Working Worldwide for the Security of the Netherlands Working Worldwide for the Security of the Netherlands to peace missions and crisis management operations focuses primarily on the regions around Europe, based on the principle that large-scale contributions to missions directly or indirectly enhance Dutch security. Small contributions to missions are also important, because they can, for example, strengthen the Netherlands’ strategic information position and influence. The Dutch armed forces can be deployed for peacekeeping operations through the UN, NATO or the EU, or as part of ad hoc coalitions. The decision to deploy them always requires consideration of the overall costs and benefits. The consequences of such decisions for the readiness and deployability of units are viewed in relation to the consequences of deployments to carry out NATO and EU tasks. Goal 12: Strengthening international security cooperation The Netherlands in the UN Security Council in 2018 The Netherlands’ efforts in the Security Council focus on increasing human security worldwide. We pursue that aim by concentrating on both prevention and cure. That means working to help the Security Council act more promptly to address the root causes of conflict and, when conflict breaks out, deploys peace missions that are adequately equipped and have a real impact on the ground. Finally, we want to see a Security Council that is dedicated to justice, since without justice there can be no lasting peace. International cooperation is a key prerequisite for our security. Partly because internal and external security have become increasingly interconnected, the Netherlands is hardly ever able to tackle threats alone. This makes international cooperation crucial to our security, and the Netherlands will continue to invest in it. Besides long-established multilateral organisations like the UN, the EU, NATO and the OSCE (see goals 5 and 11) and international financial institutions like the World Bank, we also work with informal multilateral forums for capacity building (like the Global Counterterrorism Forum and the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS/Daesh) and non-state actors like civil society organisations, the business community and research institutes. Moreover, we increasingly work in ad hoc coalitions to address specific issues and of particular importance. This is a consequence of the multi-order world described above, with varying ideological, geopolitical and economic interests. The government supports these kinds of partnerships because they increase the effectiveness and flexibility of, and support for, our international efforts. The short-term benefits of ad hoc coalitions should not, however, come at the expense of the carefully constructed multilateral system and the international legal order. Careful consideration of goals, interests and mandates is advisable, especially with a view to the long term and to sustainability. | 38 | | 39 | Restoring security and stability in countries like Mali and Afghanistan and in the Middle East is in the security interests of Europe, including the Netherlands, and requires patience and perseverance. Decisions on deploying the armed forces under article 100 of the Constitution are made on the basis of an assessment of the mission’s political desirability and military feasibility using the Assessment Framework regarding article 100. The Netherlands’ ambition to be a reliable partner implies making a proportional contribution to crisis management around the world. Partly with a view to the planned update of the Defence White Paper in 2020, the security approach defined in the IISS and the objective of conflict prevention set out in the forthcoming policy document on foreign trade and development cooperation, the international security budget (BIV) available to pursue this ambition will be reviewed in two years. The government aims to do this every two years within the existing budgetary frameworks and in light of the evolving security situation. Helping other countries make the rule of law more resilient to violence, corruption and activities aimed at undermining them is important to restore and advance the international legal order. This will also address major root causes of irregular migration. In addition, peace missions, social reconciliation initiatives, economic reconstruction programmes and institutional capacity building must be tackled much more often in unison. Given the great challenges facing the whole world in the areas of demography, economy, energy, resources, climate and technology, international cooperation is also required to advance steadily towards a coherent vision of worldwide security. Not only problems, but also solutions elsewhere in the world, can have an impact on Dutch security. New technological developments offer potentially promising solutions to problems abroad. Good examples are improvements in food supply through smart agriculture and more accessible basic medical services through the use of artificial intelligence. With its knowledge-based society, the Netherlands can contribute directly to such solutions and help keep these issues high on the international agenda. In the long term, an approach of this kind addressing the root causes of problems can reduce security threats to the Netherlands. Goal 13: Robust and balanced integrated border management and control Security and promoting effective border management are intrinsically linked. In international forums like the EU, UN and OSCE, countries are working more and more closely. At the UN, the Netherlands is emphasising that secure, effective borders are the key to effective implementation of counterterrorism measures in line with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Effective and integrated border management is the first line of defence against terrorists trying to gain access to our territory, and against illegal flows of goods across our borders. Within the EU, we are working to improve the exchange of information through European systems like the Schengen Information System and through Europol, and between member states’ police forces, justice systems and immigration and border control authorities.