Kingdom of the Netherlands, 2014

On 17 July, in a summer

already marked by alarming reports from Syria,

Iraq and Gaza, our country was confronted with a

stark international reality. The 298 passengers of

Flight MH-17 would be alive today if not for the Crimea

conflict and the destabilization of eastern Ukraine. Of

those victims, 196 were Dutch nationals.

That tragedy has had an enormous impact on

our country — so many innocent men, women and

children, entire families ripped from neighbourhoods,

empty desks in offices and schools, teammates gone

forever. Everyone in the Netherlands knew someone in

that plane, directly or indirectly, and we will feel the

pain for years to come. Some of the victims still have

not been identified, and that must be done as soon as

possible. Nothing is more important to their loved ones,

wherever in the world they may be.

This summer we were reminded again of how

closely interwoven events at home and abroad can be

and how important a stable world order is to our national

interests. We saw again that when it comes to addressing

the major problems facing the global community, there

is simply no alternative to working together. That is the

firm conviction of the Dutch Government.

We are grateful for the wide support for Security

Council resolution 2166 (2014). All remains and personal

belongings must be repatriated. The cause of the Flight

MH-17 disaster must be brought to light, and those

responsible must be brought to justice. Unhindered

access to the crash site is therefore essential. The Dutch

Government is fully committed to achieving those

goals, working with all the countries and organizations

involved.

The Constitution of the Netherlands contains a

unique article that says, “The Government shall promote

the development of the international legal order”. That

self-imposed responsibility comes from a long tradition

of freedom, respect for the rule of law and our country’s

international orientation. In March, we put that principle

into practice once again when we hosted the Nuclear

Security Summit, a conference on an important topic

that must remain high on the international agenda. The

events of this summer have made us even more resolute

about promoting the international legal order and about

working to that end with everyone here in the General

Assembly, in the knowledge that peace, justice and

development are closely interconnected.

The year 2015 is an important one for the global

development agenda. We will be reviewing the

Millennium Development Goals and raising the

bar once again. In July this year, the Open Working

Group on Sustainable Development Goals laid a solid

foundation for the future that reflects the Netherlands’

priorities. The most important goal is to eradicate

extreme poverty within a generation in a way that

does not harm economic growth, social equality or the

environment. We must link short-term goals with long-

term goals.

Despite the progress made, we know that fragile

States, where the rule of law barely exists, had no

chance of achieving the Millennium Development

Goals. In 2013 there were more displaced people in

conflict regions than ever before. For those reasons,

the Netherlands applauds the Open Working Group’s

intention to include peace and the rule of law in the new

framework.

We also welcome the Secretary-General’s announced

intention to establish the United Nations Mission for

Ebola Emergency Response. The Netherlands will

substantially increase its humanitarian aid. Part of that

effort is a new contribution of €18 million to the fight

against Ebola.

In the same vein, the Netherlands will continue to

support and participate in United Nations peacekeeping

missions. We currently have military personnel and

relief workers serving in Mali, South Sudan and

elsewhere. The upcoming review of peacekeeping

missions is an opportunity to improve the instrument

and make it more effective. The Netherlands believes

that major progress can be made on that front by further

integrating the three Ds: defence, development and

diplomacy.

Our commitment to fulfilling Security Council

resolution 1325 (2000) remains firm too, because

women’s leadership is essential to achieving peace and

security. The important role that women play as change

agents in politics, economic development and society

cannot be emphasized enough.

As host country to many international legal

institutions, including the International Court of Justice

and the International Criminal Court, the Netherlands

feels a special responsibility with respect to international

law. When innocent people fall victim to impunity,

human rights violations and the violence of war, the

international community cannot and should not just

stand by and just watch. Perpetrators must be brought

to justice, however complex and time-consuming the

process may be. We owe this not only to the passengers

of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH-17, but also to the

victims of violence in Syria and in Iraq. The horrifying

images of mass executions and beheadings in the region

are burned into our memories. They impress upon

us how important it is for the Security Council and

international legal institutions to be able to act boldly

and decisively.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands, a partner for

peace, justice and development, is a candidate for a

non-permanent seat on the Security Council in 2017

and 2018. We want to help modernize and strengthen

that important United Nations body. Renewal is

needed to ensure its effectiveness and legitimacy. The

Security Council must be able to act in a crisis. When

mass atrocities are being committed somewhere in the

world, veto power should be exercised with greater

restraint. We salute the French initiative in that regard.

We also believe that the Security Council’s authority

and resolve would be enhanced if the United Nations

Member States were more broadly represented. That

is especially true of the African States which, in our

opinion, are underrepresented.

In closing, Dag Hammarskjöld once said that

“[t]he principles of the Charter are, by far, greater

than the Organization in which they are embodied,

and the aims which they are to safeguard are holier

than the policies of any single nation or people”

(S/PV.751, para. 4).

The Netherlands shares that conviction and remains

steadfast in its commitment to promoting the

international legal order, as our Constitution demands.