It was set up to strengthen the role of organisations working in the fields of peace, justice, development and public safety, as The Hague worked towards a becoming a centre of peace and justice globally.

The Dutch economic affairs ministry gave €17.5m to help the project with start-up costs on the condition that the institute would be self-financing within five years.

Dick Benschop, chair of the institute’s supervisory board, said in a statement: “The institute has met its public task – research, reports and conferences – in recent years. The goal, however, was to be more than a research group only. Unfortunately, there is no solid financial foundation to achieve this in the future.

“The supervisory board is proud of the significant work that has been carried out over the past seven years and its significance for the international position of The Hague. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to this, in cooperation with the institute”.

According to Dutch media, little was done to raise funds since the appointment of American national Abi Williams to the position of dean between 2013 and 2016.

It was reported that staff had been critical of William’s lifestyle and €223,000 salary.

The International Criminal Court and Europol are also located in The Hague.