Statement of Intent
Peace Philanthropy Symposium supports Dutch lottery system
On 2 and 3 September 2013, the International Network of Museums for Peace (INMP), in cooperation with the Carnegie Foundation, held a symposium in honor of the financier of the Peace Palace, the Scot-American steel magnate and peace philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. The conclusions were reflected in the recommendation below, adopted by acclamation by the participants to sustain and strengthen the unique Dutch financing system of the ‘good causes lottery’.
Recommendation
At the centenary of the Peace Palace in The Hague, we remember – among other prominent names – the legacy of the Dutch war veteran and financier Willem ‘Bip’ van Lanschot, founder of the Dutch philanthropic lottery system and the National Fund for Peace, Freedom and Veteran care. The participants of this first international symposium on peace philanthropy consider the Netherlands the lead country of sustainable funding. Particularly innovative is the Dutch model that involves the public as lottery buyers, with a significant part of the proceeds being distributed to philanthropic causes. We value the Dutch lottery system as a highly strategic and significant partner in the realization of many philanthropic causes that are amongst others related to peace, reconciliation, democratic values and international rule of law. We urge the Dutch government to strengthen the climate for the establishment of (inter)national philanthropic organizations in the Netherlands and to support the unique Dutch lottery system in such a way, that the proceeds for philanthropic causes can be enhanced or at least can be sustained at the present level.
Background
The symposium was part of the centenary celebrations of the Peace Palace, opened in 1913 as seat of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The discussions led to a Statement of Intent for joint strategies of business companies, private funds and educational initiatives for peace and international law (Annex). The background of peace philanthropy, including the Dutch lottery system, is illuminated in the INMP travelling exhibition ‘Peace Philanthropy – Then and Now. In the Footsteps of Andrew Carnegie’. This is being displayed in the Atrium of the Hague City Hall until the 21st of September 2013.
Peace Philanthropy Symposium
An international symposium to celebrate the centenary of the Peace Palace in The Hague, the gift of Andrew Carnegie.
Organised by the INMP in cooperation with the Peace Palace / Carnegie Foundation.
2 & 3 September 2013
Academy Hall, Peace Palace,
Carnegieplein 2, The Hague,
The Netherlands
The symposium is being organised in cooperation with the Carnegie Foundation, and will be held in the Academy Hall of the Peace Palace, on 2-3 September 2013. It will be opened by the honorary president of the Carnegie UK Trust, and great-grandson of Andrew Carnegie, William Thomson. Participants will also be welcomed by the city’s mayor Jozias van Aartsen. Among the invited speakers are several founders, presidents, or senior officers of leading peace foundations and similar organisations such as Steve Killelea (Institute for Economics and Peace, and founder of the Global Peace Index); Federico Mayor (Foundation for a Culture of Peace, and former Director-General of UNESCO); Jennifer Allen Simons (The Simons Foundation, promoting and funding work for nuclear disarmament); Gillian Sorensen (UN Foundation, established to manage Ted Turner’s gift of $ 1 billion to the UN); Sakuji Tanaka (President, Rotary International 2012-2013); Cora Weiss (Hague Appeal for Peace). We are awaiting confirmation of the participation of senior representatives from such important organisations as the Carnegie Corporation (New York), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Seattle), the King Center (Atlanta), and the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation (Hiroshima).
The full programme is available for download below.
To participate in this special symposium, please use our online registration form here.
Registration fee is € 100 (students and INMP members will receive a 50% discount).