Until 2012, the title was Minister for Development Cooperation (Dutch: minister voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking). Foreign trade and export promotion were handled by another appointee, a state secretary at the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Internationally, the state secretary was allowed to use the title of minister on official business. In 2010 both posts were merged, first as a state secretary; two years later a ministership was reinstated.
According to the OECD, the Netherlands’ total ODA (USD 6.5 billion, preliminary data) increased in 2022 due to an increase in in-donor refugee costs, support to Ukraine and higher contributions to European Union (EU) institutions. It represented 0.67% of gross national income (GNI).[1]