Toespraak minister-president Jetten bij opening van UNESCO Global Forum Against Racism and Discrimination

Your Majesty,
Distinguished guests,

A few months ago, I visited The Black Archives.
A unique historical archive and cultural centre in Amsterdam, which includes more than 20,000 books about racism, slavery and colonialism.
About gender and feminism, Suriname, and the former Netherlands Antilles.
About Africa, South America, and a great deal more besides.
It’s an enormous collection.
But even more striking than its size, is what it symbolises:
The glaring lack of different perspectives in our current books, school curriculums and academic publications.

You have known this for a long time.
And you know what a void this has created.
After all, mutual understanding and the sharing of knowledge and ideas as the basis for peace, security and progress are the very foundations on which UNESCO was built.
But the equality at the heart of that mission does not yet extend to everyone in society.
Not by a long way.

The statistics don’t lie.
Here in the Netherlands, 1.6 million people experience discrimination and racism in their daily lives.
When they’re at work, or in hospital, or out house hunting.
At the sports club or at school.
That’s a sobering statistic.
And one that demands only 1 conclusion: there is still work to be done.

As prime minister of the Netherlands, and chair of the Council of Ministers for the Kingdom, I feel a special responsibility in this regard.
4 years after the Dutch government apologised for the Netherlands’ role in the history of slavery, we are working towards recovery.
‘With this apology we are writing not a full stop, but a comma,’ we said.
Because the echoes of the past continue into the present.
And not just in the lives of the descendants of enslaved people, but in those of everyone who still faces discrimination and racism today.
We are working together with all the affected communities, to explore what comes after that comma.

As well as setting aside 200 million euros for initiatives related to the history of slavery, we are joining with those communities to develop a national roadmap towards recovery.
Communities across the countries of our Kingdom and the former Dutch colonies.
We’re working to ensure that this period of history gets its rightful place in our education system.
And we’re taking a long, hard look at our cultural heritage.
Or perhaps I should say: at what is not our cultural heritage.
We have already returned many artefacts to Nigeria, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, and we’re working closely with Ghana, too.
But there is more historical inequality that needs to be addressed.
In our international institutions, for example, where African representation needs to be increased.

I realise, of course, that acknowledging past injustice is not enough.
Today, as well, human rights are under pressure around the world.
You see that every day.
The current climate is pretty bleak for those who champion equal rights.
Whether it’s the rights of women, the LGBTQI+ community, religious groups, or people of colour.
In more and more places, extreme groups are pushing an agenda filled with hate, both online and in the real world.
And institutions that were established to protect us all, are under severe pressure.

And yet, I refuse to see these times as an unavoidable downward spiral.
Because anyone who knows their history, knows that the path to equal rights and progress never runs smoothly.
You have to navigate the bumps and the pot-holes, before you can climb to your ultimate destination.
And that takes perseverance.
We need dedicated people to keep digging us out and pushing us forward again.
People like those brave human rights defenders and journalists, who too often have to risk their lives in order to do their vital work.

This Forum gives me hope.
Because UNESCO combines global reach with direct ties to society. Thanks to the programmes and initiatives that arise from its National Commissions.
And I have every confidence that the coming days will boost these efforts further.
Because the Forum’s theme – From Commitment to Accountability – really hits the nail on the head.
After all, it will always be necessary to defend hard-won rights.
But now it’s time to take the next step.
We need to render account for our actions and the results we achieve.
And create an effective structure for doing so.

This means governments need to acknowledge that we have blind spots. And ask for help in identifying them.
I’m delighted that the Netherlands can count on dedicated professionals like our National Coordinator against Discrimination and Racism, Rabin Baldewsingh, and his team, to help us do that.
For the past 5 years, they have been using their sharp insight and broad expertise to help build a public sector that is there for everyone.
Of course, this is work that’s never finished.
But it speaks volumes that our Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Pieter Heerma, is here today and tomorrow.
Because no one can do this alone.
We need each other.
Politicians, policymakers, academics and civil society organisations.
In fact, the very people gathered here today.
So seek each other out and share your ideas, in the finest UNESCO tradition.
I wish you all a successful event.

Thank you.