1. The Netherlands and South Africa signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of a Joint Commission of Cooperation (JCC) on 19 November 2015, which provides for regular meetings chaired by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the two countries in order to facilitate consultation and cooperation in various fields.
2. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Mr Caspar Veldkamp, hosted the Fourth Meeting of the JCC in The Hague, on 19 May 2025. The delegation of South Africa was led by Mr Ronald Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation.
3. The Ministers exchanged views on international issues, including the following:
3.1 The Ministers exchanged views on a number of important geopolitical issues and emphasised the importance of multilateral cooperation to collectively address shared challenges. In this regard, they reaffirmed the commitment of their respective Governments to act in accordance with international law, including the Charter of the United Nations and its Purposes and Principles, and the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes. They further reaffirmed that all states must act in a manner consistent with the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter in its entirety, which includes the prohibition of the threat or use of force to seek territorial acquisition against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state. They agreed that, guided by these principles, they support a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in Ukraine, the occupied Palestinian Territories, Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and other major wars and conflicts around the globe.
3.2 The Ministers discussed the progress of South Africa’s G20 Presidency to which the Netherlands was invited for all meetings including the Leaders’ Summit. Minister Veldkamp reiterated that the Netherlands will continue to work for a successful G20, the first on African soil, under South Africa’s Presidency.
3.3 The Ministers noted the outcomes of the recent South Africa–European Union Summit and the agreement to start negotiations on a Clean Trade and Investment Partnership. The Ministers expressed their commitment to a fruitful and successful Third AU–EU Ministerial Meeting on 20 May 2025 in Brussels, paving the way for an AU–EU Summit in June 2025.
3.4 The Ministers underlined the importance to collaborate closely on Human Rights, e.g. within the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and through the South Africa–Netherlands Human Rights Dialogue. The Ministers welcomed in that regard that the South Africa–Netherlands Human Rights Dialogue is scheduled to take place in South Africa, on 5 June 2025.
3.5 The Ministers reiterated their support for the full implementation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in all its three pillars.
3.6 The Ministers welcomed the considerable progress made in the negotiation of a bilateral cooperation MoU in the field of Women, Youth and Persons with a Disability by the Department for Women, Youth and Persons with a Disability and the Netherlands Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Health, Welfare and Sport.
3.7 The Ministers stressed the need for the Women, Peace and Security Agenda to be implemented globally and that women should play a prominent role in conflict prevention and peacekeeping operations.
3.8 The Ministers welcomed the first iteration of the Shared Futures Dialogue between South Africa and the Netherlands in Pretoria on 24 April 2025, took note of the outcomes and recommendations, and encouraged the stakeholders to continue this inventive way of agenda setting on key topics.
4. The Ministers underlined the strong, broad and friendly relationship between the Netherlands and South Africa, recalling the State Visit of Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima to South Africa in 2023. The Ministers noted the progress that has been made in fostering the relationship between the two countries since the Third Meeting of the Joint Commission was held in Pretoria on 18 October 2023. In this regard, they noted the following technical reports:
4 .1 Agriculture
4.1.1 The Ministries of Agriculture of South Africa and the Netherlands signed a Letter of Intent on Cooperation in the field of Agriculture (LoI) in November 2015. It revitalised the 1998 Terms of Reference for Bilateral Cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries of the Netherlands and the National Department of Agriculture of the Republic of South Africa.
4.1.2 The LoI also reactivated the Bilateral Committee on Agriculture (CoA), which has proven to be an efficient forum to identify opportunities for potential future bilateral cooperation, prioritisation of work and monitoring of results and challenges and strengthen cooperation in ways that generate mutual benefit for both.
4.1.3 The CoA has had rotational meetings to discuss issues identified and agreed upon in the LoI of November 2015. On 8 October 2024, the participants met for the Seventh Bilateral CoA in Tzaneen, South Africa. The meeting contributed to the promotion of cooperation and strengthening relations between the two countries. Issues of mutual interest have been discussed, including e-certification of animal products, cool logistics, just energy transition, climate smart agriculture, biodiversity, and phytosanitary and veterinary trade matters. The Netherlands remains a reliable and predictable trade partner for South Africa. The next meeting will take place in the Netherlands in 2025.
4.1.4 At the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture in Berlin on 18 January 2025, a bilateral meeting took place between Dutch Minister for Fishery, Food Security, Horticulture, Nature Conservation, Jean Rummenie and the South African Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen. During the meeting, it was emphasised that South Africa is the most important country on the African continent as a trade and investment partner for the Netherlands. Minister Steenhuisen was invited to the GreenTech Expo in Amsterdam in June 2025 and preparations for his visit are being made.
4.1.5 On 23 and 24 April 2025, the Netherlands participated in the first physical G20 agricultural working group and the G20 Food Security Taskforce in Durban, South Africa. At the request of the South African G20 Presidency, Wageningen University & Research is working on a discussion paper on bio-economy for the G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS) to be held in Limpopo at the end of May 2025.
4.2 Arts and Culture
4.2.1 The Ministers appreciated the Beyond Borders exhibition initiated by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in South Africa in collaboration with Freedom Park, the South African History Archives and the International Institute of Social History in honour of South Africa’s 30 years of democracy. Beyond Borders shows the Dutch contribution to the International Solidarity Movement with material from the joint archives of South African History Archive (SAHA) and International Institute of Social History (IISH) and the Nelson Mandela Foundation. In addition, the Embassy commissioned a poem by South African poetry duo Yamoria, titled Unclenched Fists.
4.2.2 The Ministers congratulated South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) and Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE) on the conclusion of their project oral history of 20th Century salvage of Dutch historical shipwrecks in South Africa. The publication of Dutch Shipwrecks in South Africa: Sites, Stories, and Archives is one of several project outcomes, including augmentation of the SAHRA shipwreck database and Geographical Information System (GIS).
4.2.3 The Ministers supported the development of a new MoU between Nationaal Archief and Western Cape Archives. The Ministers called upon the stakeholders involved to finalise this part as swiftly as possible in order to commence implementation and offered their support and facilitation toward that end.
4.2.4 The Ministers welcomed the continued success of the co-production treaty between the National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa and the Netherlands Film Fonds. With the development of the Thuthuka co-funding programme, fourteen projects have been supported in development phase (ten fiction, three documentary and one animation film) and two projects have been supported in production phase (one fiction, one documentary). Two Thuthuka projects will feature at the upcoming Durban Film Mart.
4.2.5 The Ministers welcomed the close cooperation between the Netherlands and South Africa on research on the topic of Netherlands’ slavery past and its legacy, including through community engagement.
4.3 Environment and Climate Change
4.3.1 The Ministers underlined the importance of implementing the energy goals of the global stock take (GST) of COP28 to reach net-zero in 2050 and remaining committed to the goals of the Paris Agreement. In this context South Africa and the Netherlands closely cooperate on the Just Energy Transition and green hydrogen to build a new green and resilient economy with alternative employment.
4.3.2 The Ministers agreed to continue bilateral collaboration on climate, based on knowledge exchange, capacity strengthening and development of joint solutions to shared climate adaptation and mitigation challenges. The Netherlands and South Africa remain committed to their collaboration on climate change and the Just Energy Transition, research collaboration, circular economy, green hydrogen, ecosystem-based adaptation, water management, energy and climate smart agriculture, and empowering the youth on climate.
4.4 Energy, JETP and Green Hydrogen
4.4.1 The Ministers welcome the formalisation of the Netherlands’ role within the Just Energy Transition Partnership and the progress made under the JETP. This partnership is a crucial vehicle to halt climate change while also supporting economic and social goals of developing countries. The Netherlands and South Africa will continue the collaboration on green hydrogen, skills and vocational education in the energy sector, alternative employment and water management support for municipalities in Mpumalanga.
4.4.2 The Ministers acknowledged the relationships between the countries in the field of green hydrogen and noted the progress that has been made under the 2023 MoU on hydrogen in the field of skills development, the water-hydrogen nexus, as well as the initiatives around large infrastructure in the areas of pipelines and port development. The Ministers agreed to continue building on these areas.
4.4.3. The Ministers welcomed the establishment of the SA Green Hydrogen (SAH2) Fund and the Netherlands’ contribution of EUR 50 million grant funding, via the Government of The Netherlands’ Development Related Infrastructure Investment Vehicle (DRIVE) programme. This innovative blended finance fund will facilitate and accelerate the development and implementation of green hydrogen projects in South Africa. It aims to address the challenge of scaling up South Africa’s green hydrogen economy by financing catalytic projects in the early stages of market development. The fund is aligned with South Africa’s national strategy for green hydrogen and complements the IDC’s corporate mandate.
4.4.4 The ‘Futures Dialogue on Climate and Energy Diplomacy Narratives’ aimed at advancing shared agenda-setting in the field of climate and energy futures and successfully brought together Dutch and South Africa decision-makers in the field of climate and energy. The Dialogue supported enhanced engagement and mutual understanding of climate and energy pathways and narratives of Europe and Africa and explored transformative diplomacy innovations for closer collaboration. The Ministers welcomed the outcomes of this dialogue and looked forward to seeing these outcomes reflected in G20 and UNFCCC COP discussions.
4.5 Digitalisation (including Cyber)
4.5.1 The Ministers noted that the cooperation in the field of digitalisation and cyber security, including through supporting and promoting knowledge exchange and private sector collaboration, has greatly developed. The Ministers look forward to the upcoming signing of the Joint Declaration of Intent on Enhancing Collaboration within the fields of Cyberspace and Digital Technologies.
4.5.2. The Ministers welcomed the second edition of the Southern Africa–Netherlands Cyber Security School which offered a six-week free of charge expert led course for over 3 000 participants from mainly South Africa, led by Stellenbosch University and The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies to foster knowledge exchange and capacity building in the field of cybersecurity.
4.5.3 Recalling the commitment that South Africa and the Netherlands made during the Inaugural Meeting of the JCC in 2020 to regional cooperation in cyber security, both Ministers welcomed the development of a new iteration of the Global Cyber Policy Dialogue to start in 2025, after the previous Southern Africa meetings were held respectively in October 2020, October 2021 and October 2022, where the parties involved agreed to continue the cooperation in this field.
4.5.4 The Ministers welcomed the valuable and constructive bilateral discussions on international cyber issues held over the past years and the Ministers committed to continuing this engagement. The Netherlands announced that the Ambassador-at-Large for Security Policy and Cyber of the Netherlands intends to visit South Africa in 2025.
4.5.5 The Ministers acknowledge that international meetings and negotiations relating to cyber issues are of such a technical nature that these require expert knowledge and capacity of diplomats. The Ministers welcomed in this regard the training on cyber diplomacy for government officials to be organised in 2025, as a follow-up to those in 2022 and 2024.
4.5.6 The Ministers decided to promote the empowerment of women in professional positions in the field of cyber, and to be cognisant of gender-implications of cyber and to that end recognised the trainings organised through the Women in Cyber Fellowship to support meaningful participation of women in the UN First Committee negotiations on cyber.
4.6 Finance
4.6.1 The Ministers welcomed the finalisation of the bilateral Framework Agreement between National Treasury of South Africa and Invest International Public Programmes. The purpose of this Agreement is to provide a framework for development cooperation between National Treasury and Invest International on public infrastructure investments, with a focus on agri-food and sustainable value chains, renewable energies and energy transition, improving healthcare infrastructure, water management, climate-resilient, and green infrastructure, and sustainable and circular manufacturing.
4.6.2 The Ministers supported the progress made under this Framework Agreement, specifically regarding the Protea Digital Water Projects D2B Grant Arrangement and the grant contribution to the SA Green Hydrogen Fund. The Netherlands and South Africa will work closely together to identifying more public infrastructure projects that are eligible for grant funding under this Framework Agreement, specifically projects related to the Just Energy Transition.
4.7 Science Technology and Innovation
4.7.1 The Netherlands and South Africa continue to maintain a strong partnership in the fields of science, technology, and innovation. The collaboration between the two countries is strengthened through various cooperative activities, including the hosting of the Joint Committee Meeting on Science and Technology. In 2024, both countries convened the Third Joint Committee Meeting to review the ongoing cooperation and explore additional opportunities to enhance the partnership.
4.7.2 Since then, The Netherlands and South Africa have undertaken multiple joint activities in the field of science and innovation, such as the celebration of two decades of bilateral research collaboration on Astronomy at the Science Forum South Africa in December 2024.
4.7.3 Both countries work together in the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project and acknowledge the project’s importance as it transcends ordinary radioastronomy projects and contributes to the prestige and pride of the Dutch and South African science ecosystems.
4.7.4 This year, the South African presidency of the G20 offers multiple opportunities to strengthen the collaboration in the fields of education, science and innovation.
4.7.5. On behalf of the Dutch Ministry for Education, Culture and Science (OCW), the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies, is working closely with the South African Department for Science, Technology and Innovation on an international research program. The program intends to facilitate research into the Dutch role in international slave trade and its afterlives from a local perspective and research needs. The parties are at an advanced stage of collaborating and there is a planned webinar scheduled for June 2025 to bring together the different role players in South Africa.
4.7.6 The Fourth round of the Joint Committee Meeting on Science and Technology will take place in 2026 in South Africa.
4.8 Trade and Investment
4.8.1 The Ministers acknowledged that announcements of tariffs are likely to have a significant impact on both their economies and the global trade landscape. According to the IMF, global economic growth is expected to moderate, with projections of 2.8% growth in 2025, down from a previous estimate of 3.3%. This adjustment reflects the potential disruptions caused by rising tariffs and escalating trade tensions. Additionally, global trade growth is anticipated to slow to 1.7%, a sharp decline from the previous year’s pace, largely due to the fragmentation of international trade relations and a reduction in global demand. The Ministers agreed that such disruptions are undesirable for international trade and economic stability.
4.8.2 The Ministers recognised that their bilateral trade relationship has deepened in recent years. Since 2023, total trade volumes have increased, with the Netherlands remaining one of South Africa’s top five trading partners within the EU. The Netherlands is also one of South Africa’s largest FDI investors with 17.7% of the total foreign direct investment in South Africa. The direct investment from the Netherlands reached R364.1 billion at the end of 2023. The Netherlands is the highest FDI country for South African investments. The direct investment of South Africa in the Netherlands reached R709.0 billion in 2022.
4.8.3 Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to engage in constructive dialogue to identify mutually beneficial solutions to address trade-related challenges.
4.8.4 South Africa informed the Netherlands of its economic priorities under its G20 presidency, namely inclusive growth and industrialisation, climate finance and debt relief, digital public infrastructure and AI, food security and critical minerals.
4.8.5 The Netherlands’ private sector ambitions and interventions align closely with South Africa’s G20 priorities, reflecting the Netherlands’ and South African broader commitment to sustainable development and long-term economic cooperation — making both countries natural partners in addressing shared global and regional challenges.
4.8.6 The Ministers expressed their support for the ongoing negotiations between the European Union and South Africa on the Clean Trade and Investment Partnership (CTIP), as well as the MoU on Critical Raw Materials (CRM). Both sides have demonstrated a strong commitment to strengthening their trade and investment relations, particularly in strategic sectors such as hydrogen, renewable energy, and critical raw materials.
4.8.7 The Ministers recognised the important role of Critical Raw Materials for economic growth and a Just Energy Transition and welcomed the visit of the Netherlands Special Representative Raw Materials Strategy to the Investing in Africa Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town in 2025.
4.8.8 The South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has concluded a study that explores the convergence of strategic interests and capabilities of the Netherlands and South Africa related to Critical Raw Materials. Both Ministers are willing to investigate concrete follow up to implement some of the recommendations in support of the sustainable development of critical raw material value chains.
4.9 Water Management
4.9.1 By means of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed on the margins of the United Nations Water Conference on 22 March 2023, the Republic of South Africa and the Kingdom of the Netherlands reaffirmed their excellent and longstanding partnership in the management of water resources. In the MoU, the Ministers agreed to strengthen and intensify cooperation on water safety, flood protection, and integrated water resources management, water for food and ecosystems, water supply and sanitation, water and climate change, and water governance. The goals of the MoU will be achieved through different partnerships, including:
- Blue Deal programme: The Blue Deal South Africa aims to assist the improvement of clean, safe and sufficient water for 2.5 million people in South Africa by 2030, through partnerships between Dutch and South African water authorities.
- Infrastructure Procurement Strategy: Faced with challenges in infrastructure procurement, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) developed a new Infrastructure Procurement Strategy and Policy in 2022. To help implement this new approach, the DWS sought support from Blue Deal South Africa, requesting a “learning opportunity” to foster an environment that supports future water and sanitation development.
- Invest International: South Africa is a focus country for Invest International, and water is one of the focus sectors. Invest International has committed approximately EUR 5mln to the Elundini Water Program: Providing new water infrastructure for 107 villages in the rural areas of Elundini, Eastern Cape.
- Dutch Risk Reduction (DRR) team: At the request of eThekwini Local Municipality a DRR team from the Netherlands visited the South Durban Basin to develop a roadmap for a comprehensive flood resilience strategy for the area This roadmap will support the Municipality in developing and implementing a strategy that will reduce local and regional flood risks and support the identification of cost-effective measures that can be implemented. The results are used by the Blue Deal Msunduzi-Mngeni River Project, to develop an integrated and climate resilient Early Warning System for the region.
- Protea Digital Water Projects: Development of a more advanced online platform with data that can be used by water management authorities and water users. This would provide relevant information to water users such as farmers, industries and municipalities. With the support of Blue Deal, the Department of Water and Sanitation, together with South African Weather Services, brought the Protea Initiative to the next phase.
- Hydronet: The Department of Water and Sanitation has subscribed to the HydroNET system and appointed the National Steering Committee to oversee the implementation and provide strategic direction for Water Catchment Management Areas in South Africa. HydroNET supports data-driven decision making of water managers and supported improved water management in the catchment areas.
- Wetskills: Young water graduates from the Department of Water and Sanitation continue to benefit from this programme and are scheduled to compete in the upcoming Wetskills water challenges that are planned in 2025.
- The RSA water sector has also benefitted immensely from the Dutch Orange Knowledge Programme (OKP). Many water sector officials are continuing with the Master of Business Administration degree programmes in water management through the Dutch institutions of higher learning and many have benefited from the short courses programmes. The Ministers agreed to identify options to further strengthen capacity building programmes in the water services, especially non-revenue water reduction in Municipalities.
4.9.2 The implementation of this MoU is overseen by the Joint Steering Committee (JSC) meeting which meets annually. The Ministers took note of the successful JSC in Durban in June 2024, and the subsequent JSC in Amsterdam in March 2025.
4.9.3 The Ministers welcomed the progress in the first two meetings of the G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group.
4.10 Migration
4.10.1 There is close co-operation between South Africa and the Netherlands to counter irregular migration, especially within the context of the work of the Southern African Immigration Liaison (SAIL) team, where the Netherlands plays a leading role, especially insofar as information sharing on routes and trends are concerned, as well as operational co-operation to deal with travel documents and identity fraud that affect both countries and the fight against irregular migration including the return of irregular migrants.
4.10.2 The Netherlands has agreed on the draft Memorandum of Understanding on Technical Cooperation in Migration Matters and is awaiting the final internal consultations from South Africa. As soon as both sides have agreed on the text, internal processes for the signing of the document will commence.
4.10.3 The Ministers called upon the stakeholders involved to finalise this part as swiftly as possible in order to commence implementation and offered their support and facilitation toward that end.
4.11 Social Development
4.11.1 At the request of the Government of the Netherlands, the respective Ministries are negotiating a Protocol to amend the Agreement on Social Security, which was signed in The Hague on 16 May 2001. The amendments proposed in the Protocol are mainly the result of a change in domestic laws in the Netherlands with respect to the exportability of benefits.
4.11.2 The Department of Social Development (DSD) of South Africa suggested that the Agreement be expanded to explore other areas of cooperation. In this regard, DSD and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment of the Netherlands have negotiated a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the field of Social Development.
4.11.3 The negotiations on the aforementioned Protocol to the Agreement on Social Security are progressing and on the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the field of Social Development is nearly completed. Both sides are aiming at finalising the negotiations on both documents in in course of 2025 with a view to sign the amending Protocol and the Memorandum of Understanding as soon as possible.
5. It was agreed that the Fifth Meeting of the South Africa–Netherlands JCC should be held in South Africa before the end of 2027.
6. The Joint Communiqué of the Fourth Meeting of the South Africa–Netherlands JCC was signed in The Hague on 19 May 2025.
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