Prosecutor Khan concludes visit to Ukraine

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Prosecutor Khan concludes visit to Ukraine

ICC Prosecutor Karim A. A. Khan KC concludes fourth visit to Ukraine: “Amidst this darkness, the light of justice is emerging”

I have now completed my fourth official visit to Ukraine. This mission came at a pivotal moment, allowing us to take key steps forward in our investigative work, deepen our engagement with national authorities and meet with those impacted by alleged international crimes in Ukraine. I leave Ukraine with a sense that the momentum towards justice is accelerating.

In Kyiv, I joined our team of investigators and analysts who have been on the ground continuously since May last year, visiting sites of alleged attacks on critical civilian infrastructure as well as homes destroyed by missile strikes. Together with the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Andriy Kostin, we underlined our collective commitment to ensure that such acts are fully investigated and those responsible for alleged international crimes held to account.

During my visit, I was pleased to meet on two occasions with the President of Ukraine, His Excellency Mr Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Our common message was clear: the pursuit of justice is a collective one, and one that requires collaboration and effective communication while respecting the independent exercise of the respective mandates of my Office and those of Ukrainian authorities.

This spirit of cooperation was reflected in a key step taken during my visit: the approval by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of the Agreement on the Establishment of the Country Office of the International Criminal Court in Ukraine.  This will allow us to significantly enhance our existing field presence, increase missions across Ukraine and, crucially, allow us to work more closely with survivors, members of impacted communities, and civil society.

Since taking up my position as Prosecutor, I have repeatedly said that children must no longer be the forgotten victims of conflict. My mission to Ukraine has underlined this imperative. In southern Ukraine, two kilometres from the frontlines, I visited a care home for children.

The drawings pinned on the wall and the cupboards full of clothes spoke to a context of love and support that was once there. But this home was empty, a result of alleged deportation of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation or their unlawful transfer to other parts of the temporarily occupied territories. As I noted to the United Nations Security Council last September, these alleged acts are being investigated by my Office as a priority. Children cannot be treated as the spoils of war.

Prosecutor with cribs

These allegations, and the lived experiences of so many in Ukraine, reflect a deeply challenging, often tragic, context. But during my visit it was also clear that this darkness has allowed us to see new ways of coming together, new ways of building partnerships towards justice.

This was the common message across all actors at the United for Justice Conference in Lviv which I was pleased to attend. It is unprecedented that as conflict takes place, literally as bombs fall, such a groundswell of collective work is being undertaken to ensure that the law is felt on the frontlines.

Concrete action was taken at the conference, with the establishment of the Ukraine Accountability Dialogue Group to increase information-sharing and awareness across all relevant actors. My Office was also pleased to take part in a meeting of the joint investigation team (JIT) on alleged core international crimes committed in Ukraine.

UKR Press statement_photo 3 - #U4J conference (2)

I underlined to those present that the situation in Ukraine must also set a new standard for concerted action to achieve global accountability for international crimes. From Kharkiv to Khartoum, from Kyiv to Cox’s Bazar, survivors should feel this sense of collective urgency and benefit from the innovation we see we are now capable of.

While in Lviv, I was also pleased to meet with key counterparts including EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders and Mr Merrick Garland, Attorney General of the United States. This moment requires us to come together, to find new ways to collaborate and share information if we are to deliver for those that have suffered injustice.

My Office remains committed to continue to work with all partners, across civil society, national authorities, and international organisations, so that we can deliver tangible results and demonstrate the relevance of the rule of law in real-time. I will also yet again reach out to the authorities of the Russian Federation and seek their cooperation with my Office.

I wish to express my sincere thanks to the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and to all representatives of relevant ministries and agencies who dedicated time to meet with me during this visit despite the exceptionally difficult circumstances currently faced by all in Ukraine.

Initiative promotes contemporary Irish arts and culture in Germany

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Initiative promotes contemporary Irish arts and culture in Germany

Friday, 3 March 2023, Republic of Ireland: The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, and Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin, announced a €2 million joint investment in a season of Irish arts and culture which will take place in Germany.

The season will be a joint partnership between Culture Ireland and the Department of Foreign Affairs, with the aim of deepening Ireland’s cultural engagement with Germany, as a key partner in Europe, as we mark the fiftieth anniversary of our membership of the European Union.

In line with the ambition of Global Ireland, Ireland is committed to strengthening our global cultural presence and impact and places a strategic priority on arts and creativity as a key outward expression of our identity. This initiative aims to provide a special focus on the presentation of contemporary Irish arts in Germany. The Irish Embassy in Berlin and the Consulate-General in Frankfurt, with on-the-ground engagement, will work alongside Culture Ireland to co-fund, plan and deliver the programme.

TĂĄnaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, MicheĂĄl Martin, commented as per statement linked below:

“Germany is a vital political and economic partner for Ireland and our bilateral relations are excellent, with a major increase in contacts and coordination between Ireland and Germany since the 2018 strategic review of Ireland’s relations with Germany and the subsequent German-Irish Joint Plans of Action were launched. I am delighted that my department and our Embassy in Berlin and Consulate General in Frankfurt are partnering with Culture Ireland to present a curated season with a vibrant, contemporary and high-quality cultural programme in major venues, institutions and festivals across Germany, and which will grow German audiences for Irish arts.”

This new initiative follows Culture Ireland’s successful delivery of previous special projects, including the international culture programme as part of Ireland 2016 and more recently, Culture Ireland GB18, which focussed on cultural activity in Britain. This new initiative will create new opportunities for artists and companies across artforms to perform across Germany as well as develop their networks of contacts with German-based artists and cultural institutions.

For further information 

Government of Ireland: https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/081a1-unpublished-announcing-ireland-in-germany/

Culture Ireland: https://www.cultureireland.ie/news/article/ireland-in-germany-2024-calls-for-expressions-of-interest

Irish Embassy in Germany (Ambassador Dr Nicholas O’Brien): https://www.dfa.ie/irish-embassy/germany/news-and-events/news-archive/ankundigung-von-ireland-in-germany—eine-saison-irischer-kunst-und-kultur-in-deutschland-2024.html

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Kosovo @ 15 Celebrated with a Concert and Reception

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Kosovo @ 15 Celebrated with a Concert and Reception

By Roy Lie Atjam

The Republic of Kosovo celebrated its 15th year of Independence with a stellar concert by the Trio Don’t Listen To Your Neighbours made up of Adhurim Grezda: bariton-vocalist, Dalvin Mamusha: violin, and Endrit Xerxa: guitar.

Kosovo 15th Anniversary. Trio Don’t Listen To Your Neighbours.

The repertoire consisted of soul-stirring traditional Kosovo-Albanian folk songs in a modern style with elements of jazz. Folk songs such as  Vendi Im, My Homeland, Kori I fshatit tone, The stream of our village, to mention a few.

It has been a dazzling show, the trio captivated the attention of the audience consisting of friends and well-wishers of Kosovo, business relations and a large contingent of the diaspora.

Ambassador Doli and his spouse welcomed the Ambassador of Malta, H.E. Mr. Marc Anthony Pace.

A good number of Ambassadors and diplomats attended the event, among them  Costa Rica, Malta, IOM, Colombia, Finland, Tunisia, Malaysia, Luxembourg, Albania, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Bangladesh.

After the concert, a reception followed with a selection of savoury  Kosovo food: qebapa, burek, cheese, baklava and much more.

As for the music, Kosovo-Albania folk songs, yet very much international as guests seemingly identified beats and vibrations from southern Italy, Maghreb and Caribbean vibes and tunes. The drum and tambourine might have contributed to perceiving the rhythms.

Ambassador Doli and H.E. Mr. Jean-Marc Hoscheit, Ambassador of Luxembourg.

In his opening remarks H.E. Ambassador H.E. Mr. Dren Doli presented  the Dutch translation of the book ‘’Glimmer of Hope, Glimmer of Flame’’-‘’Een sprankje hoop, een lont’’ by Ag Apolloni(Kosovo) The book was translated in Dutch language by Jan Jansen.  Guests received a complimentary  copy of the book and had the opportunity to have their book signed by the author. Ambassador Dren Doli gave an abstract of the book. He stated, “Here is a book about hope and hopelessness, it is about our history. The book tells the story of two Kosovo mothers, Ms. Pashka and Ms. Ferdonije.

The Ambassador of Kosovo welcome H.E. Mr. Ilkka-Pekka Antero SimilÀ, Ambassador of Finland..

Pashka’s two sons had been murdered by the Serbian forces during the Kosovo war in 1999. After the war when remains of Pashka’s sons were found, Pashka lost all the hope. She decided to end her life. She could not live in a world that ignored her prayers to reunite with her sons.

But in Ferdonije’s story there’s a grim of hope, although she lost all of her four sons and her husband. They were taken from her during the war and she never saw them again. Years after, Ferdonije got the news that the remains of two of her sons were discovered in mass grave. They were 24 and 14 years old. To this day, she is hoping that her other 2 sons and her husband will return.  She is waiting. “

“My family home is a few blocks from Ferdonije’s.” said Ambassador doli. “Each time I visit my parents in my hometown I pass by her house where she still lives, and it makes me think that could have been my own house, my destiny, my story. And it is.”

Concert Kosovo’s 15th Anniversary. The Hague.

Ambassador Doli went on with his welcome remarks, “Today, as we celebrate the 15th Anniversary of our Independence, we cannot stop but think about our own stories, filled both with hopelessness and hope, and yet again, use them to look forward and build our future.

At the same time, in today’s world, these truths, these personal stories that characterise our modern history, make us even more determined to protest, to oppose and to denounce this unjustified war in Ukraine.

My dear guests, since February 2008, Kosovo has built a strong and resilient democracy, with modern and robust legal system, a thriving economy that managed to surprise sceptics.

For example, in 2021, we reached a 10% economic growth, while in 2022, despite the inflation and war related market pressures we were able to achieve a 4 % growth. Today, Kosovo stands as a proud and independent nation, hopeful of brighter and better future for the next generation.

I would to use this day to thank our Dutch and international friends for their continuous support in the Netherlands and beyond. As the Ambassador of Kosovo to the Netherlands, I would like to reiterate that the Netherlands has been an important partner of Kosovo in all fronts for many decades now.

I will share with you few recent examples of these strong bonds. In 2022 Manifesta, a Dutch organization,  hosted its 14 edition of one of the biggest contemporary art exhibitions in our capital Prishtina.

Dutch companies operating in the ICT and service Sector, including recycling, food industry and agriculture have become important players in our economy.

Celebrating Kosovo’s 15th Anniversary.

Finally, I, would also like to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation for our Diaspora living in the Netherlands. They have shown remarkable courage and determination and have become the bridge that links Kosovo and the Netherlands. You are an inspiration to us all at the Embassy, and I am honoured to serve as your Ambassador in the Netherlands.”

17 February 2023  at the Concordia Theatre in The Hague was a memorable Kosovo cultural evening.

Guests left the event in high spirits!

Interaction and cooperation in the field of reliable protection of human rights and freedom

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Interaction and cooperation in the field of reliable protection of human rights and freedom

On February 23 this year, an international conference was held on the topic “Interaction and cooperation in the field of reliable protection of human rights and freedom” at the Congress Center of the “Silk Road Samarkand” complex in the city of Samarkand. It was in connection with the 28th anniversary of the establishment of the institution of the Ombudsman or Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis for Human Rights.

The main purpose of the event dedicated to the 28th anniversary of the Ombudsman is to exchange experience with the Ombudsmen of foreign countries, national institutions, competent state bodies and international organizations in ensuring human rights and freedoms, strengthening cooperation in protecting the interests of our compatriots working in foreign countries.

The conference was organized by the Authorized Person for Human Rights of the Oliy Majlis (Ombudsman) in collaboration with OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan, USAID Legal Reform Program. The conference was attended by representatives of national human rights institutions, international associations and the diplomatic corps of about 20 foreign countries, including the ombudsmen of Portugal, Serbia, Hungary, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Russia, Thailand, the Kingdom of Morocco, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan. The event was also attended by members of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis and deputies of the Legislative Chamber, representatives of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the National Center of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights and a number of state organizations, members of the commission under the Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis for Human Rights (ombudsman), representatives of civil society institutions, as well as the media.

The word ombudsman is understood all over the world as a “defender of human rights”. The main task of the ombudsmen is to inform the government about the problems that exist in society in the field of human rights, based on the analysis of citizens’ appeals. The relevant organizations, following the recommendations of the Ombudsman, increase the efficiency of their activities by eliminating shortcomings in the system. At present, ombudsman institutions have been introduced in almost 180 countries of the world.

On February 23, 1995, the Ombudsman institution was introduced in Uzbekistan as one of the first among the CIS countries. Over the past period, the Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis for Human Rights (ombudsman) has taken a worthy place in protecting the rights and freedoms of citizens, including those held in closed institutions with limited freedom of movement. More than 20 memorandums of cooperation have been signed with national human rights institutions in a number of foreign countries. The Ombudsman has become a member of such international associations as the International Ombudsman Institute, the European Ombudsman Institute, the Asian Ombudsman Association, the Association of Turkic Speaking Countries and National Human Rights Institutions, and the Eurasian Ombudsman Alliance.

Parliament, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

In addition, since 2022, in accordance with the relevant Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, regional representatives of the Ombudsman have begun their activities on an ongoing basis. This made it possible to quickly ensure the protection of citizens, save time and costs for their arrival at the center, promptly study applications on the spot, and increase the number of monitoring visits.

The international conference was divided into sessions. Topical aspects of protecting the rights of women and youth, persons with disabilities and persons held in penitentiary institutions, as well as issues of mutual cooperation of the Ombudsman with state bodies and representatives of civil society were discussed.

In the first session, the participants of the international event got acquainted with the best practices for respecting the rights of women, youth and ensuring their interests.

It was noted that ensuring equal opportunities in the exercise of human rights and freedoms, creating sufficient conditions for persons with disabilities is one of the topical issues. In the course of its activities, the Ombudsman pays special attention to the appeals of persons with disabilities. Based on the analysis of appeals, in 2022, at the initiative of the Authorized Person monitoring studies of the conditions created for persons with disabilities in public places and ensuring the rights of prisoners (convicts) who cannot move freely due to their disability were studied, parliament and relevant state authorities were provided with information on the identified shortcomings.

In 2022, the Ombudsman and public groups made 381 (in 2020 – 76, in 2021 – 177) monitoring visits to places of detention of persons with limited freedom of movement. They conducted collective and individual interviews with more than 6,000 convicts (prisoners) and 1,657 convicts (prisoners), respectively. Representatives of the public and the media participated in these monitoring visits as well.

As part of the event, memorandums on bilateral cooperation were signed between the Ombudsmen of Hungary, Serbia and the Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis for Human Rights (ombudsman).

As a result of the international conference, the Samarkand resolution was adopted.

International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression made official at United for Justice Conference in Ukraine     

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International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression made official at United for Justice Conference in Ukraine     

           

The Hague, 5 March 2023

The Ukrainian authorities organised the United for Justice Conference from 3-5 March in the city of Lviv, bringing together a great number of stakeholders involved in the efforts to ensure accountability for core international crimes allegedly committed in Ukraine. As a key outcome of the conference, the seven partner countries* of the Eurojust supported joint investigation team (JIT) decided to amend the agreement between them in order to reflect the future role of the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression (ICPA).

The ICPA will be part of the existing support structure for the JIT, with a specific focus on supporting and enhancing investigations into the crime of aggression. The current amendments to the JIT agreement formalize Eurojust’s role in support of the ICPA and specify that JIT partner countries may benefit from the additional logistical, financial and operational support it offers.

As a JIT participant, the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court may take part in the cooperation via the ICPA when certain conditions are met. Now that the ICPA is officially part of the JIT agreement, Eurojust will proceed with the practical implementation. The  main building blocks are expected to be in place by the summer.  The JIT members, the OTP and Eurojust will continue their smooth cooperation regarding ongoing investigations on alleged core international crimes in Ukraine.  

Commenting on the revised JIT agreement, Eurojust President Mr Ladislav Hamran said: ‘These amendments are a crucial milestone in the process of setting up the ICPA. They reflect the ambition of all JIT partners to address the impunity gap and give Eurojust a solid legal basis to proceed with the practical implementation as swiftly as possible. The fact that the amendments were agreed upon during such an important conference in Lviv is a symbol of our continued commitment to ensuring justice for the Ukrainian people.’

The United for Justice Conference also marked the official launch of the Ukraine Accountability Dialogue Group, aimed at promoting dialogue and coherence across the diverse range of accountability initiatives currently in motion. The decision to set up the Dialogue Group was taken by 45 countries at the Ukraine Accountability Conference, held in The Hague on 14 July last year. Together with the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office, Eurojust will co-chair a workstream on national investigations with the aim to identify key challenges faced in core international crime cases and jointly propose solutions at policy level.

The conference was officially opened by Ukrainian President Mr Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as by a video message of the European Commission President Ms Ursula von der Leyen, and amongst the participants were Prosecutor General of Ukraine Mr Andriy Kostin, European Commissioner for Justice Mr Didier Reynders and Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Mr Karim A. A. Khan QC. Over the course of three days, there were many panel discussions on a wide range of topics related to the ongoing accountability efforts.

* Ukraine, Lithuania, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia and Romania.

UNDP and The Ocean Cleanup Team Up To Tackle Plastic Pollution

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UNDP and The Ocean Cleanup Team Up To Tackle Plastic Pollution

February 9, 2023, New York, NY â€“ The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and The Ocean Cleanup today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on eliminating plastic pollution in oceans and rivers around the globe.

The goal of the partnership is to reduce leakages of plastics into marine ecosystems by boosting policies and behavior change aimed at advancing sound plastic waste management systems and reducing overall plastic pollution, and accelerating the deployment of interception technologies in rivers to end marine plastic pollution.

Plastic pollution poses an existential threat to the health of the world’s oceans and the billions of people who depend on marine resources for food and income. Partnerships play a critical role in addressing this complex global challenge.

“Eliminating plastic pollution in all its forms is key to protecting human and planetary health and safeguarding sustainable development,” said Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator. â€œThis alliance is an important step to curb the flow of plastic pollution into oceans and rivers but also to raise awareness, support sound policy making, and trigger behavioral change along the entire plastic value chain.”

“After our valuable experience working with local UNDP teams to tackle riverine plastic pollution in the Dominican Republic, we are excited to partner with UNDP to further promote sustainable ocean health,” said The Ocean Cleanup founder and CEO Boyan Slat. â€œWe believe that, through this alliance, we can help accelerate the deployment of our technologies to eliminate plastics from the oceans and rivers, as well as support broader policies aimed at waste management and reducing plastic pollution.”

This new partnership comes at a critical time as negotiations for an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, are taking shape.

UNDP representative Inka Mattila and Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup Boyan Slat in Dominican Republic
Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup and Inka Mattila, Resident Representative UNDP Dominican Republic visiting The Ocean Cleanup’s Interceptor 004 in Rio Ozama, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Photo: The Ocean Cleanup, 2021

Wisdom of Future Meeting the Experience of the Past United Kingdom in Mediterranean

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Wisdom of Future Meeting the Experience of the Past <strong>United Kingdom in Mediterranean</strong>

Following successes of the similar programs in Europe (Vienna and Geneva notably), the Istanbul-based International Organization along with its European (think-tank, academia, cultural diplomacy and media) partners decided to launch the special executive program for future leaders on its own.

Hence, by the Program’s launch on 24th February 2023, this format gathered participants of diverse professional backgrounds and varied geographies, including Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East – largely the emerging leaders from the government, intl organisations or industry. The FLEP Executive Program’s concept is rather simple: Participants are spending a whole day with top level speakers – mainly the world leaders that shaped events of the past decades (two per month, last Friday-Saturday in month) in an open, Chatham House rules-based atmosphere, all situated within the historic premisses of the city on two continents.

The second to the former Austrian state President, was the UK Tony Blair’s cabinet member, Defence Secretary Geoffrey William Hoon, who spend the full day with the highly anticipating audience of the Program.

Worth of mentioning is that Excellency Hoon received his education at Jesus College in Cambridge. Later in his exceptional career, he has taught at universities in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Secretary Hoon is a trained lawyer and a former senior cabinet member in the Tony Blair’s government of the United Kingdom. He has held a number of senior ministerial roles in addition to his time spent as a Member of Parliament (1992–2010) and a member of the European Parliament (1984–1994). From there, Secretary Hoon worked his way up to become an experienced senior industry executive with AgustaWestland, where he operated in both the defense and civil aerospace markets on an international scale. And more recently, he has held positions as a non-executive director (NED) as well as the chair of a charity and a private sector organization.

During the day-long exchanges with the FLEP participants Excellency Hoon elaborated on his career path, notably his role in the Labor Party, while contextualizing it in the general historical framework (premodern and modern political history) of Britain. He generously and enthusiastically shared elaborate views on the political structure of the United Kingdom and its main power brokers. In addition, he discussed the political development of the nation’s history in the post WWI, interwar and post-WWII periods.

The Post-war recovery, European integrations, Cold War, formation of multilateral forums in Europe (such as the Council of Europe, EEC, and Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe), fall of the Berlin wall and subsequent democratization in Eastern Europe, NATO and its R2P role, Brexit, Euro-MED dialogue as well as the war in Ukraine were main point that mesmerized participants all through the day.

Vivid exchanges of views and opinions marked the closuring part of the 9 hours long lecturing and tour-de-table. Content intensive, inspiring reflective and farsighted, yet amicable and family-like atmosphere with a direct, personal access to the notable guest (full of coffee-breaks and meals spent together) deeply impressed all. Closing the event, Excellency Hoon and President of ICYF Taha Ayhan (as a principal host to the event), jointly encapsulated what all participants already concluded in the course of the day- that the Program offers unique setting, unparallel anywhere else in the world. They both agreed that this particular format is once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for emerging leaders from the state, intergovernmental and corporate sectors of all meridians.

And, indeed, the Program meeting hall was filled with the future that started on 24th February 2023 with the FLEP Istanbul program. The magic ship of knowledge and wisdom now sets its sails. It will reach its next fascinating port on insights in exactly a month time.

About the author:

Shaikha Al-Marri

Shaikha Al-Marri, of Queen Mary University of London (MS in Intl Public Policy). She was attached to the office of the Qatar’s Minister of Sports and Youth (Youth Advisor).

Represented her country at the UNESCO Pre-Summit 2022. She is active friendship ambassador for the Foundation of Friendship Ambassadors associated with the United Nations.

FATF: Financial Action Task Force unanimously removed Morocco from its “grey list”

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FATF: Financial Action Task Force unanimously removed Morocco from its “grey list”

By Eleni Vasiliki Bampaliouta

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF/GAFI), based in Paris, has unanimously removed Morocco from the so-called “grey” list of countries under heightened surveillance, following an assessment of its national system’s compliance with the anti-money laundering international standards. This development comes after the FATF approved a special action plan for the Kingdom of Morocco in February 2021, according to a statement from the office of the head of the Moroccan government.

The decision of the FATF General Assembly comes, after the recent hostile actions towards Morocco, especially within the European Parliament, to cover the efforts and proactive actions of the country in the context of a good fiscal governance, in accordance with the royal directives, with the object of a series of legislative, organizational measures, as well as awareness and control measures, implemented by the competent national bodies and authorities under the coordination of the National Financial Information Authority and in cooperation with legal entities of public or private law.

According to Moroccan observers, the decision of this world-renowned organization is a response to all those who underestimate the efforts made by the North African country in various fields in order to achieve its development goals to the maximum extent possible.
Finally, Morocco’s exit from the gray list will positively affect the public debt and credit ratings of local banks, while it will strengthen the country’s image, its position in negotiations with international financial institutions, and the confidence of foreigners investors in the national economy.

  • Victory for Morocco in the heart of Paris: the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) unanimously decided, at its meeting on Friday 24 February, in the context of its General Assembly, to remove Morocco from the gray zone.
  • This new victory of the Kingdom is a clear answer to those who are moving within the European Parliament against Morocco and its interests, as well as to all those who refuse to accept that Morocco is progressing with a firm and decisive step on an irreversible path towards progress, transparency and good governance, thus standing out from neighboring countries trapped in outdated practices.
  • The new FATF decision confirms Morocco’s leadership position, regionally and continentally, in terms of good fiscal governance, making it a model country in the field.
  • The recognition of Morocco by this international economic body of reference is a strong response to its critics within the European Parliament, who are trying, unsuccessfully, to label it a pariah state.
  • The exit of Morocco from the surveillance zone, known as the gray list, at the very moment when South Africa, a supporter of the Polisario terrorist and separatist entity, enters it, is significant and is the culmination of Morocco’s effort and proactive actions, pursuant to royal directives.
  • Once again, an international reference institution applauds Morocco and its strategic, peaceful and proactive vision to adopt the highest possible standards in the fight against money laundering.
  • The recognition of Morocco by the FATF in the heart of Paris is, ironically, an eloquent response to the French media that attacked Morocco with a journalistic line that served dark designs of another era.
  • The FATF decision will strengthen the image and position of the Kingdom in its negotiations with international financial institutions, as well as the confidence of foreign investors in the national economy.

Welcome to the Silk Road Virtual Museum

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Welcome to the Silk Road Virtual Museum

Professor Richard T. Griffiths, Emeritus professor International Studies (Leiden), Research fellow Institute for Asian Studies (Leiden), was one of the first contributors to the Diplomat Magazine since 2013 publishing articles related to European and Dutch diplomacy. In this interview he talks about the creation of the Virtual Museum of the Silk Road.

The project is directed by VirtualMuseum360 and supported by the IIAS from January 2023. The mission of a virtual museum is to encourage people to explore cultures along the overland and maritime sea routes between the Far East and Europe. The first museum site is now open (Nanjing) and the second (Venice) will follow towards the end of April.

DM – Tell us more about the idea of creating a virtual museum.

Richard Griffiths. It is a sad fact that after childhood the only time that most people visit a museum is as a compulsory cultural stop of a holiday or a day out. Then, having trudged round for hours looking at artefacts whose significance they barely understand and anyway kept behind glass, they resolve not to repeat the experience for a while.

A virtual museum is always open. It requires no travelling. It is never crowded. You can come, go, and revisit as you please. And it is free.

A virtual museum can also offer experiences impossible in a real-world museum. You can get up close to exhibits. You can unscroll handscrolls and turn the pages of illuminated manuscripts. In one place, you can see exhibits normally scattered throughout the world.

DM – Why was the topic ‘Silk Road’ chosen?

Richard Griffiths. The overland trade routed between Europe and the Far East (and all places in between) are the stuff of legends, but they also facilitated a spread of cultures that was reflected in adaptations of art and design. Admittedly this was between periods of slaughter and destruction, forced migration and enslavement. But when there was peace, trade flourished and exchanges intensified. These were the hey-days of the silk road. Moreover, when land routes were blocked, trade in spices, textiles, ceramics and glass continued by sea. The last days of the overland silk road spanned the period roughly between 1200 and 1500 CE. This is where the museum begins.

DM –  What is the mission of the museum?

Richard Griffiths. The world of today immediate visual access to images of conflict. Apocalyptic commentators talk in terms of clashes in civilisations, often cast in religious terms – Buddhists, Christians, Hindu, Jews, and Muslims – both Shiite and Sunni. Our reactions become cauterised; we do not understand; we don’t try to understand.

The virtual museum allows us to stand back from our preconceptions and prejudices and to appreciate a distant culture, admittedly often an elite culture, from a past in where our emotions are less involved. It will allow us to see how different cultures portrayed themselves and their surroundings and how the art and artefacts influenced each other in form and decoration.

The museum is constructed as a series of different city sites, each representing a predominant culture. The first site is already open. It is Nanjing (1368-1450), the capital of the early Ming Empire and the starting point of the treasure voyages of Admiral Zheng He. The second site will be Venice (1261-1450), the richest European port and the starting point of the traveller Marco Polo. It will open in April.

It is hoped that visitors will start to understand different cultures and the influence of beliefs on the forms of art and representation. It is hoped that they will want to learn more (there are eLibraries of free online literature devoted to each site). It is hoped that they will want to visit real-world museums in their own neighbourhoods – and enjoy the experience.

DM – How does the museum work?

Richard Griffiths. You enter the museum through the website and choose a destination. For now, the only choice is to go by sea and visit Nanjing, but that will change very soon. Once the choice is made, you will enter the museum, where there will be some instructions on how to navigate the site. The museum ‘building’ will be the same for every site as you travel through time and space. At the moment the site offers a 3600 immersive experience but we hope to add a Virtual Reality version soon.

The artifacts are introduced with explanatory panels and a short audio commentary is available for some of the exhibits. The main language for all the sites is English. Audio translation is offered in the language of the culture represented. Nanjing offers translation in Chinese; Venice will also offer Italian.

One of the difficulties with the museum is that it is not suitable for artefacts that are very small (e.g. coins, small jade sculptures, pieces of jewellery) or very large (the interior or exterior of buildings). To compensate for this the museum has a city desk (for video ‘excursions’ to places of local interest) and an excursion desk in the ‘departure lounge’ for video excursions to experiences further afield. There is also a ‘theatre’ where the visitors to the Nanjing site can enjoy an opera and where visitors to Venice will enjoy some religious choral music.

DM –  Can people participate in the project?

Richard Griffiths. It is not the intention to keep this as a top-down project. We invite the active participation of the local population as well as expertise of academics and museums. Here is a list of possible ways you can offer to help:

  • Photograph possible artefacts
  • Photogramme possible artefacts (especially larger pieces of sculpture)
  • Offer readings from contemporary literature
  • Form groups to recreate contemporary music or theatre
  • Check translations into local language
  • Make audio recordings in local language
  • Help create menus for the canteen (what did the local citizen eat eight hundred years ago?)
  • Offer additions to the eLibraries (especially in non-English languages)
  • Offer advice on inclusions on the site
  • Offer to assemble materials for site as part of a group project
  • Offer to help find sponsorship for the project

DM – Where should we go next?

You can visit the museum here: https://silkroadvirtualmuseum.com

Home

The newsletter and volunteer page is here:

newsletter

The Nanjing site is here:

By Sea

To contact me here:

r.t.griffiths@hum.leidenuniv.nl

Empowering women through fashion

Diplomat Magazine
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Empowering women through fashion

By Alexandra Paucescu

I have never met Jessica in real life. We became online friends during the pandemic and we followed each other’s path on social media. Internet can sometimes bring special wonderful people into your life. She is certainly one of them. She is a beautiful young woman with such energy, that you immediately feel better when you see her. She inspires optimism through every breath and her smile is surely contagious. She is full of ideas and initiatives, like myself, and, also like me, she is the wife of a diplomat.

Jessica Cohaila, a gorgeous Peruvian brunette, was born in Tacna, a city known for its important role during the War of The Pacific (1879-1884), and studied law at The Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. It is there where she met her future husband and from where their whole ‘diplomatic adventure’ began.

She recalls those days: ‘Our first posting started in 2015. We lived in Israel for 5 years and in about 5 months from now we are going to move for our second posting, to Bern, Switzerland.  Israel will always hold a very special place in my heart and I think it will always be my home, because I’ve learned so much about life and marriage there. And of course, the cultural experience I had was just incredible’. Indeed, we all hold a special place in our hearts for our first postings, don’t we?…

But for her, leaving her independent life behind and stopping a flourishing career was hard. ‘I was used to have a job, but not just a job: I was independent in every aspect of it, since I was an associate at a law firm and had a lot of freedom.  Going to a new place where not only the law system was different but also the language was one of the hardest things that I had to go through. But it is also one of the greatest ones because it gave me the opportunity to follow a dream I always had.

I love fashion and always did, so I got the opportunity to start a second career, as a fashion designer.  I also discovered the Fashion Law, which is much more common in Europe but not in Peru. The Covid time, which was a very hard time for everyone, gave me a new opportunity, since I was not able to go back to work as a lawyer because of the quarantine. As soon as I came back home after Israel, I took the only available course in fashion law, while I was already enrolled in fashion school. I finally got the chance to embrace the idea of reinvention in every aspect of it. It really touches my heart when I read or hear this word: ‘reinvention’.

I can see she is passionate about the subject and, while I closely followed her on-line presence for the last couple of years, I could see her evolution, her hard work and determination to succeed.

She tells me: ‘Fashion industry can be a very controversial topic sometimes. I think most people do not understand the process behind the scenes, the hard work and the difference you can make with it. I believe people just see the superficial side, like the models, the stereotypes, the climate contamination, which of course is real but it is also in our hands to change things like this. I see fashion as art and as a way to express ourselves. The message you can send not only through clothes but through magazines, fashion shows or exhibitions can really make a difference.  Take Coco Chanel, for example
 she did so many things for us, she really changed the way we dress today and also she was a woman entrepreneur in a very patriarchal era. Nowadays we have Alessandro Michele, who is the former creative director of Gucci, giving the opportunity to mix clothes with history and also making genderless clothes more common.  I could go on like this for hours, talking about amazing people to whom we owe a lot of the stylistic freedom we have today. History and fashion sometimes go hand by hand’.

Today, clothes can make powerful statements and are often used as soft diplomacy tools. She must be an expert in it. She also creates original patterns and designs and she hopes that one day she will become a fashion editor and maybe even have her own fashion magazine.

‘I love fashion and I firmly believe that through it we can have the chance to make a difference’, she says. She also adds that people should find out more about our own work, dreams and activities. ‘I think people should know more about our work ‘behind the scenes’, how we manage to reinvent ourselves, not only how we support our diplomat partners. So many things that people just don’t see. And maybe letting people know a little bit more about what we do can help not only each other but other people that probably are going through similar experiences’.

That’s how she is, always solar and willing to help others. ‘Every work that I do, every mood board, every pattern is just to empower women (and also men, why not?)’. ‘Empowering women through fashion ‘is my life motto these days
 so that they can be whoever they wish to be and not be afraid to do it. I strongly believe I can do it through fashion’.

About the author:

Alexandra Paucescu

Alexandra Paucescu- Author of “Just a Diplomatic Spouse” Romanian, management graduate with a Master in business, cultural diplomacy and international relations studies.

She speaks Romanian, English, French, German and Italian,  gives lectures on intercultural communication and is an active NGO volunteer.

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