Peace Palace

Carnegie Foundation

The Carnegie Foundation in the Netherlands owns and manages the Peace Palace and we are proud to house the International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration and The Hague Academy of International Law, all supported by our Peace Palace Library.

In addition, the Carnegie Foundation is committed to promoting the issues of war and peace, human rights, international law and international cooperation from the Peace Palace. To this end, the foundation facilitates dialogues and events. Every other year, the board also awards the Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize to inspiring advocates of peace. Furthermore, the foundation manages the monumental cultural heritage of the Peace Palace, which carries the European Heritage Label, and the Carnegie Foundation provides public education on ‘Peace through Law’ and ‘Peace through Culture’ from its Visitor Centre.

The Carnegie Foundation (1903) is named after Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), a Scottish-American philanthropist who generously funded the construction of the Peace Palace. Carnegie created the Carnegie Foundation for the purpose of establishing and maintaining in perpetuity a “Temple of Peace”.

Mission
The Carnegie Foundation, as owner and manager of the Peace Palace, is serving the preservation and maintenance of the function of the Peace Palace as an icon and landmark by managing and maintaining premises and buildings, housing and facilitating the two Courts, the Library and the Hague Academy, promoting awareness of the Peace Palace and the work of the institutions located there, and by providing the available space for activities and events that are consistent with the function of the building and do not interfere with the institutions located there.

Vision
As seat of the International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the Hague Academy of International Law, the Peace Palace is a world-renowned monument to the pursuit of peace through housing an international rule of law and settling conflicts between states by means of arbitration and jurisdiction. As such, the Peace Palace is also an iconic landmark for The Hague as a city of Peace and Justice.


The work of the Carnegie Foundation is made possible in part by financial grants from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.