12 | FEBRUARY 2021
The Hague, City of Peace and Justice Nanda Jagusiak-Monteiro interviews Mr. Jan van Zanen, Mayor of The Hague
Visit of the International Court of Justice, 75 years celebration, together with the President, Mr. Abdulqawi Yusu ©Martijn Beekman
Former posts: Deputy Mayor of Utrecht (1998-2005); Mayor of Amstelveen (2005-2013); Mayor of Utrecht (2014-2020). Mr. Van Zanen has chaired the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) since 2015 and is joint chair of the United Cities of Local Governments (UCLG). You have been Mayor of the Hague since 1st July 2020. How has it been so far? Was there a culture shock coming from Utrecht, and what impressed you most about The Hague? As you might expect, my first few months as Mayor of The Hague were spent meeting people. Even though that mostly had to take place online because of the stricter pandemic measures. In hard times, like now during the pandemic, you also see the truly positive sides of the city. I was impressed by the dedication and enthusiasm with which The Hague’s residents turned out to help people in their communities, neighbourhoods, and the city itself in these difficult and often uncertain times. A major difference between Utrecht and The Hague, of course, is the presence of the many international organizations, especially the international courts, in The Hague. I have already visited a number of them to get acquainted with this new environment. I am impressed by how they contribute to international peace and justice. Working in a city that supports this work, obviously, is a new experience for me. You are also the Chair of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG). Can you please tell the readers what that involves? VNG, the Association of Netherlands Municipalities, is an umbrella organisation covering all the Netherlands’ 352 municipalities. The aim of the Association is to strengthen local government so that municipalities can provide their residents with the best possible service. The VNG does this by providing advisory services and by promoting the
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interests of local government to central government. As chair I conduct the VNG’s meetings with ministers and other tiers of government (the Provincial Authorities and Water Boards). I am also internationally active on behalf of the VNG. Since November 2019 I have been joint chair of the global organization for municipalities: United Cities and Local Governments. UCLG represents municipalities and all other decentralized government bodies in global fora, such as the UN. As joint chair I can help influence the direction of the organization. The UN Global Goals are a common theme in the UCLG. In this context my focus is specifically on Global Goal 11: working to create inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable villages, towns and cities, and Global Goal 16: working to create a peaceful and just society for everyone. These both closely match The Hague’s profile and priorities. It is something special to be able to represent the interests of municipalities, and thus give our citizens a voice in both national and global fora. The Hague, City of Peace and Justice, is an important city, housing all the embassies and many of the most important international organizations. There are about 60,000 expats (including partners and children) living here. Do you have a special message for them? For our expats too, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a difficult period. Many of them are still in The Hague, but far from their families and friends. Others cannot return to The Hague but are still in charge of important work. I have sent out a holiday season message to them all, telling them that we appreciate their presence and contribution to our city and wish them every success in these difficult times. Our International Centre (THIC) supports them as much as possible.
Have you already met the DGs/Presidents of the international organizations? And how important is the presence of these organizations for The Hague? Although COVID-19 has not made it easy, I have already visited a number of them. You would be surprised by the variety of organizations in our city, from the Courts I already mentioned, to European organizations working on peace and security, such as Europol, Eurojust, as well as NATO and the OPCW. Not to mention hundreds of NGOs working on the same issues. Their presence is not only important to The Hague in terms of jobs (40,000, by the way); they form the cornerstone of our profile as City of Peace and Justice, and they do important work helping to create a better world for everyone. I actively bring this to the attention of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) organization and in my contacts with the UN. It is important to underline just how much cities do with regard to peace, justice and diplomacy. The 75th anniversary of the United Nations was celebrated on 24th November. How was this marked and how important was it for The Hague? The jubilee was celebrated in The Hague and it has not yet finished because the International Court of Justice will mark its 75th anniversary in April of this year. Activities had been planned all over the city but that was difficult because of the pandemic again, of course. But together with UNICEF we still organized an interesting exhibition with 75 stories about 75 years of the UN outdoors on the Lange Voorhout. And we had a nationwide broadcast on YouTube from ‘our’ Peace Palace, focusing on the important role of the UN over the last 75 years. If you want to learn more about the UN and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs or Global Goals) you can visit the Museon (when it’s open again), or have a look at the web page of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG): www.vng.nl/rubrieken/onderwerpen/globalgoals-voor-gemeenten
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