The Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law aims to build a bridge between global issues and Dutch expertise on security and rule of law, and to contribute to international knowledge, policy development and implementation, both in fragile and conflict-affected environments and in the Netherlands.

In June 2012, Ben Knapen, former Dutch State Secretary for European Affairs and International Cooperation, launched five Knowledge Platforms. These platforms are now part of the new knowledge agenda and policy of the Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Lilianne Ploumen. Her current development agenda focuses on a number of spearheads, including Security and Rule of Law. Key to this agenda is improving security for civilians and building rule of law, and developing knowledge infrastructure in developing countries, to make these countries self-reliant in the long term.

The Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law aims to promote knowledge exchange and to identify, define and answer research questions with the aim of underpinning Dutch development policy in fragile and conflict affected settings and its implementation more adequately; thereby contributing to its effectiveness.

Simultaneously, the Platform aims to tackle a number of additional bottlenecks, including fragmentation of research funds (the Platform will be the main vehicle through which the Ministry’s research funds on issues of security and rule of law are allocated), difficulties in linking knowledge to policy and its implementation, and inadequate exchange of practical knowledge and experience between organizations active in the field.

To achieve this, the Platform brings together an international network of the most qualified practitioners, policy-makers, academics and business, online and offline. The keywords in this endeavor are demand-oriented, problem-oriented, multidisciplinary and high-quality content grounded in practice and designed for impact.

The Secretariat of the Platform is administered jointly by The Hague Institute for Global Justice and the Conflict Research Unit of Clingendael.