In this letter (in Dutch) of December 18, 2023 the Dutch Minister of Defence informed the Dutch Parliament of her intention to set up a reporting mechanism for NGOs and victims/survivors to report alleged civilian casualties resulting from completed Dutch military actions carried out in the context of an international coalition. In situations of ongoing military coalition actions involving the deployment of the Dutch military the establishment of a coalition reporting mechanism is envisioned that operates as a central reporting point for the aforementioned external parties. If such central reporting structure is not feasible, the Dutch military will ensure that alleged civilian casualties can be reported to the Netherlands.

Hereby the Minister of Defence follows an internal advice from the Dutch Ministry of Defense (MoD). The advice builds on the Dutch government’s policy to be as transparent as possible about the Dutch role in military actions carried out as part of an international coalition to restore international peace and security (‘Article 100 deployment’) that have possibly caused civilian casualties (Stappenplan burgerslachtoffers). In its advice the MoD recognizes that NGOs, victims, witnesses etc. may have additional information that is relevant in the context of its (international legal) duty to investigate civilian casualties.

The advice is not entirely devoid of self-interest: by accepting civilian casualties reports from external parties and handling these accounts adequately the legitimacy of the Dutch army is increased, says the advice. Another advantage of establishing reporting mechanisms is that it offers the Dutch military the opportunity to take responsibility for its use of force as a coalition partner.

On June 14, 2024, the Dutch Minister of Defense informed the Dutch Parliament that the reporting mechanism will be established before the end of 2024.