LIONEL VEER ON DUTCH FOREIGN POLICY AND RELIGION

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Notes

1. The EU “Guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief” were adopted by the Council of the EU in June 2013. These EU guidelines are not legally binding, but because they have been adopted at the ministerial level, they represent a strong political signal that they are priorities for the Union. Guidelines are pragmatic instruments of EU Human Rights policy and practical tools to help EU representations in the field better advance the EU's Human Rights policy. See http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/un_geneva/press_corner/all_news/news/2013/20131126_forb_en.htm.

2. Announced at http://www.eprid.eu/docs/EPWG%20on%20FoRB,%20USCIRF%20and%20EPRID%20Event%20poster.pdf.

3. In 2013, the Netherlands financed, once again, a policy adviser on FoRB with ODIHR (OCSE), Human Rights Report 2013 (in Dutch: Mensenrechtenrapportage or MRR), 37, retrieved at http://www.rijksoverheid.nl/bestanden/documenten-en-publicaties/rapporten/2014/04/24/mensenrechtenrapportage-2013/b65-623935-a4-mensenrechten-highres.pdf.

4. The mandate of the Human Rights Ambassador (HRA) is crucial in this respect. During most of his consultations with other countries on human rights, FoRB is on the agenda.

5. “The Netherlands stands by the principle that every individual must have the freedom to express his or her identity, as informed by religious or other beliefs: this includes the right to hold theist, non-theist, or atheist convictions and the right to change one's faith. The government holds fast to an inclusive approach to human rights, without the exclusion of any specific group.” In Justice and Respect for All (JRFA) 3.6, 35, retrieved at http://www.government.nl/files/documents-and-publications/notes/2013/06/14/justice-and-respect-for-all/b49-619083-respect-en-recht-en-web.pdf.

6. The Netherlands’ priorities have been incorporated into the EU Guidelines on FoRB, to the contents of which it has contributed. Priorities are: the freedom to choose or change one's faith or belief or have none; freedom of expression; support for human rights activists; engaging civil society.

7. “The Netherlands champions the separation of church and state, and opposes any restrictions imposed on the rights of children, LGBT people, or women in the name of religious or traditional values” (JRFA 3.6, 35).

8. For each country, an analysis has been devised on the basis of which projects to promote FoRB have been selected. In Armenia, for example, religious tolerance has been promoted by hosting meetings, gathering high representatives of various religions and civil society. In Egypt, projects have been developed to facilitate interfaith dialogue, gathering Muslim and Christian leaders. In Nigeria, journalists and government and security forces spokespersons have been trained regarding responsible journalism in the framework of ethnic and religious conflict.

Additional information

Lionel Veer became the Dutch Human Rights Ambassador in August 2010. This position was created in late 1999 to strengthen the human rights component in foreign policy and make it more coherent. Lionel Veer has worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1984, in such policy fields as European affairs, asylum, and migration, and international cultural policy. In recent years he has held the posts of Dutch ambassador in Zagreb and consul-general in Munich.

Frank Ubachs has been trained as a theologian and a diplomat. Recently, he was executive director of The Hague Process on Refugees and Migration, an international multi-stakeholder network with a special focus on business and city involvement in refugee and migration issues. Prior to that, he was policy advisor in the human rights and good governance department at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he was responsible for the field of intercultural dialogue, religion, and international affairs.