By Sheila Turabaz.
On the 11thof April, The Hague’s excellencies and Mr Bot’s distinguished guests gathered in the magisterial Great Hall of Justice at the Peace Palace to bid farewell to H.E. Dr Bernard Bot, who retired from his position as Chairman of the Carnegie Foundation and The Hague Academy of International Law after twelve years of outstanding service and tireless dedication.
A seminar was organized in honour of Mr Bot which held the theme “The Peace Palace, politics and implications related to the peaceful settlement of disputes through international law”.
The seminar consisted of contributions from his esteemed colleagues – who have worked closely with Mr Bot for many years – about the invaluable work done by the institutions residing in the Palace as well as Mr Bot’s personal commitment to the Peace Palace and its mission to achieve peace through law.
The master of ceremonies, Ms Nora Stehouwer – Van Iersel, Former Ambassador for International Organisations to the Netherlands (who has worked with Mr Bot for many years when he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as during his chairmanship) welcomed the guests and subsequently invited Mr Erik de Baedts, General Director of the Carnegie Foundation to deliver his remarks on “Peace through law in practice: the work of people.”
Mr De Baedts touched upon this subject elaborately and reflected upon Mr Bot’s affiliation with the Peace Palace, dating back sixty years ago, when he served as desk officer at the Peace Palace Library during the courses of The Hague Academy of International Law.
Furthermore, Mr De Baedts mentioned the important efforts exerted to create public awareness of the important mission of the Peace Palace. Mr Bot has “always felt education was of vital importance to promote peace” and “played an important role in establishing the Peace Palace Visitors Centre as he was convinced that the mission of the Carnegie Foundation was to include public education and awareness of the work of the institutions housed in the Peace Palace, not just for the tourists, but for a wider audience as well”,(…)
Mr Bot “realized that in essence here (at the Peace Palace) we serve. All of us in this Palace serve world peace. The Judges serve the States that bring their disputes before them to find a peaceful settlement, as warfare would harm so many innocent civilians. And so do the Arbitrators serve the parties that aspire to settle their conflicts and interests. We take pride in serving both these Courts, as well as The Hague Academy, we serve them with our books, with our services, with outreach activities that make them shine. All together we do deliver peace in action. Serving leadership is the management motto nowadays. (…) Mr Bot“practiced that even before it was invented.”
Moreover, Ms Saskia Bruines, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of The Hague and the alderman of Education, Knowledge Economy and International Affairs also took the stage to share a few remarks on Mr Bot’s contributions to peace which also benefitted The Hague’s position as International City of Peace and Justice.
Between musical interludes magnificently performed by classical harpists, H.E. Mr. Hugo Siblesz, the Secretary-General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration eloquently demonstrated his profound knowledge of arbitration through a broader policy perspective and explained the role it plays in international relations.
H.E. Mr Philippe Couvreur, Registrar of the International Court of Justice – who has decided to step down from his functions starting from July 2019 – paid tribute to Mr Bot whom he considers a “loyal friend and dedicated partner of the International Court of Justice” and expressed his gratitude Mr Bot for his endeavors to maintain and reinforce the warm relations between the International Court of Justice and the Host Country as well as with the city The Hague and for various projects of a complex nature that were carried out under this authority, in particular the renovation of the Great Hall of Justice and the Judges’ Building of the Court.
Professor Yves Daudet, The President of the Curatorium of The Hague Academy of International Law thanked Mr Bot for his important contribution to the development of the Academy as well as praising his excellent diplomatic skills.
Mr Piet Hein Donner, Dutch honorary Minister of State and former Vice-President of the Council of State, has been appointed as Mr Bot’s successor per Royal Decree and gave his inaugural speech during which he stressed the importance of building on the good relations maintained by his predecessor with the international institutions hosted by the Peace Palace, the Host Country the Netherlands, the United Nations and the municipality of The Hague.
At the conclusion of the seminar the diplomat par excellence held his valedictory address, thanking his colleagues, confrères and friends for their warm tributes as well as expressed his wish for the Peace Palace to continue to develop as beacon of peace and international law.
Photography by C. Van Tol, Carnegie Foundation.
