The Netherlands helps promote international peace and security

Promoting the international legal order is the basis of Dutch foreign policy

The obligation to promote the international legal order is laid down in article 90 of the Dutch Constitution. By contributing to the development of the international legal order, the Netherlands helps promote peace and security worldwide. To this end the country participates in international missions and operations. It also works with partners to defend its territory and that of its allies.

The Netherlands plays an active role in international organisations

The Netherlands is a member of various international organisations:

• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Within this alliance, countries agree to protect one another. They also agree to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defence.
• European Union (EU). Security is a key area in which EU member states work together, for example by developing smart forms of defence cooperation. A strong and united Europe will better protect the Netherlands against external threats.
• United Nations (UN). The UN is the world’s largest international organisation, with 193 countries working together under its umbrella. It works to foster a world without war, promote good relations between countries and improve the lives of poor people. It does so by concluding agreements on peace and security. The UN member states are also working together to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
• Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The OSCE is a multilateral body in which the governments of 57 countries make agreements on regional issues that directly affect the security of the Netherlands. These include counterterrorism, combating people-smuggling and trafficking in arms and drugs, and preventing or resolving armed conflicts. The OSCE works to achieve these aims by conducting a dialogue on security, economic cooperation and the protection of human rights.

International efforts to prevent conflict

By working with other countries the Netherlands can influence international efforts to prevent or end conflicts. It does so, for example, by:

• imposing sanctions on a country;
• contributing to civilian missions. The Netherlands sends experts to countries where the situation is difficult or dangerous. For example, it works to make areas ravaged by conflict safe for the civilian population. And it helps in the post-conflict reconstruction process too;
• maintaining the international legal order, for example via the International Criminal Court in The Hague and various criminal tribunals;
• helping to promote stability in countries. Examples include the EU mission to promote stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina (in Dutch) and the NATO mission in Iraq to prevent the return of ISIS (in Dutch).
• contributing military and other personnel to international missions.

Cooperation on international counterterrorism

Terrorism is an international problem. The Netherlands therefore works with other countries and civil society- and other organisations to counter or prevent terrorism. This includes combating terrorist financing and radicalisation, and imposing sanctions on terrorists or terrorist organisations. To achieve this the Netherlands works via organisations such as the EU, the UN, NATO and the Global Counterterrorism Forum. The Netherlands also contributes actively to the anti-ISIS coalition in Iraq (in Dutch).

War in Ukraine

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, European security has been under even greater pressure. The Netherlands is therefore providing military personnel to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank (in Dutch). The Netherlands is providing Ukraine with financial and military support (in Dutch), so it can defend itself against Russian aggression.