Justice and inclusive society - Chile EN
What we do to support justice and an inclusive society in Chile.
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Human Rights
Peace and justice are part of our country’s DNA. Centuries ago, when the Netherlands was on the brink of its independence, a Dutchman named Hugo Grotius became one of the founding fathers of international law. We are convinced that a functioning legal order is in the interests of all countries.
International law creates a level playing field and lays down clear, predictable rules that apply equally to all. Our commitment continues to this day. The Netherlands plays an active role in preventing armed conflict worldwide and strengthening the international legal order by, for instance, participating in peace missions and supporting reconstruction in post-conflict countries.
And we walk the talk. Today, the Hague is known as the legal capital of the world and the international City of Peace and Justice. Since 1913, when the Peace Palace was built, the Hague became the host city to many international organizations dedicated to peace and security, such as the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the International Criminal Court, the International Commission on Missing Persons, and several special tribunals and courts.
The Netherlands is a party to international human rights agreements, many of which derive from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Netherlands has signed and ratified the following human rights agreements:
- the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;
- the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
- the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination;
- the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women;
- the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment;
- the Convention on the Rights of the Child;
- the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance;
- the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms;
- the European Social Charter.
Human rights are rights that apply worldwide, to all people, in all places, at all times. They are the foundations of a democracy in which every person counts. The Netherlands strives to protect and promote human rights all over the world.
Priorities are:
- Freedom of expression, internet freedom and independent journalism
- Freedom of religion and belief
- Equal rights for LGBTIQ+’s
- Equal rights for women and girls
- Supporting human rights defenders
Promoting and protecting human rights worldwide is a priority in the foreign policy of the Netherlands. The Netherlands employs a wide array of actions and initiatives geared towards the strengthening of human rights. For a comprehensive overview of these actions in 2017, please see the Human Rights Report 2017.
The Netherlands strives to protect and promote human rights all over the world. The government cannot do this on its own. The Human Rights Fund therefore supports organisations that work for human rights worldwide.
The Human Rights Fund provides funding to organisations in three ways: through Dutch missions abroad (embassies and consulates-general), through calls for grant proposals, and through contributions to international organisations. The Fund focuses on the priorities of Dutch policy for human rights worldwide.
Bilateral relations between Chile and the Netherlands are based on the community of values that animate both states, regarding the democratic political system, respect, and promotion of human rights, the role of political parties and civil society, adherence to the multilateral system, and the importance of international law in the preservation of international peace and security. Chile shares with the Netherlands the objectives of the Coalition for Equal Rights regarding the rights of LGBTI people, as well as the concern for the dimension of human rights in the field of business.
The Netherlands strives to protect and promote human rights all over the world. Embassies play an important role in this. In light of this, the Dutch Embassy financially supported the children’s story project “Nicolás tiene dos papas”, which was produced by Movilh in 2014. This book aims to educate children about diversity and respect for all family compositions. Both the original edition and the reprint of 3000 new copies were financed by the embassy.
The constitutional process is the result of a broad national agreement among political parties in Chile to end a wave of popular protests against inequality and poor public services that erupted in October 2019. Millions of Chileans filled the country’s streets and public squares to demand change.
The protests were a cry for more justice and more dignity for all people, as well as a denunciation of deep economic and social inequities. One year after the protests started, Chileans voted overwhelmingly in favour of drafting a new constitution, and in a later ballot voted for the 155 members of the constitutional assembly.
The constitutional process represents a defining moment for the Chile. Written by a constitutional assembly with an equal proportion of women and men, the draft enshrines human rights and values for a more equal and inclusive society, with special attention to groups that have been historically excluded and protection of economic and social rights.
The Netherlands is observing with great interest the constituent process in Chile that will define the future trajectory of the country. Within this framework, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Santiago has made itself available to share Dutch experiences on constitutional processes and content, for example through a webinar on consensus politics and one on water policy/the need to rewrite the social contract around water.
Gender
The Dutch government seeks to promote equal rights, opportunities and responsibilities for men and women.
The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Chile runs visible, thought-provoking campaigns to call attention to the problem of violence against women. For instance, during the Orange the World campaign in 2021, the Embassy had the great honor of sponsoring the orange lighting of the Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center (GAM) in Santiago in order to give visibility to violence against women, which has also increased considerably during the pandemic.
In many developing countries, sexuality is a taboo subject. Not everyone has access to contraceptives or HIV/AIDS medication. In addition, many women give birth without expert medical assistance. This situation prevents fair and equal development. The Dutch government supports several projects focused on combating maternal mortality, treating HIV/AIDS and helping LGBTI minorities.
How the Netherlands promotes SRHR:
- Giving financial support to key organisations:
- the Global Financing Facility (GFF), which works to prevent infant and maternal mortality.
- the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which makes contraceptives available in developing countries. It also works to end child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM).
- UNAIDS, the United Nations fund which aims to stamp out HIV and ensure universal access to antiretrovirals.
The Netherlands fosters dialogue between women and government authorities on sensitive subjects like sex education, sexual rights and abortion. The Netherlands collaborates in these efforts with like-minded countries, such as Chile.
Many women in the Netherlands are not in work or work part-time. As a result, about 1 in 6 women do not have enough money to be economically independent. Their income is less than 70% of net minimum wage. The government wants to increase women’s economic and financial independence.
Chile and the Netherlands are like-minded on gender issues in the multilateral context. Over the past decades, gender equality in Chile has advanced along several important dimensions, for example in terms of educational outcomes. Nonetheless, fundamental social and economic gender gaps persist. The traditional male breadwinner vis-à-vis female homeworker divide is still prevalent in Chile, as can be seen from the fact that the combined paid and unpaid working hours of employed women exceeds that of employed men by 12 additional hours of weekly work.
The Chilean government puts particular attention on this uneven distribution of unpaid work, and the extra burden this places on women. The ties between our two countries keep growing stronger, thanks to like-mindedness in addressing shared issues, including gender inequalities.
The Netherlands works for gender equality by integrating women’s rights and gender equality into all aspects of its foreign policy. In practice, this means that the specific interests of women and girls are considered in policy and programmes focused on human rights, security, foreign trade and international cooperation. The recently announced feminist foreign policy is essentially about complete equality between all individuals; the policy will be fleshed out over the coming period.
Chile has also committed itself to pursuing a feminist foreign policy, which is another illustration of the shared values between our countries. The development of a feminist foreign policy will be a hallmark and vanguard element of Chile’s diplomacy, consistent with its commitment to human rights and the parity of the Constitutional process underway. This shows how both the Netherlands and Chile keep developing towards a more just and inclusive society, which is an important underpinning of the Chilean-Dutch relationship.
Responsible Business Conduct
The Dutch government wants to ensure that Dutch companies engage in socially responsible business practices abroad. Responsible business conduct (RBC) means they should take account of human rights, working conditions and the environment in their operations. If Dutch companies do business abroad, the Dutch government expects them to conduct business responsibly. This means that Dutch companies doing business in Chile should take account of their activities have on people and the planet.
Security
From peacekeeping to combating cybercrime, and from joint operations against terrorist groups to ensuring that human rights violators face their day in court, the Netherlands works around the world to promote peace, justice, and security.
Cybercrime is becoming an ever more serious problem. As we carry out more of our day-to-day activities online, the risk of cybercrime grows. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is charged with making the Netherlands more resilient to cybercrime, and the government wants to give police and prosecutors more powers to fight it. The NCSC falls under the authority of the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV). The government rightly takes cybercrime very seriously, and we are working hard to fight it. The public authorities will be given more powers to fight cybercrime. A bill currently proceeding through parliament will authorise the police and prosecutors to:
- arrest persons suspected of selling stolen digital data;
- investigate or hack into suspects’ computers remotely, for instance by installing software to detect serious forms of cybercrime;
- intercept data or make it inaccessible, for instance by blocking child pornography or intercepting email messages containing information about offences.
These new powers will enhance police capability to fight crime on the internet – and deal with offenders more swiftly. Once the bill has been enacted, it will proceed to the Council of State for an advisory opinion. Later this year, it will return to the House of Representatives.
In the fight against international criminal organizations, terrorist organizations, and maligned state actors, we believe it is key to foster multilateral and bilateral ties and mutual trust between likeminded countries. This allows us to exchange best practices about the protection of our critical infrastructure, which helps us to better protect sensitive technologies and our economic security. In light of the fast-moving fields of cybersecurity, the Netherlands recognizes the importance of collaboration with Chile in this field.