Secretary-General congratulates Netherlands’ new King, praises predecessor Beatrix

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today warmly congratulated Willem-Alexander on his inauguration as King of the Netherlands – ‘an indispensable partner of the United Nations’ – and paid tribute to the public service that his mother, Princess Beatrix, rendered over the past 33 years.

“I warmly congratulate His Majesty Willem-Alexander on his inauguration as the King of the Netherlands. I wish him and Her Majesty Queen Máxima every success in fulfilling their important roles,” the Secretary-General said in a statement.

Noting the role the former Prince of Orange holds as the Chairperson of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation and Inclusive Finance for Development, Mr. Ban said he was grateful for the Royal Couple’s “personal engagement and valuable contributions to United Nations efforts.”

“I am looking forward to their continuing support for our ongoing efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals whilst preparing for the post-2015 Development Agenda,” Mr. Ban said.

The UN is pushing the international community to boost efforts towards achieving the eight anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with less than 1,000 days to go before the 2015 deadline. The Organization has also spurred planning efforts for the post-2015 sustainable development agenda.

In his statement, Mr. Ban also noted the geographically-vital role of The Hague which “represents the face of international justice” as the home to the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN International Criminal Court (ICC) and other international tribunals.

The ICJ – sometimes referred to as the World Court – settles legal disputes between States and gives advisory opinions on legal questions that have been referred to it by authorized UN organs or specialized agencies.

The ICC is the first permanent international court set up to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.

Mr. Ban visited The Hague earlier this month as part of his five-country visit to Europe and praised the Netherlands for its efforts to promote the rule of law and further international justice,

“I am grateful that I had the opportunity to personally thank Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix during my visit,” Mr. Ban said. “I wish to pay tribute to the outstanding public service that Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands has rendered over the past 33 years and send her my very best wishes.”

“The Netherlands has been an indispensable partner of the United Nations,” Mr. Ban stressed.