On Sunday, September 22, we celebrated the UN International Day of Peace. Over 30 international and local organizations in The Hague opened their doors to the public, including Initiatives of Change Netherlands (IofC). During a mini-symposium at IofC’s main office, three generations came together to discuss the history and future of human rights. The conversation centered around a culture of human dignity and human rights, both for ourselves and for future generations. Topics such as Hugo Grotius, the Hague Peace Conferences, climate justice, war, and peace were explored.
Is there such a thing as a ‘justified’ war?
Exactly 125 years ago, in 1899, the first Hague Peace Conference took place, establishing The Hague as the international city of peace and justice. However, centuries earlier, Hugo Grotius—born in Delft and raised in The Hague—laid the foundations for international law. Jan-Paul Heering, a legal scholar at the Supreme Court of the Netherlands and an expert on Grotius, noted that Grotius believed wars would always exist. As a result, he proposed regulating the consequences of wars through legal frameworks: the laws of war. Heering then posed the question of whether a ‘just war’ truly exists.
Are wars inevitable?
Benjamin Duerr, a German-Dutch diplomat and author, picked up on the reflections of Grotius and Heering. He raised the question: are wars truly inevitable? In his book The Dream of The Hague: The Hague Peace Conferences and the Birth of a New World Order, Duerr examines this issue. During the first Peace Conference in The Hague, Alfred Mahan, a naval officer and founder of international humanitarian law, advocated for the legal restriction of wars, as Grotius had suggested. Mahan’s famous phrase, “If you want peace, prepare for war,” has renewed relevance today, given the wars on Europe’s borders.
Bertha von Suttner and the Peace Movement
Duerr contrasted Mahan’s law of war with the peace movement led by Bertha von Suttner. In her publications, she argued for the complete abolition of war. She questioned why humanity had successfully abolished slavery and achieved women's suffrage but failed to eliminate wars. Instead, we attempt only to regulate them legally. Is this attitude unrealistic, as some of von Suttner’s opponents argued? This question remains relevant even in 2024. Much like at the start of the 20th century, society today appears to be choosing militarization over pacifism.
The Temple of Peace
Contrary to the prevailing spirit of the times, the Hague Peace Palace was inaugurated in 1913, just before the outbreak of World War I. This ‘Temple of Peace’ would later house two international courts of justice. The motto of the Carnegie Foundation, ‘Peace through Law,’ still holds strong. Despite being overshadowed by the ongoing noise of global conflict, the 15 judges of the International Court of Justice continue their daily work to uphold human dignity. But is this effort in vain, given that many world leaders openly flout international law and human rights?
Climate Justice and Human Rights
Not if World’s Youth for Climate Justice (WYCJ) has anything to say about it. During the symposium, this youth group addressed the connection between human rights and the climate crisis. WYCJ aims to bring the world’s most urgent issue before the highest court. They argue that climate change poses a direct threat to universal human rights. For example, the island nation of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean faces the risk of being submerged due to rising sea levels. A group of students from Vanuatu is witnessing their right to life—and, by extension, their right to a safe environment, education, and more—slipping away. Their case ignited a global youth movement, which is now calling for human rights and climate justice at the International Court of Justice.
What started as a plea from a small group of students has since evolved into a global movement. They’ve gained support from more than half of the countries in the UN Security Council, leading to a request for an ‘Advisory Opinion’ from the Peace Palace. This initiative, now the largest case on climate law to date, represents a highly promising and forward-thinking effort. The first hearings are set to begin on December 2 at the International Court of Justice.
Humor as an Intergenerational Force
After the presentations, the three speakers engaged in a lively discussion with the audience. Heering offered to assist the youth of WYCJ in further exploring the connections between human rights and climate justice. A primary school teacher inquired about how to effectively present the complex issues of war, peace, and human rights to her students in an understandable way. The afternoon was filled with both intense and hopeful stories. Heering emphasized that humor could be a vital tool for keeping ourselves and future generations engaged with these intricate topics—a thoughtful and insightful closing remark!
By Willem Jansen
Transl. by Shereen Siwpersad