Preventing civilian casualties
The Ministry of Defence does everything possible to prevent civilian casualties. This is not only mandatory under international humanitarian law, but it is also a moral obligation. Defence protects civilians from acts of war by thoroughly training its military personnel, through research and investigations and through international agreements.
Protecting civilians
Protecting civilians is an important part of the work of Defence personnel and is therefore also part of military training. The Defence organisation teaches military personnel about, for example, the application of international humanitarian law, and prior to deployments military personnel are also given information about the society of the country to which they will be deployed.
War is increasingly taking place in urban enviroments. In 2022, the Netherlands, along with 83 other UN member states, therefore signed a political declaration to better protect citizens from the impact of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA).
Preventing civilian casualties also contributes to increasing public support for Dutch military operations; not only in the mission area, but also in the Netherlands itself.