In the 2007 Government Memorandum to Parliament entitled Human dignity for all. A human rights strategy for foreign policy, the Netherlands Minister for Foreign Affairs, Maxime Verhagen, examined the interrelationship between human rights, peace and security. In this context, the Minister also addressed the relationship between counter-terrorism strategies and international law, specifically human rights instruments and international humanitarian law. The Minister referred to the Oud-Poelgeest seminar of April 2007 and announced further initiatives in this field. In a subsequent Plan of Action, Minister Verhagen specified the ways in which the Dutch government sought to implement the Human Rights Strategy in the field of combating terrorism. Among the concrete policy measures to be taken featured the initiation of a Follow-up Process to the Oud-Poelgeest project.

Introductory Note

On 23 May 2007 the Dutch government requested its Advisory Council on International Affairs (AIV) to prepare an advisory report on several questions raised by the increasing outsourcing and privatization of military tasks. In response to this request the Council established an ad hoc committee which prepared the attached report. The committee was chaired by former Dutch Defense Minister Relus ter Beek. The report appeared in December 2007.

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