Welcome Address by Jan van Zanen at the Annual Peace and Justice gathering in The Hague Humanity Hub, 30 January 2025

Dear all,

Today, on the cusp of January, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the annual gathering hosted by our municipality’s international department, in collaboration with The Hague Humanity Hub. As City of Peace and Justice, we are proud of the many international institutions and roughly two hundred organizations that call the Hague their home.

It is good to see that there is such a large number of representatives from the global ecosystem of peace and justice here today. All with the mutual goal of fostering ties and making new connections. Together, you fortify the network that consolidates the Hague’s position, but more importantly, you strengthen the international rule of law and the pursuit of non-violent settlement of international conflicts. A task that requires our attention now more than ever.

We, as the municipality of the Hague – city of peace and justice – and you, as the network of institutions and organisations, are in a unique position to defend the international rule of law and its institutions. This can be done by collaborating on important initiatives, such as supporting the International Criminal Court in its courageous struggle to prosecute those who have committed war crimes, whoever they may be. To this end, we must not only rely on one another, but also seek alliances with new parties. The Humanity Hub has become a prime accelerator in this development.

I’m happy that the Hub has welcomed a new chair in the person of Joke Brandt. With her as new leader, the Hub will enter a new phase in its development, one that can only lead to more success.

Together, we have proven that we are capable of standing up for peace, justice, and security. This city is the neutral ground where international mediations came about, where new initiatives for climate justice were introduced, and where, over ten years ago, the Nuclear Security Summit was held. In June later this year, we will host the annual NATO Summit. I look forward to this with great confidence and a sense of great responsibility.

To fortify our position within the international network, the municipality of the Hague has, for the very first time, appointed a special envoy of the ‘city of peace and justice’. To contribute to raising the Hague’s international profile and to strengthen the Hague’s ecosystem of peace and justice. This role will be filled by Diana Eggleston, who is present here today.

Dear all,

You have a great programme to look forward to today, with a keynote speech by Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, an advocate for women in matters of peace and security and a strategist on situations of crisis and extremism. Afterwards, new members of the network will provide a quick introduction, thus showing that the Hague community of peace and justice continues to develop.

Finally,

Mariëlle Vavier, the alderman for international affairs, will provide some closing remarks to the meeting.

I wish you all a pleasant gathering and loads of success for the coming year.

And: carry on.