As a founding member of the United Nations in 1945, the Netherlands, from the outset, has consistently been committed to, and very active in, promoting the goals of the UN. Be it in the field of peace and security, economic and social development, justice, human rights and fundamental freedoms, or in supporting the UN to make it an effective organisation, responsive to today’s challenges. The Netherlands is one of the main financial contributors to the activities of the United Nations. Take the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the three main UN funds and programmes in New York. The Netherlands, a country of 16 million inhabitants, contributes almost 200 million dollar on an annual basis to these institutions, which is just below the contributions of countries like the United States and Japan. It reflects not only our commitment to development cooperation – the Netherlands is one of the few countries in the world that over the years has honoured the UN target to spend 0.7 of GDP to development – but also our confidence in the United Nations as an invaluable multilateral channel. The site gives more details on our financial contributions, including those to the UN’s specialised and other agencies. But there is more to our close relationship with the United Nations: The Hague – seat of the Dutch government – is hosting the International Court of Justice, the  International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and, in the very near future, the International Criminal Court. This has, informally, given The Hague the title of the United Nations’ “legal capital of the world”. It certainly reflects the Netherlands longstanding involvement in the promotion of international law. The Hague is also seat of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a body created by, and related to, the United Nations. One of the main priorities of the Netherlands is the ambition to contribute to peace and security. The Dutch membership of the Security Council in 1999 and 2000 made us a direct partner in the debates to solve or diffuse several crises in the world and was proof of our belief in the crucial role of the United Nations in this area. But even now that the Netherlands is no longer a member of the Security Council we remain fully committed to contribute in any possible way to solving these crises. For example, The Netherlands was until recently one of the major participants in the UN peacekeeping operation in Ethiopia/Eritrea. In the second half of 2004, the Netherlands will assume the Presidency of the European Union, which by then will consist of 25 countries. Since the EU increasingly plays a central role in debates and negotiations in the UN, this will be a challenging task for the permanent mission. |
