ICPD25 High-Level Commission

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ICPD25 High-Level Commission

Michaelle Jean and António Guterres, UN-Secretary-General – Picture courtesy of The Rt Hon Michaëlle Jean.

Thursday, 17 September 2020: A novel High-Level Commission begins today with an inaugural digital meeting that is to provide guidance and advocate for meaningful follow-up to the commitments outlined in the Nairobi Statement on ICPD25 held back in November 2019. The commitments highlight the UNFPA’s ‘three zeros ‘; zero unmet need for family planning, zero preventable maternal mortality and zero sexual and gender based violence.

The Nairobi Summit marked the 25th anniversary of the ICPD Programme of Action from Cairo in 1994. The ICPD Programme of Action was adopted by 179 governments and laid out a far-sighted plan for advancing human well-being that places human rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights – which means the right to decide with whom and when to have children and how many –  at the centre of the global development agenda. Denmark co-hosted the Nairobi Summit in 2019 along with the government of Kenya and UNFPA. The Danish crown princess, Mary, joined the commission. 

The new High-Level Commission brings together high-level representatives from academia, research, civil societies, human rights activists, private sector, parliamentarians and youth leaders from around the world. The co-chairs are the former President of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete and former Francophonie secretary general and governor general of Canada, Michaëlle Jean.

For further information 
https://kongehuset.dk/en/news/hrh-the-crown-princess-joins-unfpas-new-independent-high-level-commission-on-the-nairobi-summit-on

South Korea promotes ties to Saxony-Anhalt

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South Korea promotes ties to Saxony-Anhalt

Ambassador Dr. Jong Bum-goo and Premier Reiner Haseloff – Picture by Staatskanzlei Sachsen-Anhalt, Burkhard Rulf.

Wednesday, 16 September 2020, Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany: Premier Dr. Reiner Haseloff received the Ambassador of the Republic of South Korea in Germany, H.E. Dr. Jong Bum-goo, for his inaugural visit to the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. 

During the meeting in the State Chancellery, the state chief of government and his diplomatic guest discussed the economic ties between the two countries and possibilities for developing bilateral relations.

Premier Haseloff recalled his visit to Korea in 2014 and likewise discussed current developments in both countries, including how to deal with the pandemic situation. Ambassador Jong was also interested in the experiences of Saxony-Anhalt in the course of German reunification.

In 2019 Saxony-Anhalt imported goods worth around 252 million euros from South Korea. Exports to South Korea reached around 153 million euro last year. This makes the Asian state an important trading partner for Saxony-Anhalt.

Some South Korean investors are also active in Saxony-Anhalt: Only recently, the Hanwha Group (headquarters in Seoul) announced that it would invest 125 million euros in the next three years to expand the research capacities of Hanwha Q-CELLS GmbH in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld. At the Thalheim site, the company conducts research and manufactures solar modules, among other things. Part of the investment is intended to advance the development of the next generation of photovoltaic systems and to support the desired energy turnaround.

The two universities in Saxony-Anhalt and the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art in Halle maintain professional contacts with university institutions in South Korea.

The Bauhaus Dessau Foundation has been working with the Paju Typography Institute (PaTI) Seoul since 2012 to jointly reflect on and update the historical Bauhaus stage as an educational model for movement-oriented teaching formats. This work also became part of the 2014/2015 exhibition “Mensch.Raum.Maschine – Bühnenexperimente am Bauhaus” (Man.Space.Machine – Stage Experiments at the Bauhaus) curated by Torsten Blume and Christian Hiller for the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation, which was shown at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) Seoul and attracted 120,000 visitors. As a result of the cooperation, a German-Korean shared residency programme was developed with the MMCA. In addition to the cooperation with the PaTI, the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation also advises and supports the publishing house Ahn Graphics in the conception of publications on the historical Bauhaus and its reception in South Korea.  

The German Partition Marienborn Memorial has welcomed two delegations from South Korea in recent years: On 25 May 2017, a delegation from the DMZ Museum visited the memorial and the border memorial Hötensleben. The organisation was done by Hanns-Seidel-Foundation Korea Office Seoul. In May 2018 a delegation of the South Korean Ministry of Justice visited the memorial, organised by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Berlin.

For further information 

Government of Saxony-Anhalt: https://europa.sachsen-anhalt.de/internationales/aktuelles-international-2020/antrittsbesuch-des-botschafters-von-suedkorea/

The Ambassador of Cyprus, H.E. Ms Frances Lanitou

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The Ambassador of Cyprus, H.E. Ms Frances Lanitou

H.E. Ms. Frances Lanitou has served as Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to the Kingdom of the Netherlands with parallel accreditations to the Kingdom of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg from 2020 until present day. Ambassador Lanitou presented her credentials to the King of the Netherlands on September 16, 2020 and to OPCW on November 4, 2020.

Before this, she served as Ambassador of the MFA Economic Diplomacy Project for Strategy Development and Capability Building from 2016 until 2020.

Ambassador Lanitou has also served as the Ambassador of Development Cooperation including during Cyprus Presidency of EU Council (second half of 2012) from 2010 to 2013, as well as Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to Hungary with parallel accreditations to Bosnia Herzegovina and Moldova from 2006 until 2010.

Furthermore, Ambassador Lanitou has worked as the Deputy Head of Mission of the Permanent Mission of Cyprus to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, the Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of Cyprus to the United Nations HQ in New York, as well as the Representative of Cyprus to the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) of the UNGA from 1993 to 2004.

Ambassador Lanitou has also served as a member of the Cyprus Delegation to the CSCE Helsinki Follow-Up Meeting and Summit in 1992.

Regarding education, Ambassador Lanitou has received a BA in Philology from the University of Athens in Athens, Greece, a MA in English from Columbia University in New York, United States of America, a LLM in International Humanitarian Law from the University of Geneva in Geneva, Switzerland, a MSt in International Relations from Cambridge University in Cambridge, United Kingdom, as well as an MBA in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from HEC Paris in Paris, France.

Ambassador Lanitou is fluent in Greek (her mother tongue), English (bilingual), French (university level), and German (basic).

Ambassador Lanitou has also worked in banking and teaching before joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus in 1991.

Robin S. Quinville intensifies ties to Bavaria

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Robin S. Quinville intensifies ties to Bavaria

General Consul Meghan Gregonis, Chargée d’affaires a.i., Robin S. Quinville & State Minister Dr. Florian Herrmann – Picture by Bayern.de, bayerische Staatskanzlei.

Thursday, 10 September 2020, Munich, Free State of Bavaria, Germany: US Chargée d’affaires a.i. in Germany, Robin S. Quinville accompanied by the USA General Consul in Munich, Meghan Gregonis paid a visit to the Head of Bavarian Chancellery, Dr. Florian Herrmann. 

This visit by the US American diplomats was meant to discuss the departure of US troops from Bavaria but likewise the upcoming presidential election in the USA scheduled for Tuesday, 3 November as well as the divergences in opinion on topics of international relevance between the two transatlantic partners. 

For further information: 
Previous visit of Chargée d’affaires a.i. Robin S. Quinville to the Bavarian State Chancellery: https://diplomatmagazine.eu/2019/11/19/security-dialogue-vis-a-vis-bavaria-from-us-side/

Premier Malu welcomed US envoy Quinville in Mainz

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Premier Malu welcomed US envoy Quinville in Mainz

Premier Malu Dreyer & Chargée d’affaires a.i., Robin S. Quinville – Picture by Staatskanzlei RLP, Schäfer.

Wednesday, 9 September 2020, Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany: “Rhineland-Palatinate has very strong ties with the United States – we can look back on more than 100 years of shared history, from which a strong friendship and partnership has grown in many areas,” emphasised Premier Malu Dreyer as per statement below in its original German version during the maiden visit of US Chargée d’affaires a.i., Robin Suzanne Quinville, to the State Chancellery.

“We are in constant and trusting communication with the US Embassy (in Berlin), as well as the US Consulate General and the US forces. This is particularly important in difficult times like the current ones”, said the Premier Dreyer.

During the amiable exchange, Chargée d’affaires Quinville underlined the continuing importance and strength of German-American relations, especially in times of common challenges such as the Covid-19 crisis as well as the importance of continuing the transatlantic dialogue.

“The State Government remains committed to the presence of US forces in Rhineland-Palatinate. It has been a very important part of international security policy for decades. And during this time, countless friendships have developed.” Premier Dreyer also emphasised the latter to top US envoy Robin S. Quinville during their tête-à-tête.

Last July, the US government announced that it intends to withdraw 11,900 soldiers and military personnel from Germany. In Rhineland-Palatinate the withdrawal concerns Spangdahlem Air Base. However, a high-ranking representative of the US forces has now assured the premier that the air base shall not be shut down.

There are currently about 18,500 American soldiers stationed in Rhineland-Palatinate. There are also about 12,000 US civilian employees and about 25,000 family members live in the state. In addition, the US forces stationed in Rhineland-Palatinate employ some 7,200 local civilian personnel. This makes them one of the largest employers in the state and they are not only of particular economic importance in the communities in which they are based.

A further topic of discussion was the NATO‘s network as means to preserve transatlantic peace. 

For further information 
Government of Rhineland-Palatinate: https://www.rlp.de/de/pressemitteilungen/einzelansicht/news/News/detail/ministerpraesidentin-malu-dreyer-betont-bedeutung-der-us-streitkraefte-fuer-rheinland-pfalz/

https://www.rlp.de/de/pressemitteilungen/einzelansicht/news/News/detail/ministerpraesidentin-malu-dreyer-betont-bedeutung-der-us-streitkraefte-fuer-rheinland-pfalz-1/

Nipponese GC presented in the Bavarian Chancellery

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Nipponese GC presented in the Bavarian Chancellery

Consul General Nobutaka Maekawa and State Minister Herrmann – Picture by bayern.de, bayerische Staatskanzlei.

Thursday, 10 September 2020, Munich, Free State of Bavaria, Germany: Head of the Bavarian Chancellery, Dr. Florian Herrmann, Minister of State for Federal and European Affairs and Media, received at the State Chancellery the exequatur of the novel Nipponese Consul General in Munich Maekawa Nobutaka. The latter is responsible for the Bundesländer Bavaria as well as Baden-Württemberg. 

Envoy Maekawa served previously for three years as Minister-Counsellor and Deputy Head of the Mission of Japan to NATO based in Brussels. This is the general consul’s third posting in Germany after having served in Bonn and Berlin. 

Both Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg are prominent commercial partners for Japan. Owing to the relevance of the two Bundesländer JETRO (Japan External Trade Organisation) opened in July a novel office in Munich in the presence of Bavaria’s Ministry of Economy, Hubert Aiwanger. With over seven billion euros worth in trade, Japan is Bavaria’s second largest commercial partner in Asia. 

For further information 
Consulate General of Japan to Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg: https://www.muenchen.de.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_de/gk_grusswort.html

JETRO in Munich: https://www.muenchen.de.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_de/jetro_muenchen.html

OPCW Director-General Visits Spain

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OPCW Director-General Visits Spain

OPCW Director-General H.E. Mr Fernando Arias; His Majesty, the King, Felipe VI; Cristina Gallach, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Spain.

The Hague, Netherlands—10 September 2020—The Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), H.E. Mr Fernando Arias Gonzalez paid an official visit to Madrid, Spain during the week of 7 September 2020. The highlight of the visit was an audience with His Majesty, the King, Felipe VI, followed the next day by a visit to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, H.E. Ms Arancha González Laya.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, H.E. Ms Arancha González Laya and OPCW Director-General H.E. Mr Fernando Arias.

Director-General Arias also had meetings with other high-level officials.

The Director-General provided updates on the OPCW’s progress in implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention. Following Spain’s previous €120,000 contribution to the new OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology, the Director-General also provided a status update on the project.  

He expressed his gratitude for Spain’s support for the work of the Organisation and the effort to rid the world of chemical weapons.

HH State Counsellor Möller welcomes Iceland’s envoy

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HH State Counsellor Möller welcomes Iceland’s envoy

State Counsellor Almut Möller and Ambassador María Erla Marelsdóttir – Picture by Hamburger Senatskanzlei.

Wednesday, 9 September 2020, Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany: Icelandic Ambassador to Germany, María Erla Marelsdóttir made paid her maiden visit to Hamburg, and was received at the city-state’s landmark city hall by the State Counsellor Almut Möller, Plenipotentiary to the German Federation, the European Union and for Foreign Affairs.

During the meeting both dignitaries discussed the traditional relations between Iceland and Hamburg but likewise future economic cooperation. 

Ambassador Marelsdóttir likewise held a tête-à-tète with Senator Michael Westhagemann, President of the Authority for Economy and Innovation, concerning the collaboration between Iceland and Hamburg in sustainable and renewable energies, and more specifically a possible joint project to build up a hydrogen infrastructure. 

With Senator Michael Westhagemann – Picture by Hamburg Senatkanzlei.

During her stay in Hamburg Ambassador María Erla Marelsdóttir furthermore met with Icelandic business people based in Hamburg, and paid a visit to the Literaturhaus. 

Ambassador Marelsdóttir was accredited to Germany on 11 September 2019. In addition to her native Icelandic, she speaks fluent German, English and Swedish. Beyond Germany,  she is non-resident ambassador to Poland, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia. She served once already in Germany when the Icelandic mission was based in Bonn.  

For further information 
Embassy of Iceland in Germany: https://www.government.is/other-languages/botschaft-von-island-in-berlin/die-botschaft/#Tab1
Hamburg State Counsellor Almut Möller: https://www.hamburg.de/staatsraete/12997618/almut-moeller/

Hamburg Senate: https://diplomatmagazine.eu/2020/06/12/hamburgs-senate-revealed/

Premier Daniel Günter welcomes María Erla Marelsdóttir

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Premier Daniel Günter welcomes María Erla Marelsdóttir

Premier Daniel Günther and Ambassador María Erla Marelsdóttir – Picture by Schleswig-Holstein’sche Staatskanzlei.

Wednesday, 9 September, Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany: Icelandic Ambassador María Erla Marelsdóttir paid her inaugural visit to the northernmost Bundesland of Schleswig-Holstein. 
During the meeting with the state’s Premier Daniel Günther, discussions were held about the expansion of the already good political, economic and cultural relations between Schleswig-Holstein and Iceland. 

 At the Christian-Albrecht University in Kiel, the ambassador met the Icelandic lecturers and professors of Scandinavian studies.

For further information:
Government of Schleswig-Holstein: https://www.schleswig-holstein.de/DE/Landesregierung/I/Ministerpraesident/Timeline/timeline_node.html

The Austrian Ambassador, H.E. Ms. Astrid Harz

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The Austrian Ambassador, H.E. Ms. Astrid Harz

Her excellency Astrid Harz is, as of September 10th 2020, the credited Austrian Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Permanent Representative to OPCW.

Her excellency Astrid Harz, has been nominated on August 3rd, by her Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the Austrian Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Permanent Representative to OPCW. Before, having an impressive career in the diplomatic field, Astrid Harz started as a TV-Presenter at the Austrian Broadcasting Company. Then, she worked as a Junior Professional Officier at the UNDP Praia.

Astrid Harz initiated working in the diplomatic field in 1994 as a Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs Attachée. After that, she was the First Secretary in EU Affairs at the Austrain Embassy in Rome. Amongst other positions, she was been Press Counsellor at the Austrian Embassy in Paris and the Director of the Austrian Cultural Forum in Rome. In 2005 she was the Austrian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman.

From 2011 to 2015, she was the Austrian Ambassador to Jordan and Iraq. Then, she worked as the Director at the Department for Environment, Energy, Transport and Telecommunication at the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs.

From 2018 to 2020, Astrid Harz, worked for the Federal Chancellery of Austria. She was first in the Department for the European Council, the General Affairs Council and COREPER II as the Deputy Director General for Coordination and then as the Action Director General. Soon after that, she was Deputy Director General for EU and Institutional Affairs. 

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