Daniëlle Hirsch

Biography

"The Netherlands as a force for good"

When you see injustice around you, you should always speak up. My parents taught me not to sit on the sidelines, but to actively try to improve the situation yourself. I try to put that principle into practice every day.

Sustainability

I spent 15 years as the director of Both ENDS, a Dutch environmental and human rights organisation, lobbying in The Hague to convince the House of Representatives and ministries that our foreign policy needs to go green. We need to change our trade model, because our current one hardly makes the world a better place.

New trade model

The Netherlands is a major trading nation: we depend on foreign countries and what happens here has effect the world over. How can we do our part to contribute to an equitable, green global economy? It is not an easy conversation to have, and yet we have a duty to talk about the tough stuff. Solving the climate crisis, for example, will be a major challenge if we continue to export our fossil sector.

Economist

The Netherlands can be a force for good in the world and my goal as an MP is to make that happen. As an MP, I benefit greatly from my background as an economist and my vast international experience. After all, issues such as poverty, trade, nitrogen, and the climate are all related.

Books

To relax, I exercise a lot and love a yoga session. I also enjoy reading fantasy books, science fiction and novels in Dutch and other languages.