Experts of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Commend the Netherlands’ Educational Achievements, Ask about Discrimination against Migrant Workers and the Housing Shortage
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights today concluded its review of the seventh periodic report of the Kingdom of the Netherlands under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, with Committee Experts commending the State’s achievements in education, and asking about discrimination against migrant workers and the State’s housing shortage.
Laura-Maria Crăciunean-Tatu, Committee Expert and Member of the Taskforce for the Netherlands, commended the State party for its achievements in the educational sector. The Netherlands was one of the best performers in many Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development indicators in education and one of the most popular destinations for many international students.
Preeti Saran, Committee Chair and Member of the Taskforce for the Netherlands, said one-fourth of migrant job seekers faced discrimination in the employment process. What steps had been taken to remove discrimination in the labour market and barriers to inclusive employment opportunities?
Peters Sunday Omologbe Emuze, Committee Expert and Member of the Taskforce for the Netherlands, said there was a housing shortage in the State party - a deficit of over 390,000 homes. What measures would be implemented to ensure the availability of social housing and to combat homelessness? How would the State address record rent increases seen in recent years?
Wilm Geurts, Director of International Affairs, Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment of the Netherlands and head of the delegation, introducing the report, said the Netherlands had taken significant steps to protect the economic and social rights of migrant workers. An admission system for temporary employment agencies would be introduced in 2028 to ensure these agencies complied with Dutch law.
The delegation added that the Fair Work Organization helped to protect migrants’ labour rights and helped them to claim unpaid wages. The Government was working to modernise labour exploitation legislation to improve the prosecution of offenders and protection for victims.
On the housing shortage, Mr. Geurts said the State party had drafted a new bill that aimed to provide greater control over how much, where, and for whom housing was being built. Under this law, public housing programmes needed to address the housing needs of targeted groups, such as migrant workers.
The delegation added that five billion euros had been made available until 2029 to support the construction of affordable homes for low-income households. At least 30 per cent of this needed to be devoted to social housing. Restrictions on maximum rent increases in the private housing sector had been expanded in 2022.
In concluding remarks, Julieta Rossi, Committee Expert and Leader of the Taskforce for the Netherlands, said the dialogue had focused on structural difficulties related to the implementation of the Covenant. The Committee’s goal was to give the State party a roadmap for strengthening implementation. She wished the State party well in the coming months with the establishment of a new Government.
Mr. Geurts, in his concluding remarks, expressed the Netherlands’ commitment to the international human rights system and the Covenant. The State party looked forward to the Committee’s concluding observations, which it would study and strive to implement in collaboration with civil society organizations.
The delegation of the Netherlands was comprised of representatives from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment; Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations; Ministry of Justice and Security; Ministry of Asylum and Migration; Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport; Ministry of Education, Culture and Science; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Directorate of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Aruba; and the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee’s seventy-eighth session is being held until 26 September 2025. All documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage. Webcasts of the meetings of the session can be found here, and meetings summaries can be found here.
The Committee will next meet in public at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, 17 September to begin its consideration of the second periodic report of Zimbabwe (E/C.12/ZWE/2).
Report
The Committee has before it the seventh periodic report of the Netherlands (E/C.12/NLD/7).
Presentation of Report
WILM GEURTS, Director of International Affairs, Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment of the Netherlands and head of the delegation, said the Kingdom of the Netherlands consisted of four autonomous countries of equal status, which independently implemented the Covenant: the Netherlands, which included the Caribbean islands of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba as special municipalities; Aruba; Curaçao; and Sint Maarten.
The Netherlands currently had a caretaker government pending parliamentary elections that would take place next month. Under Constitutional conventions, the caretaker government only acted on urgent matters, with other decisions being deferred until a new Government was in place. The State valued the way it implemented economic, social and cultural rights, but was keenly aware that these rights needed to be constantly protected and strengthened, which required continuous attention. The dialogue with the Committee helped the State party to reflect on policies and to keep ensuring economic, social and cultural rights.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government placed the highest priority on the protection of public health. It implemented restrictions on daily life to protect the most vulnerable, worked at pace to ensure vaccines were accessible to all, and embarked on a comprehensive effort to support workers and businesses. These measures limited the impact of the pandemic on unemployment rates and protected livelihoods. Although the unemployment rate did climb somewhat during 2020, it returned to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2021 and had remained below four per cent since then.
The Netherlands had in recent years faced high levels of inflation, which had affected the cost of living. This particularly affected low-wage workers and recipients of benefits. To protect this group, the Government had increased the minimum wage. Since July 2022, for full-time employees, the minimum wage had risen by between 28 and 42 per cent depending on the number of hours worked per week. Additionally, the Government had taken steps to make childcare more affordable for families with young children.
Such policies provided much needed income security to those who otherwise could struggle to make ends meet. This investment in tackling poverty was showing results - in recent years, the number of people in the Netherlands struggling with poverty had fallen from over seven per cent in 2018 to three per cent in 2023. The State party had recently launched a national programme to help more people out of poverty.
The Netherlands had taken significant steps to protect the economic and social rights of migrant workers. The Government commissioned an independent review of the situation and was working to implement its recommendations. One key recommendation was the establishment of an admission system for temporary employment agencies to ensure these agencies complied with Dutch law. When this legislation entered into force in 2028, it would be enforced by the Netherlands Labour Authority.
Further, a new bill aimed to provide greater control over how much, where, and for whom housing was being built. With the enactment of this law, municipalities would develop a public housing programme, which needed to specifically address the housing needs of targeted groups, such as migrant workers. In addition, the Government was preparing a bill to ensure better rent protection for migrant workers, and had opened physical and mobile information points throughout the country for migrant workers.
The Netherlands had a comprehensive and generous social security system, but it had grown increasingly complex over the past years, leading to negative impacts for citizens. Some parents and caregivers had had their childcare benefits unjustly cancelled; rules were applied in an excessively strict manner; and benefit recovery policies included systems later found to contain elements of institutional racism.
In 2022, the Government launched a major operation to provide victims with fair compensation and assistance. It had also launched a reform agenda to ensure that benefits provided income security and that more work led to more pay, and to make the system easier to understand. The Government implemented a more human-focused approach to the benefits system, instead of a focus on strict rules. Parliament was currently considering new legislation to create a “right to make a mistake” in benefit applications.
XAVIER SIMILEER, Legal Policy Officer, Directorate of Foreign Affairs, Government of Aruba, said the Covenant held special meaning for Aruba, being among the first conventions for which Aruba assumed responsibility as an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 1 January 1986. Next year, Aruba would mark 40 years of autonomy, and with it 40 years of direct responsibility for upholding the rights established in the Covenant — a testament to the will of the Aruban people to shape their own social, economic and cultural development.
A key institutional development had been the appointment of Aruba’s first Ombudsman in October 2024, strengthening accountability, good governance, and the protection of citizens’ rights. Aruba had also taken important steps to reinforce child protection, including training more than 300 professionals and introducing a Child Safety Code in 2021, which mandated reporting of abuse and neglect across sectors. The promotion of continued parenting and careful divorce act further safeguarded children’s interests during family transitions. Aruba would launch in November 2026 a national vision on parenting support and a social map of agencies assisting parents. In the field of cultural rights, Aruba was preparing a national plan for culture and arts education, linking local history and Papiamento language to formal education.
Aruba remained mindful of the challenges ahead but steadfast in its commitment to protecting human rights. It looked forward to the dialogue and to the Committee’s views and recommendations.
Questions by a Committee Expert
JULIETA ROSSI, Committee Expert and Leader of the Taskforce for the Netherlands, said the dialogue would aim to identify the challenges and structural difficulties faced by the Netherlands in adequately implementing the Covenant, and would culminate in a series of recommendations that would assist the State in achieving this. How had the State party incorporated Covenant rights into its domestic legal order and ensured their implementation in policy and law-making processes, as well as in contentious legal cases? Why did the report state that “the Covenant did not grant individuals rights that they could invoke before a court”?
Did the national human rights institution’s mandate extend to the Dutch Caribbean islands? Did the mandate cover economic, social and cultural rights and had the institution been provided with sufficient resources? Had the State party complied with the recommendations of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions and made progress in establishing a national human rights institution in Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten?
What progress had been made in transposing the European Union corporate sustainability due diligence directive into national law? What measures had the State party taken to align the operations of public and private companies with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, particularly regarding the legal obligations of business entities offshore? What progress had been made in implementing the national action plan of 2022-2026 in this field?
The Government was not currently meeting the greenhouse gas reduction targets set out in the Paris Agreement, and recent policy adjustments, such as the postponement of climate measures, made it even less likely that these targets could be achieved. What did the State party plan to do to achieve these goals? The Caribbean Netherlands was particularly vulnerable to climate change. Did climate policies provide proper protection to people in this region? How was the State party working to promote a fair energy transition in the Caribbean Netherlands and protecting the region from natural disasters? Could information be provided on the lawsuit filed by the residents of the island of Bonaire, in which the plaintiffs calling on the Government to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions? How was the State party working to improve air quality in Curaçao?
Wealth was highly concentrated in the Netherlands. What fiscal measures did the State party intend to take to tax individuals proportionately with their wealth? The Netherlands ranked seventh in the corporate tax haven index. Were public assessments made of resources lost due to tax evasion? How did the State party ensure that budgetary processes were transparent? What budgetary and redistribution measures had been taken to address inequalities suffered by vulnerable groups in the Caribbean Netherlands? There were gaps between the social security, housing and environmental protection offered in the Caribbean compared to what was offered in Europe?
Had the delegation assessed the structural causes of discrimination against disadvantaged groups in areas such as employment, social security, education, housing, and cultural life, and developed policies and programmes to combat this prejudice? What was the status of a draft law that sought to penalise migrants in an irregular situation and prohibit municipalities from giving priority to refugees in the allocation of social housing?
The gender pay gap persisted despite the European Union pay transparency directive; although it fell to 10.5 per cent in 2024, it remained high. What measures was the State party adopting to tackle this and implement the directive? There was a large gender disparity in part-time employment, and evidence of discrimination against pregnant workers. What steps had been taken to overcome these issues? Although gender balance quotas had been introduced on company boards, equality in management positions had yet to be achieved. Another challenge was the inadequacy of policies such as parental leave reforms to address the unequal distribution of domestic and care responsibilities, which fell mainly on women. What temporary special measures had been implemented to achieve substantive equality? What progress had been made in promoting gender equality in the Caribbean Netherlands?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said that under the Constitution, individuals could invoke a provision of international law before the courts when those rights were binding on all persons. There had been scarce application of the Covenant in the courts, but the Netherlands was working to meaningfully comply with the Covenant. The Government was developing a manual that sought to strengthen the assessment of economic, social and cultural rights in the lawmaking process.
The Government had conducted a review of the Optional Protocols to the Covenant, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It had decided to first ratify the latter protocol; it had yet to make a decision on ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Covenant.
The Netherlands was fully committed to the Paris Agreement and related European Union legislation. The next Government would continue to make decisions regarding living up to climate commitments. The State party had launched its national adaption strategy in 2016 and an implementation programme in the Caribbean Netherlands in 2023. It was currently reviewing the national adaption strategy and promoting the involvement of affected persons, including young people, in this process at regional levels.
Citizens with higher incomes were taxed higher amounts. The new Government would decide on whether to pursue tax reforms. The Netherlands was an active participant in discussions on international taxation policy, including related to the United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation.
The State party would continue work on responsible business conduct and would transpose the corporate sustainability due diligence directive into national law after it was adopted. A 2020 law allowed groups that had had their rights infringed by businesses to file group lawsuits to claim damages.
The national human rights institution had a mandate to investigate economic, social and cultural rights, and its mandate extended to the Caribbean Netherlands. It was not currently mandated to make rulings on discrimination in this region, but there was a bill before Parliament that would allow it to make such rulings.
Residence permit holders were treated equally with other citizens in terms of access to housing. There were currently two draft bills being assessed in Parliament regarding the right to asylum. Third country nationals who resided in the country illegally would be criminalised if these bills were passed, but the voluntary return of such persons would be prioritised before criminalisation.
The Government had implemented various campaigns to promote shared parental leave and family responsibilities. A childcare allowance was paid to working parents, and the allowance was increased in 2024. Parental leave arrangements had been expanded several times since 2019; as of 2022, all parents were entitled to nine weeks of partially paid parental leave. The Netherlands was working to simplify the parental leave system.
The Government supported women who wanted to start work or work more hours. The average amount of time worked by women had increased in recent years, and the Netherlands was seventh in Europe in terms of the rate of women’s employment as of 2019. Several interventions were being implemented to support part-time workers to work more hours and to offer contracts to part-time workers. The gender wage gap had decreased in recent years, particularly in the public sector. A draft bill had been developed to implement the European Union pay transparency directive; this was currently under public consultation.
There were different social security norms in the Caribbean Netherlands, but the State party was working on an equal system of provision of unemployment benefits and child support payments in this region.
Follow-Up Questions by Committee Experts
One Committee Expert said the law on collective action was a good development.
Committee Experts asked follow-up questions on measures to strengthen due diligence for businesses and access to legal remedies for infringements of economic, social and cultural rights; monitoring mechanisms for the protection of cultural heritage and land rights; measures to assist developing countries to deal with climate change; reasons why official development assistance had decreased in the last two years and plans to restore this assistance; plans to introduce a comprehensive public register on the misuse of public funds and a national anti-corruption strategy; whether the State party was considering alternatives to the criminalisation of migrants; and progress in developing a national statistics system in Aruba to assess the implementation of the Covenant.
Experts also asked questions on plans to expand legal grounds for discrimination to include socioeconomic factors and ethnic origin; means of filing complaints related to discrimination; the effects of weakened European Union legislation on human rights due diligence for companies; whether the State party was considering a ban on arms shipments to Israel in the context of its attacks on the Palestinian population; whether migrants received basic protection regarding their right to housing and health care, and how the State party ensured temporary reception and treatment of migrants fleeing war and persecution; and measures to address hate speech by political leaders against migrants.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said Aruba had made progress in establishing a national statistical system, having established a coordinating commission for this system. New legislation needed to be drafted that ensured the clarity and relevance of the information collected and established rules on the collection of data and data transparency.
The Netherlands supported responsible business conduct, and the Support Office on Responsible Business Conduct provided businesses with practical tools to assess due diligence. New legislation would make due diligence assessments binding.
This year, the Government revised official development assistance to align with Dutch interests, focusing on programmes related to the economy, safety and stability, migration, food security, water management and health.
The current arms export control policy was sufficient in preventing undesired exports of military goods. The Government did not grant any licences for the export of military goods that could contribute to the activities of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank.
There were alternatives to the criminalisation of irregular migrants. The voluntary return of irregular migrants was always prioritised over criminalisation. The State always protected the rights of migrants; migrants were entitled to health care regardless of their migration status. The European Union Asylum and Migration Pact established joint, legally binding standards regarding migration, and the “Prospects” programme promoted the integration of migrants in their host communities.
Questions by a Committee Expert
PREETI SARAN, Committee Expert and Member of the Taskforce for the Netherlands, said one-fourth of migrant job seekers faced discrimination in the employment process. Job opportunities were scarce and many migrants faced linguistic and other barriers to finding work. What steps had been taken to remove discrimination in the labour market and barriers to inclusive employment opportunities? What steps had been taken to protect the economic, social and cultural rights of undocumented migrants, who were at risk of trafficking? Persons with disabilities faced barriers to inclusive employment and income support; how would these barriers be addressed?
Around 40 per cent of workers were engaged in flexible working arrangements. There were many “pretend independent contractors” who were not subject to pension funds and other social protections. These persons were at a higher risk of precarious conditions and accidents at work. How was the State party working to extend social protections to such persons? Had it revised its minimum wage, which was reportedly not indexed based on inflation? What measures were in place to address high rates of occupational illness and workplace exploitation, particularly of migrant workers? There were severe restrictions on trade unions’ ability to protect labour rights. Was the Government working to revise these?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said asylum seekers were previously allowed to work for a maximum of 24 weeks per year but were now able to work all year round. The Government had set up physical information points across the country as well as online information sources for migrant workers on working in the Netherlands. The Fair Work Organization helped to protect migrants’ labour rights and helped them to claim unpaid wages. The Government was working to modernise labour exploitation legislation to improve the prosecution of offenders and protection for victims. A commission was set up in 2020 that was working to improve the situation of labour migrants. The number of labour inspectors had been increased recently, as had fines for workplace discrimination.
The Government was investing in measures to promote diversity in companies and developing diversity and inclusion policies to promote equal work opportunities for women. The labour participation rate of women had increased from 76 per cent in 2020 to 79 per cent in 2023.
There had been several increases to the minimum wage in recent years and the Government was working to ensure that it now remained stable. There had been and would continue to be regular indexation of minimum wages. Over the last decade, the minimum wage had increased by 14 per cent in real terms.
The Government promoted social dialogue between employers and trade unions on the freedom of association. It was in discussion with trade unions regarding measures for strengthening collective labour agreements to promote trade union activities. Trade unions could lodge appeals related to judges’ decisions preventing strikes.
The State party was strengthening legislation on social benefits, working to reduce reliance on such benefits and ensure that they did not stand in the way of people seeking work. In the Caribbean Netherlands, the State party was working to standardise and simplify the social benefit scheme and make it more accessible.
The Netherlands had established a vision to reach zero annual workplace deaths by 2040. It had updated its occupational health and safety policies and ratified International Labour Organization conventions in this area. The State party called on employers to develop policies for assessing risks to employees. It was working to increase the number of occupational doctors and develop norms at the level of the European Union regarding toxic substances.
The State party had developed measures that increased protections for self-employed persons, including a bill introducing compulsory disability insurance for such workers.
There were several social security measures applicable to asylum seekers, including legal assistance, liability insurance, and the right to healthcare. Asylum seekers were provided with the same basic healthcare package provided to all Dutch residents. Once asylum seekers became refugee status permit holders, they gained access to other social security benefits such as housing and childcare benefits.
Follow-Up Questions by Committee Experts
Committee Experts asked follow-up questions on whether migrants could make complaints to administrative authorities regarding discrimination; how the State party supported companies to meet targets for the employment of persons with disabilities and promoted accessible workplaces and the labour rights of women with disabilities; whether there was meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in drafting labour policies; how the State party ensured appropriate economic support for persons with disabilities; measures to prevent structural discrimination stemming from automated processes assessing applications for social security benefits; the future of flexible work and the impact of artificial intelligence on work in the Netherlands; and the State’s stance on promoting flexible work for older persons.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the Government was constantly trying to improve the labour market for persons with disabilities. In 2024, the target for the provision of sheltered workplaces had been 94 per cent reached. An agreement had been reached in 2014 to create 125,000 jobs for persons with occupational disabilities, and an updated agreement would be launched in 2026. The Government was also considering a quota system for the employment of persons with disabilities.
The national human rights institution had developed a filing review framework to prevent discrimination and bias on the basis of race and nationality, which helped public and private organizations reduce bias in assessment processes.
In 2025, the total working population was 9.8 million people, of which almost seven million were in flexible employment. The balanced labour market act included several measures to offer workers more security in flexible contracts. The Government had abolished “revolving door contracts” that allowed employers to keep employees on temporary contracts for extended periods of time. Other legislation had been drafted which would strengthen the supervision of labour laws and ensure that employment agencies that did not follow these laws were not allowed to hire.
Questions by Committee Experts
PETERS SUNDAY OMOLOGBE EMUZE, Committee Expert and Member of the Taskforce for the Netherlands, said around 6.2 per cent of children were said to live in households below the poverty threshold and the rates were higher in single parent and migrant households. The State had failed to raise social benefits sufficiently to cover basic needs. How would it ensure that benefits kept single parent and migrant households above the poverty threshold?
There were long waiting lists for childcare, regional inequalities in access to affordable childcare, and long waiting times and regional disparities for specialised youth care. How would the State party address these issues?
There was no national action plan on gender-based violence and there were policy gaps related to addressing economic and digital violence. What measures would the State party take to adopt a comprehensive national action plan on gender-based and domestic violence and ensure sufficient shelter and support services for children?
There was a housing shortage in the State party, with a deficit of over 390,000 homes, as well as steep rent increases. Did the State party plan to develop a national, rights-based homelessness strategy? There had been a decline in the availability of social housing. What measures would be implemented to ensure the availability of social housing and to combat homelessness? How would the State address record rent increases seen in recent years while promoting housing availability?
Was there a comprehensive national plan to address food poverty? Food bank usage was at a record high level. Would the free breakfast programme in schools be sustained and expanded?
Were there plans to reduce housing and utility costs in the Caribbean Netherlands, which remained high relative to minimum incomes, and increase the supply of housing? How would the State party lower the cost of other essentials such as electricity and water? The national climate adaption plan lacked specific measures protecting the economic, social and cultural rights of vulnerable groups. Would the State party ensure that the national adaption strategy of 2026 included a focus on disadvantaged groups? How would the State protect households at risk of natural disasters and involve them in developing climate policies?
LAURA-MARIA CRĂCIUNEAN-TATU, Committee Expert and Member of the Taskforce for the Netherlands, commended the State party for its achievements in the educational sector. The Netherlands was one of the best performers in many Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development indicators in education, and one of the most popular destinations for many international students. However, pupils from minority backgrounds experienced barriers in accessing education as well as in enjoying the benefits of scientific progress. There was also unequal access to digital resources for lower income children in the Caribbean Netherlands. What measures were in place to reduce gaps faced by children from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, especially in remote areas and the Caribbean Netherlands? How would the State party increase access to digital resources in the Caribbean Netherlands?
Children with disabilities faced barriers in accessing mainstream, inclusive education. How were these being addressed? There was a high rate of students per teacher and high vacancy rates for teachers. What measures were in place to address the teacher shortage? The process for developing a new curriculum, which started in 2021, had been controversial, as civil society organizations’ participation in this process had reportedly been limited. How would civil society be included in the development process? Did the new curriculum address economic, social and cultural rights?
What measures were in place to address economic and geographic disparities that limited the participation of rural communities in social life? How was the State party promoting local languages and cultural practices in the Caribbean Netherlands? What measures were in place to address funding gaps for cultural subsidies in rural areas? How was the State party addressing the uneven distribution of research and innovation funding and promoting increased participation of women migrants and marginalised groups in science, technology, engineering and maths education and research?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the State party did not currently intend to add socioeconomic factors or ethnicity as grounds for discrimination in State law. However, race was considered as grounds of discrimination, and many cases of racial discrimination involved discrimination on the basis of ethnicity. A study was planned for 2026 on the possibility of adding socioeconomic factors as grounds for discrimination. The police handled discrimination cases, and the national human rights institution and the National Ombudsperson received and responded to complaints about discrimination and investigated cases. Migrant workers who were undocumented could go to court to claim their rights, and could benefit from legal aid on an equal basis with Dutch residents.
A new article had been introduced in the Penal Code this year that increased the penalty for crimes involving hate speech. The Public Prosecutor was responsible for determining whether statements by politicians amounted to hate speech or hate crimes.
Trade agreements were intended to protect the climate and environment. Civil society groups were involved in monitoring their implementation and dispute settlement measures were in place.
There were disparities in terms of the provision of social security between the European and Caribbean Netherlands. In 2024, the Government set aside 7.6 million euros to enhance social housing stock and 5.4 million euros to alleviate rental expenses. The Government was exploring the introduction of an income dependent child benefit in the Caribbean Netherlands. As of 2027, 96 per cent of parents’ childcare costs would be covered by the State.
Tailored subsidies, training and workplace assistance were provided by the State party to promote access to work for persons with disabilities. The Government was improving income support for persons with disabilities and was promoting access to work in the public sector for persons with disabilities.
The State party planned to reform the income support and allowances systems to address poverty and had recently launched the anti-poverty and anti-indebtedness programme. The statutory minimum wage had been substantially increased in recent years; further increases would increase costs for employers and could lead to job losses. The Government was promoting youth employment and was pursuing a law to increase the minimum wage for youth, effective from 2027. Youth supplements would also be increased.
The Government was promoting higher wages for employees, investing in labour productivity, and working to match job seekers to job openings. It had organised a summit on labour shortages in March. The programme for an equal labour market promoted labour access for migrants. In 2021, a work agenda was implemented to encourage local employers to implement the programme.
The Netherlands had strong laws on the supervision of financial companies and had taken strong measures to reduce illicit financial flows into the State. These had reduced financial flows from low tax jurisdictions from 37 billion in 2019 to seven billion in 2023.
The national climate adaption and implementation programme contained measures promoting resilience in housing and access to drinking water production and distribution facilities. The Kingdom pursued a strategy to address the consequences of extreme weather conditions in the Caribbean Netherlands.
Aruba had established a council to coordinate the execution of climate risk and resilience measures and identify climate financing needs and opportunities. An analysis had been conducted into climate risks in 2024, and on the basis of this, Aruba was developing a national climate adaptation plan which would be enacted from 2026.
As of 2024, 3.5 per cent of inhabitants and 3.4 per cent of children lived in poverty. These rates were expected to decrease to 2.9 per cent for both inhabitants and children in 2026. The poverty rate was much higher for migrants from outside the European Union, at 14 per cent. The Government had developed an integral approach to supporting families with children in poverty. School meals were being financed and municipalities provided individualised support. The Ministry of Social Affairs supported various organizations providing food and emergency aid, working with organizations in hard-to-reach communities.
The Netherlands had a childcare allowance that made childcare affordable for working parents. There were also municipal funds available to support childcare for children with developmental delays. The State had put a cap on salaries for executives in the childcare sector and sought to make childcare almost free for parents in the coming years.
Around four per cent of children were unable to receive timely youth care. Measures had been implemented to decrease the workload for youth protection officials by 25 per cent since 2023. A subsidy scheme had also been introduced to encourage more people to become protection officials. As of 2026, all municipalities of the Netherlands would be providing youth care services.
The Netherlands was implementing the European Union directive on violence against women and domestic violence. It had recently ratified the Istanbul Convention and was working on its implementation in the Caribbean Netherlands. Reporting centres and shelters for victims had been established in the Caribbean, where psychological support services were provided for victims.
In the Netherlands, around 80 per cent of women killed between 2018 and 2022 were victims of domestic violence. The State party had developed a national action plan to address femicide and was working to raise awareness of the issue. The legal definition of domestic violence would be adjusted to explicitly reference economic violence. Some 12 million euros would be invested in women’s shelters this year. There was currently a shortage of women’s shelters; a new law would be established in 2026 that created a responsibility for municipalities to establish shelters. An authority had been established that could order communication services to take down child abuse content.
An estimated 33,000 people were homeless in 2024, though the number could be higher. There were projects underway to improve data collection on homelessness, particularly homeless migrants. The State also had a plan to end homelessness by 2030, which included measures to promote access to housing and financial security.
The Netherlands had a shortage of around 400,000 homes. Some five billion euros had been made available until 2029 to support the construction of affordable homes for low-income households. At least 30 per cent of this needed to be devoted to social housing. The State had a target for the construction of 30,000 new homes annually by 2029, including 5,000 homes for middle-income households. It was also working on phasing out housing with inefficient energy ratings, streamlining building regulations, and increasing rental subsidies. A point system was used to determine maximum rent prices for housing, and in recent years, the Government had taken several measures to improve rental prices. Restrictions on maximum rent increases in the private housing sector had been expanded as of 2022. The Government was working to raise awareness and enforce measures promoting affordable rent.
Follow-Up Questions by Committee Experts
Committee Experts asked follow-up questions on measures to alleviate the shortage of general practitioners in urban and rural areas; reasons for long waits for mental health services and regional disparities in the availability of such services; plans to fund e-health services and child health services across regions; measures to address lower health outcomes and promote access to health services for migrants, persons with disabilities, and people in the Caribbean Netherlands, including plans to support disease prevention measures and medivac services in this region; measures to end medically unnecessary, non-consensual surgery on intersex children and provide redress and psychological support to victims; and measures to ensure that healthcare laws and policies were culturally appropriate in the Caribbean Netherlands.
Experts also asked about whether legislation prohibiting abortion in Sint Maarten had been revised; plans to promote the importance of vaccination in the context of a significant drop in child vaccination coverage seen since the pandemic; how the State party was promoting access to social housing; measures to address discrimination against migrants and refugees in terms of access to housing; plans to decarbonise the housing industry and prevent the demolition of older housing; reasons for the housing shortage; and measures to keep social housing as such for longer periods.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said a medical guideline was being developed to ensure that intersex children received appropriate care when necessary. There were also regulatory measures being developed to prevent unnecessary treatments for intersex persons, which would be adopted in 2026. There were no laws requiring intersex children to undergo unnecessary surgery.
The State party had awareness raising campaigns promoting healthy nutrition and lower consumption of alcohol, and measures to increase the share of healthy products sold in supermarkets. There was a programme in place that aimed to strengthen protection, early detection and treatment of cancer, and State measures had led to a decline in tobacco use from 26 per cent in 2014 to 18 per cent in 2024. Several measures were in place promoting access to interpreters for health care services.
Municipalities in the Netherlands provided different types of accommodations for foreign nationals who were obligated to return or were residing illegally in the State to prevent excessive material deprivation.
Persons whose houses were subject to demolition were provided with priority relocation and the right to return to new housing. In some cases, older housing was unsafe or inefficient, and demolition was the best option.
Communities and schools received funding to address disparities in the education system. The Equal Opportunities Alliance was working with schools and civil society organizations to improve equal chances for children in education, addressing issues such as violence at home. The State funded a special committee promoting increased participation by women in academia.
The current curriculum was developed in 2006 and was outdated. The Government had been working on reforming the curriculum in line with current societal challenges. The new curriculum would include precise attainment goals and promote higher quality education in basic skills. The reform was being carried by the Dutch Curriculum Development Foundation, which included a wide range of educational experts, in cooperation with civil society organizations.
The State party was working to improve its approach to access to education in rural regions, enhancing possibilities for remote education. It was also implementing measures to support children with disabilities to attend schools close to home, in the regular education system when possible. The State party was working to ensure that quality transport services were provided to students and was recruiting more drivers for pupil transport.
To address the teacher shortage, the State party was making teaching more appealing through promotional campaigns, improving teacher training, and working to improve teachers’ salaries and reduce administrative burdens. In recent years, primary teachers’ salaries had been increased in line with those of secondary teachers.
There was a programme to increase the performance of students in the Caribbean Netherlands. A strategic education alliance had been set up for this region, which provided students with scholarships to study on exchange in different countries in the Kingdom. The State party was also working on curriculum reform in the Caribbean Netherlands.
Various national poverty funds and organizations received State support to promote children’s participation in cultural life, sports and leisure.
Social housing in the Netherlands typically remained as such. Strong efforts were being made to increase use of unused housing capacity. During the global financial crisis, the construction industry lost capacity, which had influenced the current housing shortage. The State party intended to upscale new efficient construction methods and reduce carbon dioxide emissions caused by construction.
Follow-Up Questions by Committee Experts
Committee Experts asked follow-up questions on measures to address residential segregation and economic segregation in schools; measures to promote native language education in Bonaire and preserve the knowledge and cultural identity of the island; how indigenous peoples were involved in decision-making in fields that affected their development; reasons why permits continued to be granted for the export of military material to Israel and plans to ban such exports; whether the State party was systematically assessing the human rights impact of loans to developing countries; and how the Government would ensure that digital accessibility requirements applied to the education system.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the supplementary healthcare agreement, which had recently been signed, included measures for increasing access to healthcare and reducing the staff shortage in healthcare. The State party was promoting hybrid health practices and digital health services. The youth care support team and the availability of youth care bill addressed long waiting times for youth care.
The State party had measures to renew disability care to promote self-dependence and improve client support using digital technologies. There were ongoing efforts to address organisational challenges in disability services.
In the Caribbean islands, there were several programmes promoting sports and healthy lifestyles. The Government aimed to achieve a comparable level of healthcare in the islands to that of the European Netherlands.
The State party was concerned about dropping vaccination rates. It was organising specific campaigns on the importance of vaccination, targeting communities where vaccination rates were dropping.
The Netherlands had policies to increase educational opportunities for students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. Schools with lower outcomes received increased funding and support to improve the quality of the education they provided. The Netherlands had low levels of residential segregation and students were free to choose which school they attended. Citizenship education in the new curriculum would address economic, social and cultural rights, as well as other human rights.
The education agenda for the Caribbean Netherlands, which had been developed in collaboration with local authorities, promoted boosting training of staff, improving school facilities, and promoting multilingualism and digital literacy.
The State party was working to ensure that digital materials used in schools were fully accessible for persons with disabilities. Specialised educational materials had been developed for students with dyslexia and visual disabilities.
The only active licence for military exports to Israel was providing materials for use in the “iron dome” defence system. The State party was actively communicating about its dissuasion policy regarding Israel’s illegal settlements in occupied territories and was implementing measures to prevent the import of goods produced in these territories.
The State party strove to promote sustainable debt levels in developing countries. It was working to reduce the financing costs of existing debts and ensuring that assessments of debt considered external shocks such as natural disasters. The Netherlands was a strong proponent of the United Nations system and was working to strengthen its support for the system, including through voluntary contributions and humanitarian aid. Its international climate financing was a combination of public and private funding, which had increased significantly in recent years.
Closing Remarks
JULIETA ROSSI, Committee Expert and Leader of the Taskforce for the Netherlands, thanked the delegation for the comprehensive information it had provided and its constructive spirit. The Committee regretted that further information was not provided on the Caribbean Netherlands due to the absence of officials from Curaçao and Sint Maarten. The dialogue had focused on structural difficulties related to the implementation of the Covenant. The Committee’s goal was to give the State party a roadmap for strengthening implementation, and towards this aim, it would issue concluding observations, including three priority recommendations for implementation in the next two years. Ms. Rossi thanked all persons who had contributed to the dialogue. She wished the State party well in the coming months with the establishment of a new Government, which she said that she hoped would strengthen economic, social and cultural rights and all human rights in the Kingdom.
WILM GEURTS, Director of International Affairs, Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment of the Netherlands and head of the delegation, thanked the Committee for the open and constructive dialogue. Committee members had asked very pertinent questions. He extended gratitude to all persons who facilitated the dialogue, as well as civil society representatives who had submitted inputs and helped the State party to prepare for the dialogue. He expressed the Netherlands’ commitment to the international human rights system and the Covenant.
The dialogue had addressed issues such as discrimination in the labour market, health issues, education, and the situation in the Caribbean Islands. The State party looked forward to the Committee’s concluding observations, which it would study and strive to implement in collaboration with civil society organizations.
PREETI SARAN, Committee Chair, welcomed the State party’s positive approach to the Covenant and appreciated its constructive participation in the dialogue. The Committee looked forward to continuing to exchange information with the State party on the topics discussed in the dialogue.
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CESCR25.009E