Eurojust has supported the Romanian and Dutch authorities in an action against sexual exploitation of young female victims in the Netherlands and other European countries. During an action day, five suspects were identified by the Romanian authorities for involvement in an organised crime group (OCG), trafficking in human beings for sexual exploitation, pimping, organised property crime and money laundering. A total of eight places were searched in both countries and a further thirty individuals were heard as part of the case.
The suspects used the so-called ‘loverboy’ method, approaching young female victims from disadvantaged backgrounds, promising them good job prospects in the Netherlands and other EU countries. In reality, the victims had their identity documents taken away and were forced into prostitution. This method of trafficking in human beings is a phenomenon used by similar OCGs operating from Romania.
The suspects had no other main forms of income and transferred their illegal profits to Romania via money transfers, before spending it on luxury cars, drugs and gambling. During the action day, luxury vehicles, phones, bikes, weapons and money were seized. The identified suspects have been placed under preventive measures in Romania.
Eurojust supported the national authorities involved, including by setting up a coordination centre for the action day, and assisted in the preparations by organising seven coordination meetings. The Agency also assisted with the transmission and execution of European Investigation Orders.
Investigations into the OCG were led by the Directorate for Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), of the Galati Territorial Office. The Directorate is a specialised structure established in 2004 within the Prosecution Office of the High Court of Cassation and Justice of Romania for combating and investigating organised crime and terrorism and other serious offences.
A total of 24 police officers from the Brigade for Combating Organized Crime of Galati were deployed in Romania, with support from the Galati County Police Inspectorate, the County Inspectorate of the Gendarmerie and the Department for Special Operations. In the Netherlands, the operation was carried out by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of The Hague and the National Police.
At Filmhuis Den Haag / with filmmaker ARASH T. RIAHI
On Saturday 23 April at 1 pm, the Dutch premiere of the film “OSKAR AND LILLI: WHERE NO ONE KNOWS US” (Ein bisschen bleiben wir noch) will take place.
The film by the well-known Austrian filmmaker/director Arash T. Riahi, based on a novel by Monika Helfer, is screened as part of the Eastern Neighbours Film Festival at Filmhuis Den Haag. The director Arash T. Riahi will be present and have a chat with the audience after the film.
“OSKAR AND LILLI: WHERE NO ONE KNOWS US” (Ein bisschen bleiben wir noch) is the moving story of two Chechen children who, after their mother collapses, are placed in different families. But their close bond and mutual love are so strong that they come up with various bright, often funny solutions and defy all bureaucratic obstacles with passion, imagination and humour. The face of Europe is reflected in this strong film.
An audience favourite in many countries, winner of the FIFEM Montreal Grand Prix, awarded the prestigious Max Ophüls Prize in Germany, and many other awards from professional, teen and children’s juries, this uniquely human, political, warm and charming story proves to touch the hearts of young people and adults alike.
The film will be screened again on Sunday 24 April at 3 pm. The film is suitable for young people aged 8 and up.
More information and ticket sales can be found here.
The Hague, 8 April 2022. The Malietoren served as a backdrop for Connecting Vietnam and the Netherlands in one business platform conference. Organizers, the Embassy of Vietnam, the Dutch Business Association Vietnam(DBAV) and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce(NVCC)
The collaboration enables DBAV/NVCC to offer a single Dutch-Vietnamese business platform to businesses professionals in both countries. Thanks to the members and databases, an effective network has been created.
H.E. Ambassador Pham Viet Anh was the guest of honour at the conference. Guests were welcomed by Mr. Koos van Eijk in the name of DBAV, NVCC, NL in Business and NL Works.
The first speaker Mr. Joost Vrancken Peeters chairman of NVCC recounts how the cooperation came about. Next was a recorded message by Mr. Guido van Rooy, Executive Director for DBAV in Ho Chi Minh City.
Connecting Vietnam and the Netherlands in One Business Platform
Other speakers are the host, Ms. Lise Hordijk, International Business Manager NL in Business. NL in Business is the driving force behind DBAV. Mr Koos van Eijk introduced the keynote speaker, H.E.Mr Pham Viet Anh, Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
“It’s my great pleasure to join you in this significant event, when DBAV stands with NVCC after 2 tough years of Covid pandemic. And I see it’s also the very first event organized by 2 associations after the official announcement of the collaboration in one platform to enhance our trade and investment relations.
I have followed your footsteps.
DBAV is so active in Viet Nam with lots of supportive activities for your members and really a voice of Dutch businesses in Viet Nam and I could see that clearly through the pandemic time. Despites many difficulties and impacts on many businesses, DBAV and their members were always besides us with big contribution in many kinds to the government, to the local authorities and to businesses as well.
And for NVCC, I have witnessed your supports extended to our activities in the past few years, especially when we had high level delegates to the Netherlands. NVCC is the platform helping Dutch and Dutch Vietnamese businesses to exchange their interests in trading and investment in Viet Nam. But, I see NVCC looking for Vietnamese enterprises willing focus to Netherlands market. And I’m happy whith that.
Dear friends, what you did has been admirable. Not because of the size, scope, but because of the practical meaning of your actions to Dutch and Vietnamese businesses in Vietnam, energizing all to overcome challenges of the pandemic and develop. You have stayed in Vietnam, trusted Vietnam, and determined to develop the Dutch business community in Vietnam. Your commitment has been a source of encouragement for us.
On this opportunity, we are also deeply thankful to Dutch businesses for their precious support of medical equipment to Vietnam. We, Vietnamese have a proverb meaning “a corner of bread when hungry is more precious than the banquet when full”. For these reasons, once again, I would like to convey to you our grattitude and appreciation.
Back to our even, firstly, I would like to congratulate DBAV and NVCC for creating a platform to effectively implement your tasks. The linkage of DBAV and NVCC gave me one more illustration of the Dutch key to success: unity makes strength, as you have done to build up the Netherlands, rising from the lowlands and expanding trade to foreign markets.
Secondly, I would like to take this opportunity to suggest two associations, to further spread the spirit of this platform of DBAV and NVCC, to connect more widely, and to share your methodology and technology with Vietnamese businesses, especially in the sectors that Viet Nam really need, such as: circular economy, water treatment, agriculture …We would like to become a country of production and not only a country of raw materials.
Last, but not least, I would like to wish the collaboration between 2 associations will be successful to bring benefits to both Dutch and Vietnamese businesses and effectively contribute to enhance the bilateral trade and investment. The Vietnamese Embassy in the Netherlands, as well as the Dutch Embassy in Hanoi and the Dutch Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City (and I’m sur) are always your trustful companions and ready to help. Wish you all health and success!”
Mr Koos van Eijk introduces the last speaker, a new member, Mr Laurens Maartenns Business Manager at Netherlands Global Payment StoneX. Maartens is an experienced banker. Was director at UBS, Rabobank, and StoneX Bank, held various other positions in the financial world.
Connecting Vietnam and the Netherlands in One Business Platform.
A Q&A session followed.
The Vietnam – Netherlands promotional afternoon brilliantly concluded with the shooting of a family portrait and a subsequent reception.
Celebration of fifty years (Golden Jubilee) of the Independence of Bangladesh and also Bangladesh – Netherlands diplomatic relations on the 28th March 2022. An evening of Bangladesh – the Netherlands celebration, at the heart of The Hague.
H.E. Ambassador Riaz Hamidullah hosted a reception at the phenomenal Grote Kerk. Diplomats, dignitaries, international judges, public servants, distinguished Dutch friends, and Bangladeshi diaspora responded to the cordial invitation and attended the marvellous reception.
H.E. Mr. Riaz Hamidullah and his spouse Sazia Ahmed.Bangladesh Golden Jubilee Celebration
The guests enjoyed typical Bangladeshi hospitality, music, a video screening and an authentic Bangladeshi buffet topped off with a speech by Ambassador Riaz Hamidullah.
Here follows an extract of a statement issued by the Embassy of Bangladesh in the Netherlands ” it’s a modest opportunity to convey our gratitude for recognizing the ‘idea of Bangladesh’ within 2 month’s of her emergence out of a brutal War and Genocide. For standing thick and thin with a people five decades on – in rain, sun, storms.
To everyone from the Netherlands who joined us (and even who couldn’t), my gratitude.
The Ambassador of Bangladesh, Drs. Paul Huijts, and spouse.
It’s not just an evening to celebrate the journey in past five decades e.g. story of 70,000 Dutch tulips blossoming in Bangladesh soil thru ordinary farmers; 20 frames on display (out of the Embassy of Bangladesh in the NetherlandsDeltares collaborative Photo Contest); crafts on display; AVs on screen; Journey of Amit Biswas (for his phenomenal Logo Land) or young Saraf N. (as President of Technische Universiteit Delft students body) illustrate a new level of friendship n collaboration.
All spoke of a people connecting with values-aspirations-resilience in Dutch people, irrespective of endowments or capacity.
Prof.Dr Jan Pronk
Prof. Dr Jan Pronk‘s recollection of conversation with 🇧🇩 Father of Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, quote from a Bangladesh poet laureate, recollection of 1971 War-Genocide, portrayal of the vision (Sonar Bangla) in continuum – all portrayed of a treasured Dutch view of Bangladesh as our walk began.
Humbled to hear perspectives from Drs. Paul Huijts, Permanent-Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as he shared of Dutch approach/engagements with Bangladesh – at bilateral as well as global levels.
Celebration in Bangladesh is incomplete without music: so we presented 4 notable musicians and also a Dutch – all the way from Bangladesh. Through 2 Dutch songs + 1 Friesian + 4 melodies from Bangladesh we tried to pay tribute to all women-men and enterprises/entities for their friendship, collaboration, and support.
Let the sounds travel beyond walls, in tested and trusted ties between the two peoples. In celebrating empathy, harmony, inclusion for all people”.
28th Commemoration of 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi
On April 7th 2022, Rwanda and the world marked the 28th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. The commemoration period, commonly referred to as Kwibuka (the Kinyarwanda word for remembrance), is an opportunity to pay homage to the victims as well as reflect on the transformational journey that Rwanda has been on for the last 28 years.
The Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda in the Netherlands started the 28th commemoration program on the 7th of April in The Hague. H.E. Ambassador Olivier Jean Patrick Nduhungirehe hosted the official Kwibuka28 commemoration at the Marriott Hotel in The Hague.
H.E. Mr. Andrei Yeudachenka, Ambassador of Belarus and H.E. Ambassador Olivier Jean Patrick Nduhungirehe of Rwanda.
Themed “Remember – Unite – Renew”, the commemoration was an occasion for Rwandans from all walks of life to pay tribute to the more than million innocent lives lost.
H.E. Ms.Elizabeth Ward Neiman, Ambassador of Panama and the Ambassador of Rwanda.
Program:
Introduction by Mr. Pascal Murasira, Master of Ceremony
Lighting of Urumuri Rutazima, the never-ending light of hope (by the four speakers)
Minute of silence
Welcome remarks by Mrs. Saskia Bruines, Deputy Mayor of The Hague
Remarks by Mrs. Christine Safari, Chairperson of IBUKA-Netherlands
Video of the testimony by Mrs. Immaculée Mukamuhirwa, Genocide survivor
Remarks by Mrs. Kitty van der Heijden, Director General for International Cooperation in the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Musical interlude
Keynote address by Mr. Olivier J.P. Nduhungirehe, Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda to the Kingdom of the Netherlands
H.E. Mr. Jorge Skinner-Klée Arenales, Ambassador of Guatemala signing the special Kwibuka 28th commemoration book.
Mrs. Saskia Bruines, Deputy Mayor of The Hague:
“We will never be able to rid ourselves of the memories of the horrific events in 1994. Luckily, they have been a source of inspiration for many to do good. So that we never forget what happened then, and to prevent such atrocities from occurring again.”
Mrs. Saskia Bruines, Deputy Mayor of The Hague.
“See the creation of the International Criminal Court by national governments in 1998. Or the hundreds of NGOs around the world who are active in the fight against impunity. Seeking to promote accountability for past atrocities in places emerging from a violent past. I am proud that many of them are based here in The Hague.”
Mrs. Christine Safari, Chairperson of IBUKA-Netherlands
Mrs. Christine Safari, Chairperson of IBUKA-Netherlands:
“After more than two decades since the Genocide happened, we pay homage and magnify ours who were massacred because they were born Tutsis. We must console and comfort those who have lost loved ones, orphans, widowers and those without family so that they are not overwhelmed with grief because they need reassurance to give them courage and the confidence to continue to resist this hypocritical, unjust, unstable and insatiable mode.”
“In this long journey, we must also reflect on the path already traveled in the reconstruction of Rwanda, to restore the dignity of Rwandans, to ensure our development while consolidating the achievements of our progress.”
Mrs. Saskia Bruines, Deputy Mayor of The Hague.
Mrs. Kitty van der Heijden, Director General for International Cooperation in the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
“Since 1994, Rwanda’s government and people have done a tremendous job of rebuilding their country. I’m proud that the Dutch government has assisted Rwanda in that process. Immediately after the genocide, Rwanda and the Netherlands became development partners. The Netherlands was a major donor supporting the rebuilding of Rwanda’s justice sector. We took on this role because we believe there can be no lasting peace without justice, and respect for human rights.”
“Our countries’ bilateral development cooperation will come to a close at the end of this year. It’s impressive that Rwanda has set itself the goal of becoming independent of foreign aid. Looking ahead, we will focus on stepping up mutual trade and investment. Of course, our future relationship will continue to involve a frank and constructive dialogue about justice and human rights. In fact, trade and investment will prosper only if the principles of the rule of law are adhered to, and human rights are respected. I look towards our common future with hope and confidence.”
H.E. Olivier J.P. Nduhungirehe, Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda.
H.E. Olivier J.P. Nduhungirehe, Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda to the Kingdom of the Netherlands:
“The Government of Rwanda renews its gratitude to the Kingdom of the Netherlands for its unwavering support since 1994. A friend in need is a friend indeed, and in the aftermath of the genocide, the Government of the Netherlands was at the forefront in supporting Rwanda in one the most critical areas after such tragedy: the justice sector. It is precisely when victims were crying out for accountability that most professionals of justice had been killed or had fled the country and that most infrastructures of justice and their equipment were destroyed or stolen.”
“The Dutch cooperation in that regard was quite comprehensive and decisive. Courtrooms and correctional services were rebuilt, equipped and modernized; judges, prosecutors and lawyers were trained, including here in the Netherlands, and a number of genocide suspects who had fled to this country were investigated, arrested, prosecuted or extradited. I can confidently say that the Kingdom of the Netherlands is one of the countries in Europe that have done the most in holding genocide suspects accountable. As we celebrated, last year in June 2021, the 25th anniversary of the Dutch-Rwandan cooperation in the justice sector, allow me to once again convey our satisfaction for the achievements registered in that regard.”
“My only hope is that the remaining genocide fugitives who still live and are currently investigated in the Netherlands will soon be brought to book. This is critical because most genocide suspects who fled abroad, including in this country, are fuelling genocide ideology with impunity since 1994 and are even engaging in subversive activities, supporting armed groups operating in the neighbouring countries, with a view to “finishing the job”, as they once claimed.”
“On Rwanda’s side, as a lesson learned from the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, our country became committed to peacekeeping and to the protection of civilians around the world. In that regard, our country is regularly ranked among the top five UN troops and police contributing countries globally, not to mention that our forces are also deployed in Mozambique and Central African Republic on a bilateral basis to fight terrorism and armed groups.”
“I wish to call on all of us to remember, unite and renew, but most of all to continue reflecting on lessons learned from the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, especially in this troubled world of armed conflicts and related mass atrocities. As we are gathered here in The Hague, “The City of Peace and Justice”, we should speak up and act, as diplomats, government’s officials and citizens of the world, against hate, xenophobia, racism, antisemitism and all other evils that could lead to genocide.”
Italian and Austrian authorities have dismantled a massive fraud scheme set up by a criminal network that used Italian companies to simulate business leases and false tax credits. The perpetrators deprived the Italian authorities of at least EUR 440 million. With the help of Eurojust, approximately 90% of the proceeds have been recovered and 12 suspects have been arrested.
The arrested suspects allegedly belong to an organised crime group (OCG) that defrauded the Italian State of at least EUR 440 million. The OCG used Italian companies to sell false tax credits, to simulate business leases in order to obtain COVID-19-related compensation, and to simulate tax credits for false works to improve the safety and energy consumption of the companies.
More than 90% of the proceeds have been recovered, mainly in Italy. The seized assets include cryptocurrencies, currently held in a wallet to prevent their movement, as well as gold, platinum and watches of significant value, which were held in a safe deposit box in Austria.
Eurojust assisted in the coordination of the cross-border judicial cooperation in this case, including by providing support to execute a European Investigation Order and a freezing order in Austria issued by Italian authorities.
The following authorities took part in this investigation:
Italy: Public Prosecutor Office of Rimini (Procura della Repubblica di Rimini) and Financial Crime Unit of Guardia di Finanza of Rimini (Nucleo di Polizia Economica e Finanziaria, Guardia di Finanza di Rimini)
Austria: Central Public Prosecutor´s Office for Combatting Economic Crimes and Corruption (CPPOCECC) and the State Criminal Police Agency Vienna.
The Hon. Aniel Pahladsingh, president and founder of The Hague International Research Institute Migration Law (HIRIM) visited H.E. Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya of The Philippines. Mr. Pahladsingh is – amongst the former – a senior legal advisor at the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and deputy judge at the district court of Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Previously he worked as a coordinating EU lawyer at the Research Department of the Council of State in The Hague and was seconded to the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mr. Pahladsingh presented to Ambassador J Eduardo Malaya a copy of his book – coauthored by Ramona Grimbergen – “The Charter and the Court of Justice of the European Union: Notable Cases from 2016-2018”, which covers leading cases pertaining to dignity, freedom, equality, solidarity, citizenship and justice in the EU. This publication will have its sequel this year concerning cases between 2019 and 2021.
The ambassdor, Aniel Pahladsingh and the Embassy of the Philippines lawyer’s team.
Ambassador Malaya and Mr. Pahladsingh discussed possible collaborative projects in the Philippines. He presented Mr. Pahladsingh with his own book “Stewards of the Nation”, published in 2018.
HIRIM was recently established in the International City of Peace and Justice to advocate research and debate with a legal approach into the broad migration issue on both a national and international level. Not only the facts themselves are important, but also the way in which and the care with which they are interpreted and communicated. It is precisely through careful interpretation that HIRIM wants to stimulate a sound debate, especially since gut feelings can often have a misleading effect in the formation of an opinion.
Mr. Pahladsingh was accompanied by HIRIM board member Anton Lutter. The other board member is Marc Zandhuis, attorney at law in Amstelveen.
Today, 14 April 2022, in The Hague, the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims Ms Minou Tavárez Mirabal announced that a change of executive leadership at the Fund will take place later this year.
Ms Tavárez Mirabal stated: “An agreement has been reached between the Board of Directors, the Registrar and the Executive Director based on a shared understanding of the need for change of leadership.”
“On behalf of the Board I thank Executive Director Mr Pieter de Baan for his long and committed service to the Trust Fund and for his leadership during many challenging times for the Fund. I thank him for his engagement to facilitate a smooth transition to a successor following the completion of his current contract on 31 August 2022.”
During its 5th formal meeting of the TFV Board this week it was confirmed that Mr De Baan will step down from his role as Executive Director on 31 August 2022. The Board has requested Ms Franziska Eckelmans, Legal Adviser to assume the role of Acting Executive Director during any interim period until the successful completion of an open and competitive recruitment process, which will shortly get underway.
From 31 August 2022 onwards, Mr De Baan will support the leadership transition and related key processes in a non-executive advisory role.
The TFV Board wishes to assure the staff, partners and supporters of the Trust Fund of its continuing dedication to the cause of supporting victims of international crime, and is committed to an orderly and positive leadership transition in pursuit of these goals.
Mr De Baan stated: “Further to the important transition that the Trust Fund for Victims has undergone in the past years, it is time for new leadership to take the Fund to meet its next challenges. I thank the TFV Board of Directors for their interest to ensure an appropriate executive leadership transition, and I look forward to support the Board during this transition.“
“I am as always deeply grateful for the inspirational commitment of my colleagues at the Secretariat, in support of the unique and compelling mandate of the Trust Fund for Victims to make reparative justice a reality for victims.”
“I look forward to this important event from the point of promoting interreligious dialogue, and for the theme of unity to bring countries, which is much needed for the world today,” the Head of the Catholic Church said.
Pope Francis confirmed his official visit to Kazakhstan, as well as participation in the 7th World Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religionsin the coming September during his video meeting with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The Pontiff stressed the exceptional importance of achieving unity and harmony in the world in the current difficult geopolitical situation.
“We see how diverse and united your country is. This is a basis for stability. We are happy that in Kazakhstan you understand that. You can count on my support, and I appreciate your efforts,” Pope Francis stated.
In turn, President Tokayev noted that this event is of great importance for Kazakhstan. He also affirmed Kazakhstan’s strong commitment to further developing cooperation with the Holy See in the sphere of spiritual harmony and mutual respect.
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions is a unique interfaith forum, convened every three years in Nur-Sultan at the initiative of the First President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev. For almost 20 years, this forum has played an important role in the rapprochement of cultures and civilisations, in searching for answers to the key challenges of our time.
The 7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions will be held on September 14-15, 2022 in Nur-Sultan and will be dedicated to the role of leaders of world and traditional religions in the spiritual and social development of mankind in the post-pandemic period.
The idea of convening the Congress was put forward in 2003, at the turn of the century there was a dangerous global situation, directly affecting inter-religious relations in the world. Kazakhstan with its multinational and multi-confessional society, complex geopolitical environment, had not only to be involved, but also to take active steps.
At the beginning of the 2000s, the rapprochement between cultures, religions and peoples was facilitated by the historic visit of Pope John Paul II to Kazakhstan Capital in September 2001, by a major part of the first Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit in Almaty in June 2002 and the International Conference of Peace and Reconciliation in February 2003. These developments led to a new initiative on convening the Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.
VI Congress of the Leaders of the World and Traditional Religions.
First of all, it was hard to convince the participants to come and sit at the same table. In September 2003, on the sidelines of the First Congress taking place in Nur-Sultan, some delegates at a private audience with the head of Kazakhstan made no secret of their complaints to other participants and openly expressed the boundaries of their tolerance. It should be noted that in fact the disagreements were of a purely political, inter-state nature and did not raise any interfaith issues. In this situation, the credibility of the First President played a key role in the success of both plenary sessions and the adoption of the Joint Declaration.
Eventually, the participants came to a common understanding that it is vital to identify the place of religion outside the current and even long-term political conflicts. The culture of dialogue, as reflected in the documents of the Congress and the remarks of the participants, implies mutual respect of heads of denominations.
Over the years, the forum has become a leading example of enhancing interreligious cooperation. The Congress has become an open platform for representatives of world and traditional religions to establish a meaningful dialogue on topical global issues.
Dialogue participants
An important feature of the Congress is a broad and representative composition of its participants. The Congress is attended by high-level followers of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Shinto, Taoism, and Zoroastrianism, representatives of religious and public organisations, and influential world politicians. The Congress has become not only a platform for inter-religious meetings, but also a dialogue between religious and political leaders. This transformation is of great importance for the real positive impact of religious leaders on the situation around the world.
In different years, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, King Abdullah II of Jordan, President of Finland Sauli Niinistö, President of Israel and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shimon Peres, Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir bin Mohamad, former Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chrétien, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, Grand Imam of al-Azhar Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, General Secretary of the Muslim World League Abdallah At-Turki addressed the Congress.
Traditionally, the Congresses of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions were also attended by UNESCO Directors General Koïchiro Matsuura and Irina Bokova, OSCE Secretaries General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut and Lamberto Zannier, High Representative of the UN Alliance of Civilizations Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Iyad Amin Madani.
The First Congress was attended by religious leaders and honorary guests from 13 countries; the Sixth Congress in Nur-Sultan was attended by over 80 delegations from 42 countries of the world.
Documents of the Congress
In nineteen years, the Congress has gained considerable documentary framework concerning cooperation between different religions. In this regard, the Declaration of the First Congressplayed a key role, since it highlighted main common grounds and identified shared values of leading world and traditional religions. For Kazakh diplomacy, harmonisation of the first confessional document was a good test for professionalism, because it was necessary to identify common problems for the entire human civilization from the perspective of the religious leaders. It was necessary to carefully take into account the specific features of each denomination, to avoid debate about interfaith differences, and most importantly – to formulate a joint vision of cooperation of different religions.
Congress documents are unique due to the fact that religious figures themselves were directly involved in their development. When adopting documents of the Congress, religious leaders morally commit to make efforts for their implementation. All the main documents were duly circulated to the UN, OSCE and other international forums.
Institutionalising Dialogue
Another significant outcome of almost 20 years of the Congress’s existence was its consistent institutional development. The Congress has become a sort of “inter-confessional Davos,” as today it is the most representative dialogue platform for all religions, international organizations, politicians and experts. It is distinguished by a diverse agenda, an unusual format of participants, as well as political flexibility.
As the number of participants increases and the agenda of issues discussed is developed, the programme of forums has also significantly expanded. Today, congresses not only include plenary sessions, but also several parallel sectional meetings.
The noble ideas of the Congress are widely supported in the world community, both in religious and political circles. They give the world a chance to overcome centuries-old stereotypes about interreligious relations and to develop an effective formula for global tolerance and mutual understanding in the XXI century.
Kazakhstan will continue to do everything possible in the name of peace and stability on the planet and will continue contributing to the activities of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.
The Hague, Netherlands—12 April 2022—Yesterday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, H.E. Dr Rogelio Mayta Mayta visited the Headquarters of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague.
The Foreign Minister met with the Director General of the OPCW, Ambassador Fernando Arias, and other senior officials of its Technical Secretariat.
The Foreign Minister stated: “I must emphasize that the Government of Bolivia values and highlights the work carried out by the OPCW through the control and verification of the destruction of chemical weapons and the monitoring of compliance with the prohibition of their use, which has serious consequences for humanity. The work carried out by the OPCW is important to strengthen multilateralism, as well as peace and international security.”
Progress and challenges related to the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) were discussed during the meeting. The Director-General also briefed the Foreign Minister on the role of the future OPCW ChemTech Centre in addressing future challenges.
The Director-General underlined: “I appreciate Bolivia’s engagement and commitment to upholding the global norm against chemical weapons. Through the ChemTech Centre, all OPCW Member States will benefit from advancements in science and technology, while supporting the Organisation’s essential verification activities.”
