On behalf of the Stichting ‘The Hague Joint Conferences on International Law’ I - press my gratitude for the publication of the proceedings of the Hague Joint Conf- ence 2003. It was a milestone to have this conference again in The Hague, the first of its kind that was organized under the auspices of the ‘Foundation The Hague Joint Conferences on International Law’ which was established in 1999 to secure the c- tinuation of the Joint Conferences in the future. The central theme ‘From government to governance’ gave an excellent oppor- nity to elaborate the role of State- and non-State actors in a wide area of international law. International law in an era of international terrorism is more important than it ever has been. State- and non-State actors need each other more than ever to succeed in a world-wide peaceful coexistence. We appreciated it very much that Piet Hein Donner, Minister of Justice of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, opened the conference, and Peter H. Kooijmans, m- ber of the International Court of Justice, made an address related to the role of non- State actors and international dispute settlement. Furthermore, Thomas Buergenthal, also a member of the International Court of Justice, gave an inspiring dinner speech, while the thought-provoking farewell address was delivered by President Shi of the - ternational Court of Justice.weiterlesen