Tuesday, 20 July 2021, London, United Kingdom: 37th New Zealand prime minister and 8th Head of the United Nations Development Programme, The Rt Hon Helen Clark, has been elected president of Chatham House. The Rt Hon Helen Clark is due to replace erstwhile United Kingdom Prime Minister, Sir John Major, who is retiring from the role. Helen Clark will join Baroness Eliza Manningham-Buller and Lord Darling as one of the institute’s three serving presidents.
Helen Clark served in the capacity as prime minister of New Zealand from 1999-2008. Subsequently she became the 8th and first female administrator of the UN Development Programme, completing two terms from 2009-2017.
Ms Clark was elected at the Annual General Meeting of Chatham House held on 20 July which also marked the last official engagement for Lord O’Neill, who has now handed over to Sir Nigel Sheinwald as Chair of the institute.
Protests were organized throughout Italy after Prime Minister Mario Draghi announced on Thursday that there will be an expansion of the country’s health passport scheme. Prime Minister Draghi urged people to get vaccinated or face a new lockdown.
Ironically, there was also at least half a million vaccination appointments made in the 24 hours following Draghi’s announcement.
It was stated that from August 6th, the Italian population will need a health pass to enter gyms, swimming pools, museums, cinemas, theatres, sports stadiums, and other public venues, including indoor seating areas at bars and restaurants.
The health pass will serve as proof that bearers have either been vaccinated, undergone a recent Covid-19 test, or recovered from Covid-19.
Italy beat Germany 92-82 in the opening games for both teams at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday.
It was Italy’s first game in the Olympics since losing the gold-medal game in 2004. As for Germany, it was making its first Olympic basketball appearance since 2008.
Up to 160,000 people, protested Saturday across France against a bill requiring everyone to have a special virus pass to enter restaurants and mandating Covid-19 vaccinations for all health care workers.
Legislators in France’s Senate were debating the virus bill Saturday after the lower house of parliament approved it on Friday.
French lawmakers are divided over how far to go in imposing health passes or mandatory vaccinations.
France is seeing about 20,000 new infections a day, up from just a few thousand a day in early July, but despite this, many protestors said they felt they were being rushed into something they’re not ready to do regarding vaccinations.
About the author:
Michelle Rahimi is a Diplomacy and International Relation’s Master’s candidate at the School for International Training, located in Brattleboro, Vermont, United States of America.
She obtains an extensive passion for international relations with first-hand knowledge from traveling across many countries and is experienced in working with different teams and individuals from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
In Rome, Italy, July 23, residents of the city of Venice were relieved to hear that their city had avoided making a spot on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) list of World Heritage sites in danger.
The city was worried that the Italian government was not doing enough to protect it and its cultural, artistic, and architectural riches.
For example, the presence of large cruise ships in the Venice lagoon had put a strain on the city, before they were recently banned.
All members of the city of Venice have concluded that it is vital they continue to protect their city. This is important before UNESCO is to reevaluate Venice’s status in 2023.
The French government’s top advisor on Covid-19 warned Friday (July 23) that a new variant of the disease is most likely to emerge in the winter months this year.
The country is currently battling a spike in new cases caused by the Delta variant, which was first recognized in India.
It is reported by a top infectious disease specialist in France that a “return to normal” would probably be in 2022 or 2023.
About the author:
Michelle Rahimi is a Diplomacy and International Relation’s Master’s candidate at the School for International Training, located in Brattleboro, Vermont, United States of America. She obtains an extensive passion for international relations with first-hand knowledge from traveling across many countries and is experienced in working with different teams and individuals from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
The Italian government announce on Thursday that it would require people to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative test to participate in certain social activities, including indoor dining, visiting museums, and attending shows.
The move follows a similar announcement made by the French government last week and comes as the debate in Western nations heats up over how governments should, or can, go in circumscribing the life of the unvaccinated.
Starting on August 6th, Italians will be required to show proof of having received at least one dose of the vaccine, having taken a recent negative swab, or having recovered from Covid in the past six months to sit at indoor tables in bars and restaurants; access museums, swimming pools, gyms, and theme parks; and attend sports competitions and other events, including public exams.
The French army has killed two members of the EIGS “terrorist” group, which France says has links to the Islamic State, in Mali.
France is in the process of re-shaping its military presence in West Africa’s Sahel region, which includes Mali, where France has been on the front line in the fight against Islamist militia groups.
The French construction sector declined by 13.2% in 2020, because of the COVID-19 outbreak. The industry is expected to recover in 2021 and grow by 8.6% this year, registering an annual average growth of 1.9% between 2022 and 2025.
In preparation for the upcoming summer Olympic games in Paris in 2024, the French government plans to spend EUR6.8 billion to upgrade the country’s infrastructure by 2024.
Long-term growth in the industry will be also driven by the government’s plan to invest EUR80 billion (US$94.4 billion) on transport infrastructure between 2018 and 2037. On a positive note, work is progressing on the EUR31.7 billion (US$37.4 billion) Grand Paris Express Metro Rail project, which is claimed to be the biggest urban mobility project currently underway in Europe.
About the author:
Michelle Rahimi is a Diplomacy and International Relation’s Master’s candidate at the School for International Training, located in Brattleboro, Vermont, United States of America. She obtains an extensive passion for international relations with first-hand knowledge from traveling across many countries and is experienced in working with different teams and individuals from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
Minister Ximena Lombana swears in Vice Minister of Tourism, Ricardo Galindo Bueno – Picture by MINCIT
Wednesday, 21 July 2021, Bogotá, Republic of Colombia: Colombia’s Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, María Ximena Lombana Villalba, sworn in her deputy in charge of the tourism portfolio, Ricardo Galindo Bueno.
Ricardo Galindo Bueno, is a professional in Finance and International Relations, graduated from the Universidad Externado de Colombia.
In his professional career he has served as Deputy Comptroller, General Director of the National Road Safety Agency and manager of Proexport. In addition, he has held various positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He will also be responsible for continuing the implementation of tourism Law 2068 of 2020 in its four pillars: sustainability, quality, formalisation and reactivation.
14-15 July 2021, Prague, Czech Republic: For her first trip abroad after taking office in the capacity as Minister for European Affairs in January 2021, Melanie Huml deliberately chose the Czech Republic’s capital Prague.
In Prague, Minister Huml held numerous talks with high-ranking representatives of the Czech government and parliament with the aim of further developing and strengthening Bavarian-Czech relations. She met with Czechia’s Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhánek, with the Coordinator of Bavarian-Czech Parliamentary Cooperation Jan Bartošek as well as the Chairman of the EU Committee Ondřej Benešík, with State Secretary Dr. Jindřich Fryč and Vice-Minister Dr. Pavel Doleček at the Ministry of Education and the Czech State Secretary for European Affairs, Milena Hrdinková.
Specifically, Huml agreed with her Czech partners to intensify mutual youth exchange and language acquisition. The Czech Republic will be one of the focus countries of the “Youth Exchange Bavaria” foundation newly established by the Free State of Bavaria. A start-up project is to be a language animation and encounter programme for kindergartens and primary schools in the border region with the Czech Republic.
As part of an expanded language assistance programme, Bavarian and Czech students are to be given the opportunity to assist in language teaching as native speakers in the neighbouring country. With the Czech Secretary of State for Europe, Hrdinková, it was agreed to continue the exchange on European policy, especially on the latest proposals of the European Commission on the Green Deal.
Europaministerin Melanie Huml, MdL, in Prag vom 14.07. bis 15.07.2021
Bild: Bayerische Staatskanzlei
Fotograf: Vaclav Bacovsky
During their talks, Minister Huml stressed the need to move forward together after the Corona pandemic. “During the Corona restrictions, the close cooperation between Bavaria and the Czech Republic helped us a lot. The intensive exchange in the past months has made us grow even closer together,” said the Minister as per statement linked below.
With the Czech Foreign Minister Kulhánek, she agreed to draw up an overall inventory of cooperation at the meeting of the joint Bavarian-Czech intergovernmental commission to be held in November 2021 in order to advance topics and structures of Bavarian-Czech cooperation in their full breadth and to set new priorities. For example, the existing coordination for crisis situations is to be expanded, the exchange on topics of innovation and competitiveness of the economy is to be intensified, and cooperation in science and infrastructure is to be strengthened.
In this context, municipal and regional concerns are to be increasingly integrated into the work of the Commission in order to take into account the special importance of the common border region for Bavarian-Czech cooperation.
On 17 July 2021, the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or the “Court”) hosted the Third Asia-Pacific Forum of The Hague via online format bringing together judges and staff from the Court, and around 200 students and young professionals from the Asia-Pacific region. The event was co-organised by the ICC and The Hague Project Peace and Justice.
The event facilitated a dialogue on enhancing the contribution of international justice for the Asia-Pacific region as well as encouraging students and young professionals from the region to consider a career in the field of international justice. Out of the 123 States Parties to the Rome Statute, 19 are Asia-Pacific States.
“Despite the important contributions of the Asia Pacific, we do not have enough staff members from the region at the Court and we would really like to see that situation change in the future. We also hope that more people from the Asia-Pacific region come to work with us – it would help spread the understanding of the ICC, and over time, contribute to interest in and joining the Rome Statute among those States that have not yet done so,” said ICC President Judge Piotr Hofmański.
The first session of the Forum was reserved for presentations of ICC Judge Chang-ho Chung and Judge Tomoko Akane, who spoke on the topic of “Enhancing the Contribution of International Justice for the Asia-Pacific Region.”
In the second session of the Forum, ICC staff from the Asia-Pacific region addressed the topic of “A Career in International Criminal Justice,” by sharing their individual career perspectives and experiences with participants.
This Forum forms part of a broader effort to enhance global understanding and support for the Rome Statute and the Court and to promote cooperation at the regional level. These include the organization of or participation in high-level regional cooperation seminars and symposiums, technical events and workshops aimed at Government leaders and officials, parliamentarians, members of the judiciary, academics and civil society representatives.
Thursday, 15 July 2021, Munich, Free State of Bavaria, Germany: Bavaria’s Premier Dr. Markus Söder and the Head of Bavarian Chancellery, Dr. Florian Herrmann, Minister of Federal and Media Affairs, welcomed a delegation of ambassadors from the Asia-Pacific region in a visit organised by the German Asia-Pacific Business Association (Ostasiatischer Verein).
The discussion with the ambassadors, and subsequent reception was based upon the possibilities to expand bilateral trade, and cultural exchanges between Bavaria and the larger Asia-Pacific region.
With exports worth €28.6 billion to countries such as Japan, New Zealand, Singapore or India, Germany’s most important trading partners outside Europe are lie in the Asia-Pacific region.
For further information German Asia-Pacific Business Association: https://www.oav.de
On the picture from bottom to top, from left to right: Dr. Florian Herrmann, Head of Bavarian Chancellery; Prof. Dr. Ing. Axel Stepken, Chairman of the German Asia-Pacific Business Association; Dr. Markus Söder, Premier of Bavaria; Indonesia’s Ambassador Dr. Arif Havas Oegroseno. 1st stars: Laos’ Ambassador Phomma Boutthavong; Mongolia’s Ambassador Ganbat Bontoi Damba.
3rd row to the right, Brunei Darussalam’s Ambassador Pengiran Hajah Krtini Pengiran Haji Tahir.
4th row to the left, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador Manori Premila Unambuwe. 6th row Cambodia’s Ambassador Phen Savny; New Zealand’s Ambassador Rupert Holborow. Left side of the stairway: Singapore’s Ambassador Laurence Bay; Japan’s Ambassador Yanagi Hidenao; Bangladesh’s Ambassador Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan; Viêt Nam’s Ambassador Dr. Nguyễn Minh Vũ.
By Dr Mayelinne De Lara, Diplomat Magazine’s Publisher.
The pandemic gave the world’s diplomatic community an opportunity to demonstrate its innate resilience, inventiveness, and sense of duty. Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, diplomats kept on working incessantly to repatriate nationals, to look for vaccines for their countries, to ensure the logistics for saving the lives of millions, always maintaining diplomatic channels open regardless of the extremely difficult conditions.
Over the last year and a half, we have all had the opportunity to discover new ways of living and working, moving ahead during critical times thanks to the discovery of new solutions and new ideas. Diplomacy has been reinvented – and Diplomat Magazine has been there all the way to support you in this process.
In this edition of Diplomat Magazine, you will find an impressive article by Russian President Vladimir Putin reflecting on NATO expansion and European security, as well as on ideas for international cooperation from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
This masterpiece should be read together with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s article, “The Law, the Rights and the Rules”.
The edition also features four more Ministers of Foreign Affairs exposing their views on current issues.
Argentina’s Felipe Solá and Paraguay’s Dr. Euclides Acevedo talk about the Southern Common Market and its 30th anniversary; Costa Rica’s Rodolfo Solano Quirós celebrates his country’s 200th anniversary; and New Zealand’s Foreign Ministers reflects on whether diplomacy can work over a webcam.
HH Sheikha Intisar AlSabah
In addition, HH Sheikha Intisar al Sabah from Kuwait explains why mental health support needs to become a part of international humanitarian aid.
H.E. Mr. Felipe Solá, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship of the Argentine Republic
Other Ministers and Ambassadors from many countries also expose their views on a broad range of important topics, including – but not limited to – the following: Jewish heritage in Albania; the restoration of Nigerian arts from Germany; the new challenges faced by the Croatian ambassador; the 200th anniversary of Greece; Serbia’s regional cooperation; Peruvian maritime rights; Panama commitment to the Empowerment of Women; China’s efforts to enhance its partnerships; the pillars of Romanian-Dutch relations; Georgia’s 30 years’ commitment to Euro-Atlantic Integration; the use of digital diplomacy by the Dutch General Consul in San Francisco; and Madagascar’s efforts to improve business and investment ties with Europe.
H.E. Dr. Euclides Acevedo, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay.
Moreover, in this edition there is also space for other important topics. In a conversation with Punta Cana founder Frank Rainieri, we reflect on the revival of tourism after the pandemic; and in collaboration with IHE Delft Institute we explore the linkage between water, peace, and security.
Other subjects include the expansion of ISIS, international cooperation from the UAE to Colombia, Russian trade with Germany, as well as the analysis of the COVID pandemic from different angles.
Rodolfo Solano Quirós, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship of the Republic of Costa Rica
Besides these thematic articles, we also have wonderful stories from diplomatic spouses with unusual jobs, like Federal Agents or horse managers. And what about the next generation of diplomats? We explore the story of a worldwide famous designer, as well as that of two students from Indonesia in Europe.
H.E. Gioconda Ubera Rivera, Costa Rica.
To conclude, I would like to honour the memory of those who have left us, especially the ambassadors of Angola, H.E. Dr. Luis Jose de Almeida, and Costa Rica, H.E. Dr. Guioconda Ubeda Rivera, as well as the General Manager of the legendary hotel Des Indes, Coen Masselink. You will all be remembered.
H.E. Luis Jose de Almeida
I would also like to acknowledge the virtual support of ministers, ambassadors, diplomats, jurists, academics, politicians, students, and friends from all over the world: you all are Diplomat Magazine’s permanent support team!
