NHC Receives €1 Million from the Dutch Postcode Lottery to Support Human Rights

Tuesday 26 February Gaston Starreveld of the Dutch Postcode Lottery paid a surprise visit to the NHC office in The Hague. Cheers of victory by the NHC staff and volunteers interrupted a busy workweek morning when the VIP guest revealed and handed over a check for 1 million euros. This donation has been granted for a project on human rights titled, “Samen (net)werken aan mensenrechten in Europa” (in English: (Net)Working Together on Human Rights in Europe).

Through this gift the NHC, together with its partners across the continent, will remind societies of the tremendous impact human rights have on the lives of individuals in Europe. We will campaign to raise awareness on what human rights and human rights institutions have meant for shaping modern societies. We will advocate for greater adherence to Council of Europe standards, and strengthen civil society outreach to counter spread of illiberal democracies and rule of law backsliding in the EU and its neighbouring countries.

The Dutch Postcode Lottery supports this project in the run-up to the annual Goed Geld Gala taking place on 4 March 2019. At the Gala they will reveal how much money this year was donated to good causes for people and nature thanks to the Lottery’s participants. Half of what participants spend on the Dutch Postcode Lottery goes to charities and good causes. For the first time the NHC has been included in this list of good causes supported by Lotter participants. Last year, a total amount of more than € 357.5 million was made available for a better world.