International Legal Order

A strong international legal order is essential for a just, peaceful and prosperous world and therefore for achieving the objectives of Dutch foreign policy. Setting standards is only part of it. Strengthening the international legal order also requires ensuring compliance with those standards and taking action against those who breach them.

Access to justice and the administration of justice are indispensable instruments for this purpose. There are many places in the world where proper process of law is not guaranteed in either domestic or international cases. On the international front, though, we are making good progress in advancing the development of individual criminal process and there are already many options available for settling disputes between states.

The Netherlands has a tradition of placing strong emphasis on the development of international law. Promoting the development of the international legal order is a permanent objective of Dutch foreign policy under article 90 of the Constitution. Over 100 years ago, the first International Peace Conference was held in The Hague. The Permanent Court of Arbitration was founded at that conference. The Peace Palace was built in 1913 to house the Court. The Permanent Court of International Justice (the forerunner of the International Court of Justice) was established in The Hague in 1922. After the Second World War, the United Nations International Court of Justice took up residence in the Peace Palace.

The Hague plays a special role as host to a large number of international legal bodies, including the International Criminal Court and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. This has earned it the title of international legal capital of the world.

In addition to various courts and tribunals, The Hague hosts the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which was established by the UN in 1993 to oversee compliance with the ban on chemical weapons and monitor their dismantling.