Piet Hein Donner Chairman of the Carnegie Foundation Peace Palace

Mr J. P. H. Donner, LLM was nominated as Chairman of the Carnegie Foundation Peace Palace by its board and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. His Majesty the King has accepted this nomination. Mr Donner will also serve as Chairman of the Board of The Hague Academy of International Law, based at the palace. Mr Donner succeeds Dr Bernard Bot, who has held both positions for twelve years and whose final term of office ended on 1 March 2019.

Mr Donner is a Dutch honorary Minister of State and was Vice-President of the Council of State until November 2018. His previous offices include Minister of Justice, Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, and Member of Parliament.

The board of the Carnegie Foundation is delighted with the appointment of Mr Donner, whose extensive experience and merits make him an excellent chairman who can maintain good relations with the international institutions hosted by the Peace Palace, as well as with the State of the Netherlands and the United Nations as the foundation’s principal financiers.

Confidence in Decision Making Regarding Renovation

“In recent years,” says his predecessor, Dr Bot, “the Peace Palace has played host to many important developments that strengthen the international legal order and contribute directly to peace in the world. This is due in part to a number of improvement works carried out under the auspices of the Carnegie Foundation for the benefit of the institutions using the palace. One major urgent task now is the renovation of the iconic main building. The board has every confidence that the Dutch State will come to a decision on this project soon, given the Netherlands’ key role as host nation for the institutions at the Peace Palace. We are very pleased that Mr Donner is willing to guide this complex process, in co-operation with all stakeholders involved.”

12 Years of Dr Bernard Bot as Chairman

The Carnegie Foundation is grateful for Dr Bot’s outstanding dedication and commitment to the Peace Palace since 2007. Under the chairmanship of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Peace Palace has built a new visitors’ centre for tourists, restored the Great Hall of Justice in which the United Nations’ International Court of Justice holds its hearings, and renovated the Judges’ Building. Mr Bot has also championed the preservation of the renowned Peace Palace Library, which is managed by the Carnegie Foundation and serves the many international organisations based in The Hague, the international city of peace and justice. The Peace Palace is now preparing for the renovation of its main building. During these works, it is vital that its institutions – including the Permanent Court of Arbitration for which the building was originally constructed – are able to continue their work fostering peace in the world through the rule of law.

It was also under Dr Bot’s leadership that The Hague Academy for International Law decided to offer winter courses at the Peace Palace for students from more than 100 countries. In addition, the co-operation of the Carnegie Foundation Peace Palace with the other Carnegie institutions around the world has recently been strengthened by jointly organising the Carnegie Peacebuilding Conversations. And in the spirit of Andrew Carnegie, the foundation is working with today’s philanthropists on partnerships for a peace agenda.

The Carnegie Foundation Peace Palace

The Peace Palace in The Hague is owned and managed by the Carnegie Foundation. A national monument and holder of the European Heritage Label, the building is home to the International Court of Justice of the United Nations as well as the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Hague Academy for International Law and the Library of the Peace Palace, the world’s oldest and most renowned collection of works on international law and peace.

The Carnegie Foundation supports these esteemed institutions in their activities. In addition, the Foundation maintains the palace and is responsible for promoting it as a global icon of peace and justice.

Activities and conferences are organised on a regular basis. The visitors’ centre includes an exhibition introducing the creation of the Peace Palace and the institutions it houses. Regular tours of the building are also offered. The Foundation is part of the network of Carnegie institutions which even now, 100 years after the death of philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, are still working in his name to build a better society.