public service in the field of development studies and international cooperation. Its overall mission is to be an institutionally-independent, research-led, teaching-based graduate school in the social sciences, contributing to public debate and influencing public opinion and policy-making on issues of development, equity and human rights worldwide. Its aim is to maintain high standards of quality, training students from developing and transition countries, in particular, with its international, top-level staff. ISS is actively involved in a wide range of international capacity building and research projects and advisory services. These include long-term programmes of cooperation with teaching and research institutions and government bodies in developing countries and, more recently, in transition economies. ISS activities in this field include teaching inputs, curriculum development, contract research, policy advice on a wide range of issues, and the appraisal, formulation, evaluation and monitoring of development programmes and projects.

NEN is a private, non-profit organization, founded in 1916 by the Netherlands Society for Industry and Trade, in cooperation with the Royal Institute of Engineers. NEN is the Dutch network in the world of standards and regulations. Its mission is threefold: (i) assuring active involvement of the trade and industry sectors in the Netherlands in the development of international and European standards and, where still appropriate, of national standards; (ii) promoting the use of standards and standardization within the Netherlands; and (iii) operating as the central point in the Netherlands for information on standards and standards development. The NEN bureau is an integrated organization serving both the Netherlands Standardization Institute and the Netherlands Electrotechnical Committee. NEN is also one of the WTO national enquiry points for TBT.

PUM plays an important role in the field of international development assistance, sending senior experts to more than 76 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe. It is an independent organization, with close ties with VNO-NCW, and is funded by the Dutch Government, the EU and VNO-NCW. Upon request, PUM’s experts offer their skills and experience to businesses and organizations in places where these are most needed. Its interventions are geared towards fighting poverty and encouraging sustainable development in social free-market economies around the world. To accomplish this task, PUM strives to improve the business climate, stimulates the creation of new employment and assists with the changeover to cleaner means of production. PUM works in close partnership with unions, employers’ organizations and chambers of commerce.

Nuffic is the Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education. An independent, non-profit organization based in The Hague, it supports internationalization in higher education and research and professional education in the Netherlands and abroad, helps improve access to higher education worldwide, and plays an important role in fostering international cooperation in higher education between the Netherlands and other countries. Nuffic works closely with the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

SNV is a development agency based in the Netherlands and dedicated to providing technical assistance and capacity building in West Africa, East and Southern Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Balkans. It supports providers of micro credit and venture capital which help SMEs improve their market position, and puts an emphasis on “driven capacity development.” By giving advice, SNV strengthens the capacity of individual organizations to become self-sustaining within a limited timeframe. A substantial part of its work is financed by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whose annual contribution − €96.5 million in 2008 − allows it to implement its core work programme.