From Cacao in Ghana to Geopolitics in the Baltic Sea: Dutch Youth Advise the MFA in a New Year of The West Wing

Kick-off: Welcoming a New Cohort

Before delving into the complex nature of assigned foreign policy issues, an audience of 60 new track members was eased into the upcoming year through a kick-off at the Ministry.  Whilst meeting their fellow track members, with whom they will be working together in the upcoming year, a variety of speakers shared their insights on the importance of youth participation in foreign policy. Tanja Röling, Strategy Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized the necessity of young voices in policymaking. She emphasized that young people - in this age of social media - may notice certain international trends way sooner than their seniors. Koen Stoop, working at the Ministry’s Youth, Education and Work team, highlighted how youth voices make a concrete difference, providing the track members with inspiring examples.

This year’s track members comprise a diverse range of backgrounds. Some are students, others young professionals; some are 18, others 28; some have a background in social sciences, others are educated in technical fields. With this diversity in backgrounds comes not only a diversity of thought when writing policy advice, it also facilitates an environment in which ambitious young adults learn from one another. Fabiënne Blom, member of track Ghana, shares: 

I applied for The West Wing to gain an insider perspective on Dutch foreign policy whilst also learning from the different perspectives of other young adults at The West Wing.

New year, new topics

Last year, The West Wing wrote policy advise on, amongst other topics, the Dutch political and economic position in the Middle Corridor and the use of public diplomacy to strengthen the Dutch image in China. This year, a whole new set of policy questions has been selected, with topics ranging from cacao in Ghana to geopolitics in the Baltic Sea. 

• Track Sanctions investigates how sanction evasion through third-party states can be countered by The Netherlands and the EU. The evasion of sanctions poses a threat to their effectiveness, with for example Russia still exporting its oil to European countries using a shadow fleet of ships registered in third-party flag states. Track members of track Sanctions will explore the diplomatic, economic and judicial instruments to effectively combat such evasion. 
• Track NB8 explores to what extent the Nordic-Baltic (NB8) approach for the Baltic Sea, aimed at fostering both security and sustainability in the region, can be used for the North Sea. The Baltic Sea faces substantial geopolitical pressures as well as environmental threats by pollution. Meanwhile, the North Sea faces similar pressures as a vital corridor for energy, international trade and potential arena for hybrid threats. Could an NB8-like approach manage these pressures in the North Sea?
• Track Chile examines how The Netherlands and EU can strengthen its position in a geopolitically and economically important South-America. Some countries are now classified as high-income, meaning traditional development approaches are not applicable. However, the continent does possess large reserves of valuable natural resources such as copper and lithium, for which there is fierce competition. Track member Uri Scholten shares his personal motivation to join this track:

“I applied to The West Wing [...] because Chile is an important country to me. I lived there for 6 months and my step-dad is Chilean, making the relationship between Chile and The Netherlands a personal one.”

• Track Ghana looks into the declining cacao industry in Ghana, which suffers from unpredictable weather patterns, poor maintenance and an inefficient production chain. These problems also make the cacao industry an unattractive place for young adults to work. Meanwhile, the cacao industry is of large importance to The Netherlands, as 20% of worldwide cacao is imported here. In this track, participants investigate how the Dutch embassy in Ghana can strengthen the position of youth in the cacao industry whilst contributing to an industry transformation. 
• Finally, the Track Unsollicited Advice takes on a drastically different approach than the regular tracks. Rather than writing a report requested by an Embassy, Directorate or the Ministry at large, this track allows participants to brainstorm on their own policy issue. Such a bottom-up process leads to innovative policy reports raising issues that potentially go unnoticed by policymakers otherwise. The track is organized in cooperation with the Advisory Council on International Affairs (AIV).

What's Next?

In May, at the end of the academic year, all tracks will have finished their policy reports and present their findings during a wrap-up at the Ministry, attended by policymakers, diplomats and other relevant stakeholders. Up until then, a year filled with constructive track meetings and inspiring activities is waiting!

For more information, please visit www.thewestwing.nl!