Talk:The Hague Institute for Global Justice

Revised article update
This is a follow-up to the previous edit request, again encompassing a proposed article rewrite attempting to address the WP:ROUTINE issues as displayed in the notice at the top of the article, as well as provide up-to-date and more comprehensive information on the Institute's operations, at the request of Abdulla Wasel, current secretary to the board and chief of staff at The Hague Institute.
 * Summary

All mentions of the "current version" refer to the, while all supporting references for proposed edits can be found in the collapsed "Proposed version" or "Proposed content" sub-sections within each of the collapsed sections below.


 * Proposed edits


 * Remove the Cleanup-PR notice at the top of the page, if the rest of the proposed edits sufficiently address the WP:ROUTINE issues with the article.
 * Condense the lead section to one paragraph, giving a brief summary of the Institute and its stated aims without citing any references (per MOS:CITELEAD). A reference for the claim of President Saber being a philanthropist is now to be provided in the "History" section (see the "Proposed version" of that section of the edit request).

The Hague Institute for Global Justice, often referred to as simply The Hague Institute or THIGJ, is an international think tank located in The Hague, Netherlands. It was established in 2011 by a consortium of partners including the Municipality of The Hague, an academic coalition of Hague-based organizations and with support from the Dutch government. Its current president is Jordanian businesswoman Sohair Salam Saber.

According to the institute, it "aims to contribute to, and further strengthen, the global framework for preventing and resolving conflict and promoting international peace."

The Hague Institute for Global Justice, often referred to as simply The Hague Institute or THIGJ, is an international think tank located in The Hague, Netherlands. Founded in 2011, its current president is Sohair Salam Saber, a Jordanian businesswoman and philanthropist who took up the role in 2019.

According to the Institute, its stated aims are "to shape discourse and bridge gaps between research, policy and practice on global issues at the critical intersection of peace, security and justice".


 * Remove second paragraph mentioning the advisory council, as this information is to be moved to the proposed "Honorary advisory board" section (reasons are provided in that section of this edit request).
 * Remove third paragraph on Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law, as there is no mention of THIGJ in the supplied reference.
 * Remove fourth paragraph mentioning a multi-day conference on the Rwandan Genocide, as the provided source for this paragraph does not confirm the published text.
 * Remove fifth, sixth and seventh paragraphs discussing the Institute's previous leaders and the tenure of Abiodun Williams, as no translation of the provided source is available (per WP:RSUE). Much of this information is also presented in a sensationalist manner with a bias against Mr. Williams (per WP:NOTADVOCACY and WP:NPOV); details on his tenure as president would probably be better suited for inclusion in his article instead.
 * Condense "Bankruptcy and revival" sub-section into a single paragraph outlining Lady Sohair Salam Saber's acquisition of the Institute, her announcement as its second president and Mahmoud Abuwasel's announcement as vice president, with Lady Saber's picture at the top of the paragraph. This is to provide a more concise account of these events (per WP:TLDR).
 * Add a new paragraph on the Institute's 2020 inclusion in the University of Pennsylvania's Global Go To Think Tank Report (an annual report held in high regard amongst think tanks across the world) by late American academic James McGann, which is not currently mentioned in the article.
 * Add a new paragraph covering the Institute's application for observer status with the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, which is a notable development in the Institute's operations given its research into and advocacy for space security.

The Hague Institute was founded in 2011 by a consortium of partners including the Municipality of The Hague and an academic coalition of Hague-based organizations, with support from the Dutch government. Its stated aim was to "contribute to, and further strengthen, the global framework for preventing and resolving conflict and promoting international peace."

The Hague Institute was supported by an Advisory Council who served as a "strategic sounding board" for the president of the institute. Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright served as chair of the Advisory Council.

In late spring 2012, former Dutch State Secretary for European Affairs and International Cooperation Ben Knapen launched Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law, which consisted of a network of experts and practitioners, and focused on building "security and rule of law" in developing countries. The Hague Institute served as the primary facilitator for the platform's partners, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.

In June 2014, the institute, in cooperation with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and the National Security Archive at George Washington University, convened 35 officials and eyewitnesses for a multi-day conference on the Rwanda Genocide. The event was based on the "critical oral history" approach. Participants included Ibrahim Gambari, Henry Kwami Anyidoho, Lord David Hannay, Prudence Bushnell, Michael N. Barnett and Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire.

Professor Nico Schrijver, academic director of the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies at Leiden University, served as the institute's first dean between January and August 2011. Professor Willem van Genugten,  served as interim dean of the institute from September 2011 to December 2012. He was succeeded as the Institutes's first president,  Abiodun Williams, the former senior vice president of the Center for Conflict Management at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington, D.C. on January 1, 2013. In an article by Dutch magazine De Groene Amsterdammer published on 4 April 2018, sources told the magazine that Williams insisted that the position of "international dean" had to be restyled as "president", in addition to a very high financial compensation package in order to lend him greater authority and benefits. The Dutch government granted up to €20 million in subsidies for the institute.

According to a reconstruction by Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, Williams spent thousands of euros on expensive lunches at the nearby Carlton Ambassador hotel and first-class flights since "cattle class" was not good enough for him. A senior researcher quoted in the article indicates that there were many clashes between employees and Williams, who distanced himself from staff whenever he felt challenged: "[It was] as if it was beneath his dignity to talk to me directly. There was a culture clash. We academics are egalitarian, but he was very focused on hierarchy and quickly felt criticized."

The topic was raised in the Dutch parliament, where several political parties posed questions to the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate, Eric Wiebes. Willem Moorlag from the Dutch socialist party PvdA asked the minister whether there was any judicial ground to recover the lost funds from Williams and the supervisory board. The right-wing Forum voor Democratie (FvD) asked the minister why no action was undertaken against Williams when it was already clear after several months that he didn't fulfill his role as fundraiser. Jan Paternotte from the social liberal D66 asked the minister how it was possible that the Institute still received subsidies after a critical report by Price Waterhouse Coopers exposed the financial mismanagement.

In April 2018, The Hague Institute for Global Justice closed down after becoming insolvent. The institute was declared bankrupt in May 2018.

In July 2018, following talks between the Institute and Sohair Salam Saber, a Jordanian businesswoman and philanthropist, a declaration of intent to continue the legacy of The institute was announced. In September 2018, Saber purchased the institute.

On 29 January 2019, at Nieuwspoort at the Dutch parliamentary building, Saber was announced as the institute's second president, with previous experience working with various governments worldwide on issues such as public policy, innovation and development. During the event, lawyer Mahmoud Abuwasel was also announced as vice president of the institute. In January 2019, Sohair Salam Saber was announced as the second president of the institute, with Mahmoud Abuwasel named as vice president.

The Hague Institute was founded in 2011 by a consortium of partners including the Municipality of The Hague and an academic coalition of Hague-based organizations, with support from the Dutch government. Its stated aim was to "contribute to, and further strengthen, the global framework for preventing and resolving conflict and promoting international peace."

On 29 January 2019, Jordanian businesswoman and philanthropist Sohair Salam Saber was announced as the Institute's second president. Australian lawyer Mahmoud Abuwasel was announced as vice president.

On 27 January 2021, the University of Pennsylvania's Global Go To Think Tank Index Report named The Hague Institute in its lists for "Top Think Tanks in Western Europe", "Best Advocacy Campaigns", "Best Institutional Collaboration Think Tanks", "Best Transdisciplinary Research Think Tanks" and "Think Tanks with the Best External Relations/Public Engagement Programs" for 2020.

In June 2022, the Institute requested observer status with the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

Add a new "Honorary advisory board" section mentioning the current members of the Institute's honorary advisory board, which is an integral part of its organisational structure and is not currently covered on the article.

The Institute's leadership is supported by an honorary panel of senior advisors, which consists of individuals who have previously held high-level political, diplomatic and legal positions in various countries. As of 2023, its current members are:


 * Élisabeth Guigou
 * Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen
 * Hani Mulki
 * Robert Serry
 * Nikolaos van Dam
 * Cynthia P. Schneider
 * Devorah Lieberman
 * Tim Broas
 * Antoine Beukering
 * Vesna Pusić
 * Salaheddine Mezouar
 * Cevat Yerli
 * Ben Swagerman
 * Marc Udink
 * Olga Revina
 * Kenneth Hodgkins
 * Rita Zhao

WP:PAID disclosure has been provided at the top of this talk page and my own talk page. Davykamanzi → talk • contribs • alter ego 02:03, 6 July 2023 (UTC) Davykamanzi → talk • contribs • alter ego 02:03, 6 July 2023 (UTC)
 * End request

Reply 5-JUL-2023
Below you will see where proposals from your request have been quoted with reviewer decisions and feedback inserted underneath, either accepting, declining or otherwise commenting upon your proposal(s). Please read the enclosed notes within the proposal review section below for information on each request. Spintendo 02:55, 6 July 2023 (UTC)


 * In response to #1 (and #6 by extension), the final paragraph in reference 4 provided in the "Proposed version" of the History section of my request mentions Ms. Saber as a philanthropist: "In February 2019 at the Nieuwpoort, in the Dutch Parliament building in the city of the Hague, Jordanian businesswoman and philanthropist, Lady Sohair Abdal Salam Saber, was announced as the President of The Hague Institute for Global Justice." In response to #5, you haven't provided any response to the rationale for the proposed removal of the content due to the cited concerns per WP:NOTADVOCACY and WP:NPOV. Kindly also elaborate on #3. Davykamanzi → talk • contribs • <b style="color:#264;">alter ego</b> 10:01, 6 July 2023 (UTC)


 * Thank you for your questions. The source provided in reference number four, the petra.gov.jo source naming the subject as a philanthropist, was based on a press release issued by the Hague institute. The very first sentence of that story from the Jordanian news agency states that "The Hague Institute for Global Justice has announced..." leading me to suspect that the entire breadth of information provided by that source for that particular story comes from said press release.
 * As far as the material on Mr Williams, WP:NPOV states that it "requires that mainspace articles and pages fairly represent all significant viewpoints that have been published by reliable sources, in proportion to the prominence of each viewpoint in those sources." To date, I'm not aware of any WP:RS countermanding the information provided by the investigative report which appears in the article. If this is not the case, then I look forward to your providing that information here on the talk page.
 * Note 3 is asking for you to provide the WikiLinks to the "best of" and other such distinctions claimed in the proposal. If these are notable merits then they should have their own pages in Wikipedia (e.g., "Best Think Tanks in Western Europe", etc.) Regards  Spintendo  18:51, 7 July 2023 (UTC)