HRH Princess Norodom_Arunrasmy – Picture by Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer.
Saturday, 21 November 2020, Kingdom of Cambodia: His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia issued a royal warrant appointing his half-sister, HRH Princess Norodom Arunrasy, Counsellor in the Royal Government with the rank of Deputy Prime Minister.
Princess Arunrasmy’s (65) appointment was made at the behest of Prime Minister, Samdech Techo Hun Sen as indicated in the regal fiat.
The princess is already member in His Majesty’s Supreme Royal Council. She is a former diplomat having served as her country’s Ambassador to Malaysia from 2005 to 2018. On 23 April 2018, she was appointed senator. She was born in 1955 as the last daughter of the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk and Mom Manivan Phaninvong, a Laotian lady.
Arunrasmy is married to former Royal Khmer Ambassador Keo Puth Rasmey in second nuptials, and is mother to five children, including Prince Sisowath Norivong, Prince Sisowath Nando and Sisowath Sirikith Nathalie from the first wedlock, and Princess Ponita Rasmey as well as Prince Keo Khemoni Rasmey from the current marriage.
The new Deputy Prime Minister speaks in additional to her native Khmer, some Laotian and Thai, and fluent English and French.
Monday, 7 December 2020, Berlin-Tiergarten, Federal Republic of Germany: At Bellevue Palace, German Federal President, Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier welcomed the accreditation of Nipponese Ambassador Hidenao Yanagi.
For Ambassador Yanagi his accreditation entails a return to Germany wherein he has served a few times in the past. Already from 1996 to 1999 he worked in the capacity as First Secretary at the Japanese Embassy in Germany. After serving in India as Minister Counsellor he once more continued his career in Germany in the former diplomatic rank from 2009 to 2012.
After serving from 2012 through 2014 as Deputy Head of Department at the Office of the Foreign Minister in charge of the South Pacific, and Southeast and Southwestern Asia, he returned to Germany as General Consul in Munich responsible for Bavaria, and Baden-Württemberg.
His first ambassadorship took him to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan from October 2017 until his appointment as Ambassador to Germany in September 2020. Ambassador Yanagi (b. 16 October 1958 at Tokyo) speaks his native Japanese in addition to English, German and some Arabic.
In the picture Ambassador Hidenao Yanagi at the Representation of North Rhine-Westphalia – Picture by NRW Landesvertretung, Michael Setzpfandt.
President Trump and Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jabr Al-Sabah – Picture by US-Department of State.
Sunday, 20 December 2020, State of Kuwait: Kuwait and the Gulf states are in mourning after the passing of the late Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jabr Al-Mubarak Al Sabah, son of the late Emir Sabah IV, aged 72. He died merely 80 days after his father.
Sheikh Nasser, who held various government posts over the years including minister of defence and first deputy prime minister, had been considered a top contender for crown prince following the accession to the Kuwaiti throne of His Highness The Emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jabr Al Sabah. For many years he served as Minister of Amiri Diwan from 2006 through 2017, the princely court of the State of Kuwait.
In September he still represented his father at a ceremony held at the White House granting the late Emir Sabah IV the Legion of Merit received directly from the hands of President Donald Trump.
Sheikh Nasser Sabah likewise served as an honorary member of the Board of Trustees of the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Alongside his now widow, Sheikha Hussa Sabah Al-Salem Al Sabah, he co-founded in 1983 the world renowned Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyyah collection of Islamic art and antiquities.
Wednesday, 4 November 2020, Berlin-Tiergarten, Federal Republic of Germany: The Kingdom of Denmark is now represented in Germany by HE AmbassadorSusanne Christina Hyldelund, a career diplomat who began her diplomatic service in 1996. She presented her letters of credence from Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II before German Federal President Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier at Bellevue Palace located in central Berlin.
This is Hyldelund’s first ambassadorship after serving abroad for Denmark in Shanghai (General Consul), Warsaw and Washington D.C. She is deemed as an expert on trade matters, which is a focus of the strong relations between Denmark and Germany on one side, and vis-à-vis Switzerland and Liechstenstein on the other hand.
In fact previous to her ambassadorial appointment she was the Director for Trade and Global Sustainability at the Danish Foreign Ministry from 2017. Between 2014 and 2017 Ambassador Susanne Christina Hyldelund was the Head of the Danish Trade Council, and from 2012 to 2014 the Head of Invest & Innovation, an arm of the Danish Foreign Ministry.
Ambassador Susanne Christina Hyldelund holds a degree in Business Administration from Aarhus Schoolf of Economics.
Saxony’s Premier Michael Kretschmer and the Czech Ambassador to Germany, Tomáš Kafka. Picture by Sächsische Staatskanzlei.
Monday, 19 October 2020, Dresden, Free State of Saxony, Germany: Saxony’s Premier Michael Kretschmer received the Czech Ambassador to Germany, Tomáš Kafka, for his inaugural visit to the State Chancellery.
A highlight of Saxon-Czech relations is the fact that Ambassador Kafka was honoured in 2001 already with the Federal Cross of Merit for his service as chairman of German-Czech Future Fund.
Kafka was accredited on 20 August 2020 before Federal President Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Before arriving to Germany he served as Deputy Minister for European Affairs of the Czech Republic.
Ambassador Kafka already served once in Berlin at the outset of his diplomatic career between 1991 and 1995 in the capacity of Attaché for Culture, Press, Research and Education at the then branch office of the Embassy of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic. His first ambassadorship took his to Dublin as ambassador to Ireland from 2008 to 2013.
UNWTO SG Zurab Pololikashvili – Picture by Bulgarian Presidency of the EU through Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
The incumbent sixth Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organisation, Zurab Pololikashvili (born at Tbilisi on 12 January 1977) is a Georgian national at the helm of the UNWTO since 1 January 2018. Previously he served as Georgia’s resident ambassador in Spain with co-accreditations to Andorra, Morocco and Algeria. Besides his native Georgian, he is fluent in four out of five official languages in the UNWTO, all except Arabic. During his mandate as Secretary-General of UNWTO, Zurab Pololikashvili has advocated for tourism as a significant player in delivering sustainable solutions for people locally, the planet, prosperity and even for the attainment of more peace.
Pololikashvili has widened the scope of UNWTO’s work, including innovation, digital transformation, investment as well as online education, which are distinctive features of tourism as a sector spearheading new business models, people-to-people interaction, and leveraging social impact and development potential.
He is running for a second term as UNWTO Secretary-General for elections to be held on 18 January 2021. His focus lies on reactivating the tourism industry by working hand-in-hand with international, and national health authorities. He supports all UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly to deter perilous effects of climate change in the tourism industry. He is particularly competent as a diplomat dealing with international, and national restrictions as a former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. As a man of entrepreneurial acumen holding business degrees, Pololikashvili is a right man dealing with the 500 private business associations members of the UNWTO. As a former Minister of Economic Development Pololikashvili is likewise highly qualified in scheming programmes aimed at alleviating poverty through the development of tourism, or aiding various countries with his expertise on the field.
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations specialised agency founded in 1974, entrusted with the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.
UNWTO’s membership includes 159 countries, six affiliated members (sub-countries), two observer states and over 500 affiliate members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities. Its headquarters are in Madrid, Kingdom of Spain.
The official languages of UNWTO are Arabic, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
The Czech Republic has one candidate for the position of Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), namely Eng. Vladimír Dlouhý.
A novel OECD Secretary General ought to replace Mexican national José Ángel Gurría, who has headed the Organization for three consecutive terms since 2006. The selection process should be finalised by March 2021, and the winner will take over the OSCE’s reins as of June of the same year.
Eng. Vladimír Dlouhý (born 31 July 1953) is a respected economist who served as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Minister of Industry and Trade. He was a member of the core team responsible for fundamental social and economic reforms that transformed the Czech Republic from a centrally planned to a developed market economy.
Currently he serves as President of the Czech Chamber of Commerce and Deputy President of EUROCHAMBRES, Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry, representing over 20 million businesses in 44 countries. Throughout his rich career, he likewise occupied high-level advisory and supervisory positions in major international companies such as Goldman Sachs, Rolls-Royce, Telefonica O2 or ABB.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is an international organisation based in Paris, gathering 37 countries from North and South America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. It works on establishing evidence-based international standards and on finding solutions to social, economic and environmental challenges. It provides a unique forum and knowledge hub for data and analysis, exchange of experiences, best-practice sharing, and advice on public policies and international standard-setting. The latter role is even more prominent in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic as state must find solutions to common challenges, including a green transition and a sustainable and inclusive economic recovery.
Drouhý’s candidature comes as the OECD marks sixty years as reformed organisation, in fact on 14 December 2020 in Paris a ceremony to commemorate its 60th birthday and relevance for economic policy was held in the presence of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel; the French President; Emmanuel Macron; Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez as well as the digital participation of Colombia’s President, Iván Duque, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
Vladimír Dlouhý is the only candidate with the experience of bringing an economy in shambles from a Communist regime, to a competitive market economy, which makes him particularly suitable to lead the OECD as more countries are eager to join.
Keeping our outdoor annual tradition – for a healthy, Dutch, diplomats-only day
In a typical Dutch weather day, a group of diplomats came to Leonardo Royal Hotel early on a Saturday morning of September, responding to Diplomat Magazine’s invitation to participate in our traditional Diplomats Biking Spree.
Well prepared to confront cold, rain, and winds, they arrived one by one to form a brave group ready to follow their guide to a special tour in the nature – which turned out to be the most successful and relaxing biking tour we have organized to date.
The Ambassador of Burundi, H.E. Gamaliel Nkuruziza and Diplomat Magazine’s publisher, Dr. Mayelinne De Lara. Photography by Roy Strik.
Not only the weather, expected to be inclement, suddenly changed to good; but biking out of the city – bordering canals and fields, looking to farms, gardens and extraordinary landscapes – made everyone forget about the long days spent indoor and the previous week full of web meetings.
The first step of the tour was the Haagse Bos, an extensive 100 acres forest in the center of The Hague, where the group stopped to listen to the guide’s explanation about the forest’s rich history during the Second World War. The tour continued along the old Wassenaar canals, passing by an incredible network of cycling paths unknown for many, and traversing the woods and fields. Finally, we arrived in Leiden, where we toured the old part of the city and concluded the day at Michelin star restaurant De Knip for coffee and pies. We couldn’t believe that we had made almost 23 km!
V Diplomats Biking Spree
After nice talks among colleagues coming from Romania, Ukraine, Burundi, and Iran among others, out guide took again the stage to explain the story of Leiden’s Outer Canal, lined by docks and picturesque bridges, and designed in the seventeenth century to protect the city. Then, we learned about the historical trails between Leiden and Wassenaar, we saw the large productive farms, beautiful houses with amazing gardens, and absolutely green fields connecting the two communities, and eventually we arrived without notice at the Rosarium in Westbroekpark, at The Greens restaurant to enjoy sitting for the rest of the afternoon, tasting fresh salads, sandwiches, and fruits.
It was an amazing day, for which Diplomat Magazine would want to thank all the diplomats who attended!
Which country has the world’s best health care? Is it the Netherlands, as stated by Ezekiel Emanuel in the New York Review of Books? Or is it the United Kingdom “followed closely by Australia and the Netherlands” as claimed by the Commonwealth Fund?
The United States, “which fails in almost every category”, dangles in both lists at the bottom, but, according to the Global Health Security Index, when it comes to preparedness for epidemics and pandemics, it comes first, followed by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
If these three countries were indeed better prepared for a pandemic than other countries, one would expect to see that reflected in the number of victims of the current pandemic. However, there are few countries in the Western world that have fared worse than these three.
Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness estimated that at least 130,000 and possibly 210,000 fewer people would have died of the virus in the United States had the government acted earlier and better. With more than 46,000 deaths, the United Kingdom has the highest death toll in Europe, more than four times as high as that of Germany (which has more inhabitants).
How come the countries best prepared for a pandemic are doing so badly when a pandemic actually arrives? In an article in Nature, the American anthropologist Martha Lincoln suggests overconfidence and ‘exceptionalism’ as explanation. Countries that consider themselves as something special will be less likely to learn from other nations and are therefore doomed to learn the hard way that the Covid-19 virus does not respect their special status.
“The pandemic”, she writes, “provides a natural experiment on the public-health effects of hubris”. Examples of such hubris are the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union and the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization.
Does her diagnosis also apply to the Netherlands? Were the Netherlands too confident that other countries could not teach her anything and therefore lost precious time in fighting the virus? The answer seems obvious.
By Telmo Aldaz de la Quadra-Salcedo. Photos: Jose L. Cuesta
Translation from Spanish Carol Simonetti
It has been already 15 years going through Africa in this training project for Spanish-speaking young people from all over the world, which was born with the clear and firm objective of giving the opportunity to teenagers between 16 and 17 years old to live a practical training on different topics as international cooperation, volunteering, solidarity, sports, early business entrepreneurship, ecology; respect, environmental knowledge and research, knowledge of other cultures, the study of history on the ground and the very important lesson that knowing and living with missionaries, NGOs and people who give their lives to help those most in need represents.
All these objectives are achieved with the magic formula of travelling. Travel as a fundamental tool to promote all science, all art and all innovation. All civilizations have advanced and achieved unimaginable improvements thanks to that innate instinct in the human being to travel, to know and to investigate. The travel from the time of Homer, is the origin of known history and the engine of progress in any age.
ERS 2020.
Dia de la despedida. Photography by Jose Cuesta.
ERS in its 2020 edition vindicates, more than ever, the classical and Homeric concept of travel as a basic expression of individual and collective Freedom. A necessary tool to achieve good progress. The illustrated journey that helps to change the soul, that helps discover at a crucial age what is our vocation, to know what we are good for and where is our place and role in the world.
On this occasion, given the international situation caused by the pandemic, for the first time we did not travel to Africa, but neither did we renounce this initiatory trip southward and we headed for almost ten very intense days to Andalusian lands of Seville, Huelva and Cádiz. With the aim of claiming travel, expedition and study as an inalienable expression of Freedom.
We title these days “In search of Atlantis”, a legend that comes from Plato to the present day in a city, a quasi-perfect civilization located in the confines of the known world; the Pillars of Hercules. A city that disappeared under the waters, which is unremittingly sought by philosophers, adventurers, archaeologists, historians as a salvific balm that heals the doubts, fears and uncertainties of declining civilizations.
ERS 2020
Marcha por el Coto de Doana. Photography by Jose Cuesta.
To maintain safety and responsibility, all of the almost 150 members of the expedition, and before leaving Madrid, a PCR test was carried out in laboratories endorsed by the ISO certificate, giving Negative in Covid-19. In addition, throughout the expedition a strict anti-Covid plan and protocol was maintained, coordinated with the health authorities of the Junta de Andalucía and for 24 hours a day by our medical team on the ground; Places in the open air, a mask, regular cleaning of hands …… Nature itself and the philosophy of the ERS way of traveling, that is, always sleeping in a bivouac in the open air, not being in closed places, living in a nomadic way in natural spaces, open and isolated, have favoured a successful prophylaxis against this bloody pandemic.
For more security at the end of the expedition, all approved serological tests (Elisa) were carried out, giving 100% of the expedition negative. This indicates that, following appropriate guidelines and protocols, activities can be carried out, if they are done in a responsible manner.
Young people said goodbye to next year heading to the sister continent of Africa.
Without a doubt thanks to the Team, to the families and the young people who have been part of ERS 2020 in such harsh conditions, this expedition has been possible. They are an example for everyone.
