By Jhr. mr. Alexander W. Beelaerts van Blokland.
The Hague as city of peace and justice is more than just host of international courts and tribunals. It supports the very promotion of this universal goal, as comprised in the Sustainable Development Goal 16 by the United Nations. To underline The Hague’s support, Mayor Jozias van Aartsen expressed during his visit to the Secretary General of the United Nation, Dr. Ban Ki-moon, the commitment the city has towards the SDG’s.
Mending the lack of peace and justice is supported by the city in a wide variety of ways, with multiple stakeholders, from academia, think tanks, international organizations, NGOs, and the private sector. Developments around the world over the past decades often brought home that peace and justice is not a final stage. They need permanent maintenance and attention. Even in those countries where war is absent and rule of law governs society.
How to achieve and maintain stability, peace and justice is a matter that always had its own dynamics. Over the past decades, urbanization has been a hallmark of development in many countries where cities now produce the largest part of the national GDP. Regional cooperation on every continent after World War II has become common practice. Societies are increasingly globally connected, while the phenomenon of non-state actors is clear and present.
These factors have an influence on how the world approaches issues and how solutions can be implemented. As the Albright-Gambari Commission on Global Security, Justice & Governance said in its report on UN reform (2015), the UN is very much a 20th century organization, increasingly unable to address the issues the world community has to tackle in the 21st century. Most notably the effects of climate change, the way fragile states are ravaged, and the way governance can be organized for the hyper connected world.
Many of these issues are no longer neatly defined within national borders, national parliaments and governments. Cross border cooperation, input and ownership by other stakeholders than national institutions, are crucial for this day and age.
No doubt, these developments will be discussed during the week of April 18th, when The Hague will see a flurry of activities related to the United Nations, including a visit by its Secretary General, Dr. Ban Ki-moon. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will celebrate its 70th anniversary, while the International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken up its new premises. Also, the Dutch ‘Hoge Raad der Nederlanden’ (the Supreme Court) will open their doors of a new building and will commemorate its 200th anniversary, making it one of the oldest legal institutions in the Netherlands.
During this ‘Week of Justice’, preparations will already be underway for another project related to peace and justice. Cities are bound to take up their responsibilities connected to the place where the majority of mankind will live, work, play, argue, and sometimes fight. This position comes with many challenges and possibilities. Seizing the opportunities provided by this undeniable trend requires also taking ownership and shoring up expertise.
That is why the City of The Hague will host the inaugural session of the Global Parliament of Mayors in September, in cooperation with Dr. Benjamin Barber, the American author of ‘If Mayors Ruled the World.’ This platform provides an excellent opportunity to share knowledge and improve practical cooperation between cities. Especially in the peace and justice related fields of expertise The Hague has to offer.
As said, just being host of institutions is not enough, it is not an ambition The Hague has. Connecting the courts and tribunals with other stakeholders for the development of international law and the promotion of peace and justice is.
The author is Justice (Judge) in the (Dutch) Court of Appeal and honorary Special Advisor International Affairs, in 2004 appointed by the Mayor and Aldermen of The Hague.
