Since taking on the role of Co-Chair of the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development (GDPRD) this year, Thijs Woudstra has helped guide the Platform’s strategic direction during a pivotal period for global food systems. In this interview, he shares his vision for the Platform’s future and how the Netherlands’ leadership is contributing to a more resilient and food-secure world.
Thijs Woudstra
Head of Food and Nutrition Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands
Michelle Tang/GDPRD Secretariat: The Netherlands is a global leader in agrifood innovation. How will your background and the country’s development priorities contribute to the Platform’s focus on linking food systems with broader issues like stability, migration, and private sector engagement?
Thijs Woudstra/The Netherlands: With my experience and the Dutch expertise in agricultural innovation, we have learned that even on small plots, you can grow a lot. This is what we also see in the Donor Platform: it is relatively small but with great potential to grow.
We face challenges like climate change and shifts in donor paradigms, but we also see donors seeking a clear rationale for their inputs. We can learn from each other and use our strengths to address the issues you mentioned.
Food security is at the heart of development. It is not only about climate or conflict, but also food scarcity and quality that drives migration. And stability – we have seen food crises in the Gulf region, in North Africa as well in Asia. But we also see economic development and prosperity though companies investing in our partner countries. Here, we can strengthen our efforts to give food security the global position it deserves.
First of all—call me. I would be happy to share more about the GDPRD with you.
Michelle: The current global landscape is also forcing a different approach to development. How will your role as Co-Chair turn these challenges into opportunities for more unified donor action?
Thijs: If we read The Economist, it says: Africa needs trade, not aid. This signals that the paradigm of development needs to change. New partners are emerging. We see the growing autonomy of our partner countries with more equal footing-based relationships and interlinkages. The donor community in the West is dependent on what is being produced in partner countries. The new paradigm is also about partnerships.
With geopolitical shifts—the Russia-Ukraine war, the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz—we need to work with our partners to overcome these challenges and strengthen global resilience.
If we read The Economist, it says: Africa needs trade, not aid. This signals that the paradigm of development needs to change.
Michelle: You are not alone in these responsibilities. You are co-chairing the Platform with Leonard Mizzi of the European Commission. How do your respective professional and institutional strengths complement each other?
Thijs: Leonard brings vast experience in food security and development. My role is as a newcomer in the food security is more rooted in development and economics. Together, we can find new approaches and partners, and a new paradigm for the Donor Platform. The four priority tracks we have chosen together makes the Donor Platform an inclusive platform, but also one that is flexible to address current issues.
We are in transactional times. People need to see the returns of their investments. But ROI is not only financial, it includes impacts on climate, water, and gender equality.
Michelle: As the champion for the Return on Investment (ROI) workstream, what is your vision for this area?
Thijs: We are in transactional times. People need to see the returns of their investments. But ROI is not only financial, it includes impacts on climate, water, and gender equality. We need to communicate this clearly to our global audiences and partner countries including our politicians. Investing in rural development leads to a better climate, better use of soils, better biodiversity, and reduced water footprints.
This is a platform that works. It offers a safe space for your ideas to be tested, challenged and strengthened, helping to improve individual and cooperative policy.
Michelle: The Platform offers a trusted, informal environment. How will you and Leonard protect this “safe space”?
Thijs: We are already working in a more informal way, supported by a professional Secretariat. This safe space is especially important during annual meetings and gatherings, where members can openly share ideas, align visions, and move forward together. This requires lots of networking, regular interactions, and informal exchanges including virtual meetings.
Through work on return on investment, policy dialogue, and AI, the Platform can help set the agenda for progress as a community.
Michelle: A key pillar of the new strategy is responsiveness. How can the Platform help donors stay ahead of trends instead of reacting to crises?
Thijs: We are dealing with crisis after crisis. We need a longer-term perspective and this is where the Platform comes in, with the knowledge and the dissemination of the results, and the medium and longer-term ideas. We already know many of the challenges ahead—for example, water scarcity in Northern Africa by 2050. We need to act now. Through work on return on investment, policy dialogue, and AI, the Platform can help set the agenda for progress as a community.
I have always worked on strengthening ties between people, countries, and cultures.
Michelle: What is your key message for those interested in the Donor Platform?
Thijs: First of all—call me. I would be happy to share more about the GDPRD with you.
This is a platform that works. It offers a safe space for your ideas to be tested, challenged and strengthened, helping to improve individual and cooperative policy. It also brings together non-traditional donors and funds. This diversity allows members to learn from each other’s examples or leverage policies in partner countries.
Michelle: Last but not least, could you share your career journey with us?
Thijs: During my student days, I was interested in how the world works and in the inequalities we see. Throughout my career, I have worked on how we can change or adapt our lifestyles according to our surroundings, and how people can help each other become more prosperous, or rather, happier. I have always worked on strengthening ties between people, countries, and cultures. Everybody needs to eat but cultures differ in how they produce and consume food.
Read the announcement of the new Donor Platform’s new Co-Chairs.
