Toespraak Koenders bij conferentie 'What Design can Do'

Toespraak | 01-07-2016

Ladies and gentlemen,

I’d like to thank the organisers for giving me this opportunity to share some ideas about what design can do in my field of work ­– foreign relations and diplomacy.

Design and diplomacy have always been related. Statesmen and women have always tried to craft a positive image of the states and causes they represent. They invite artists and architects, musicians and scholars, writers and poets to help them impress their counterparts, present their arguments more effectively and convince the other side that resistance is futile.

In past centuries palaces were built to host lavish receptions. Costumes, artworks and dance were featured at feasts and functions to dazzle the spectator. Gimmicks and gadgets were created to baffle the barbarian. A Byzantine emperor, for example, received foreign ambassadors on an elaborate throne fitted with devices that mimicked the sounds of singing birds and roaring lions. When the kings of France and England met in 1520 to strengthen the bond of friendship between their countries, Henry VIII of England built a temporary pavilion that was so big and elaborate, it took six thousand workers to construct. And it wasn’t just emperors and kings who used design to display their wealth and power. At the height of Dutch supremacy over the world economy, the citizens of Amsterdam built a town hall of such magnificence that it was converted into a royal palace when the Dutch monarchy was established 150 years later.

And the practice continues today. You can find echoes of the extravagance of Byzantine emperors, British kings and Dutch burghers in the design and presentation of modern-day sporting events. The Sochi Winter Olympics and the 2022 World Cup football championship in Qatar come to mind. Nations use design as a trademark to great effect. Spain has had great success with Joan Miró’s sun image. Oscar Niemeyer’s buildings are Brazilian icons. And speaking for my own country, the Netherlands takes great pride in contemporary Dutch design.

It goes to show that good design transcends boundaries and speaks to all nations. It can make life better. So I applaud the organisers of today’s event who came up with the Refugee Challenge, an initiative to pair design with one of today’s most difficult problems: the refugee crisis.

That crisis was at the forefront of our EU Presidency, and we have taken the first significant steps towards managing it. But we’re not there yet. Harnessing the power of culture can be part of an effective response. And design can be a catalyst for new ideas and innovative solutions.

I’ve tried to use the Dutch Presidency to show the power of culture and its role in solving social problems. Not far from here is Fab City, a temporary campus set up on Java Island: hundreds of students, professionals and artists have been living and working there for the past three months. Researching and presenting their solutions for our future cities. They have shown us alternative forms of energy, new methods of transport, and various ways of purifying water, recycling waste and securing local food supplies. Innovative creators have presented their vision of the future in theatre, dance, film and musical performances and installations.

We can also see the power of culture in the work of the Nigerian designer and architect Kunlé Adeyemi, who’s lived here in the Netherlands since he was young. You have probably met him, since he addressed the conference yesterday. Mr Adeyemi is concerned about flooding that’s afflicting the city of Lagos in Nigeria. Increased flooding caused by climate change is preventing children there from going to school. His prototype of a floating school won a prize this year at the Venice Architecture Biennale.

Israeli architect Malkit Shoshan also has an exhibition in the Dutch pavilion in Venice. It shows how military bases built for UN peacekeeping missions can be catalysts for local development. As I know from my many visits, these compounds are usually self-sufficient islands, closed off from their surroundings. In a case study of Camp Castor in Gao, Mali, Ms Shoshan explores ways of doing things differently. She argues for more interaction with the local population and believes that UN peace missions should think about what they leave behind when they pull out. I’ve urged her to present her views in New York at UN Headquarters. The Dutch approach to UN peace missions is based on the 3 Ds: Defence, Diplomacy and Development. Ms Shoshan’s innovative proposal introduces a fourth D, for Design.

And rightfully so. Because design has a pivotal role to play. In recent years the number of people affected by crises has grown, while budgets for humanitarian aid have not kept pace. The traditional approach is no longer an adequate response to the growing need. And innovation in the humanitarian relief system is an essential part of the answer.

Cooperation is key. Businesses and relief organisations need to work together to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the humanitarian sector. That’s why it’s so good to be here at an event hosted by the IKEA Foundation and UNHCR, two organisations that have worked together on several occasions to improve the quality of humanitarian relief and make refugees’ lives a bit easier. For instance, by developing better quality shelters that last longer, and by bringing light and renewable energy to refugee camps. These developments make humanitarian assistance more efficient and effective. But more importantly, they improve the quality of life for people living in refugee camps.

The creative sector can also make a significant contribution to improving refugees’ quality of life. Humanitarian camps have some characteristics in common with large-scale events that host tens of thousands of visitors. So, new concepts in waste-to-energy conversion, communication, energy consumption, shelter and security can be tested for user-friendliness and suitability. The Dutch Red Cross and major festival organisers have set up a partnership aimed at encouraging and helping companies to develop new ideas for the humanitarian sector. And testing new products at festivals. By learning from each other’s working methods, and by sharing knowledge and experiences, new solutions can be found to the problems that have plagued the humanitarian sector for years.

These are just a few of the creative organisations and individuals using their talents to benefit society. The power of culture is crucial to my ministry. Because cultural exchange makes us richer, not poorer. It allows people to discover what other nations have to offer. By creating together and sharing cultural experiences, we can build trust and increase understanding. Not just among people, but also between communities and countries. The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, recently said that she doesn’t believe in a ‘clash of civilisations’. She wants to use culture to form alliances between civilisations. And I couldn’t agree more.

A little while ago, I worked with the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science to develop a fresh vision of international cultural policy. The new policy points to the connective role that culture can play. We want to create more space for culture to contribute to a safe, just and forward-looking world. And we need that. Security and stability are under tremendous pressure in the region around Europe. There is less and less room for culture. Artists are becoming isolated. People are finding it harder to exercise their right to take part in a diverse cultural life. Especially in countries and cities that are coping with large numbers of refugees and migrants. It’s getting harder to have an open dialogue about cultural differences. In fact, sometimes the conversation leads to cultural confrontation. This is both a cause and effect of diminishing social cohesion and growing intolerance and distrust.

Artists and creatives cannot solve these problems. But they play an essential role in increasing mutual understanding and inspiring people to talk to one another. They help us find and explain alternatives and solutions to social issues. They can offer new prospects to young people in disadvantaged areas and reduce the chance of radicalisation. It’s crucial for initiatives to be local. Take the Senegalese hip-hop group Y’en a Marre. They are young writers and rappers calling for social change. Their name describes their mission. It means: ‘fed up’. They rap about democracy and civil rights and reach a large audience online, on stage and on the radio. In 2013 they inspired 300,000 Senegalese young people to register to vote. They remind people of their responsibility and are spurring them to action in Senegal and across Africa. Last year they received an award from the Prince Claus Fund at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam. The same palace that the people of Amsterdam built for the greater good and glory of their city.

As part of our new international cultural policy, I want to facilitate initiatives that contribute to social change. This includes supporting local festivals and hotbeds of creativity. Or multidisciplinary projects that respond to urban problems. To give you one final example, a month ago in Beirut teams of creative young entrepreneurs competed in an ‘Ideathon’. They pitched business plans for creative concepts aimed at tackling local challenges, like waste processing and housing for refugees. The Dutch designer Eric Klarenbeek was a member of the jury. And Doreen Toutikian, the director of Beirut Design Week, is now in the jury here in Amsterdam. Another example of the connective role of culture.

We need designers and artists like you to use your imagination and inventiveness to help us meet the great challenges of our time. Whether it’s the refugee crisis, increasing urbanisation or the effects of climate change. We must have the will to make a difference. And to create real changes in the world and in the daily lives of ordinary people. Changes that will ultimately lead to a more stable, secure and sustainable world.

With that thought in mind, I’d like to see a long-term partnership between your world and mine, between design and diplomacy. And as a symbol of that partnership, I’d now like to announce the winners of the Refugee Challenge.

Let’s have a big round of applause for the winners. Thank you for your attention.