The Netherlands Advisory Committee on Human Rights and Foreign Policy: a Retrospective

The article contains some retrospective observations by a former chairman on the role and function of the former Netherlands Advisory Committee on Human Rights and Foreign Policy (1983–1996). It focuses on the independence of the Committee and the possible impact of its advisory reports, either requested or unrequested by the Government. The use of external experts is discussed, and the crucial role of the Chairman and the Secretary of the Committee. In 1997 the Committee was replaced by a more overall Advisory Council on International Affairs which merged the committees on human rights, on peace and security, on development cooperation and (a new one) on European integration. This has served to somewhat downgrade the institutional ‘prestige’ of each of the subjects – e.g. the chairman of the committee on human rights does no longer have direct access to the Foreign Minister. On the other hand, the new arrangement has the advantage that there is a much closer cooperation among the various advisory committees.