On 12 July 2019, the Central South University (Changsha) won the final round of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Moot Court Competition, Chinese version, held in ICC Courtroom I in The Hague (Netherlands). Soochow University and Jilin University (Changchun City) won, respectively, second and third place. The Best Speaker award went to Yujie Zhu of the Central South University.
Members of the winning team are Shuzhi Luo, Xuer Ou, Yujie Zhu, Boxin Li, Jiahui Li, Yechong Li, and Liyun Tang. On the judge’s bench for this competition were ICC Judge Chang-ho Chung and ICC legal officers Romina Morello and Anthony Abato. The teams competed on a fictitious case, presenting oral arguments in the roles of the Office of the Prosecutor, the Defence and State Counsel, which were web-streamed live on the Court’s website.
This year, 59 universities participated in the competition, where students put to the test their knowledge of the applicable law and jurisprudence of the ICC. After the main rounds, twelve teams came to The Hague for a six-day study visit before the final competition at the ICC.
The study visit offered the students a unique opportunity to gather in an exciting setting and to meet with eminent personalities of the international law scene. The students visited several international institutions and organizations, such as the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, the International Development Law Organization, and the Anne Frank House. This version of the ICC Moot Court Competition is organised by the Chinese Initiative on International Criminal Justice (CIICJ).
In the context of its Academic Programme, the ICC supports the organisation of ICC Moot Court Competitions in Chinese, English, Russian and Spanish, with a view to also support Arabic and French versions in the future. These initiatives play a critical role in galvanising interest in the Court’s work with academic communities as well as in enhancing promotion and respect for international criminal law.
By Itzel Barragán García | Art critic and contributer to ‘Orígenes’. Alejandra Saldaña– Translator.
Only three years after the passing away of the Dutch Mexican painter Nancy van Overveldt and as a homage to her extraordinary career as an artist, the exhibition “Paths of a Life: between Mexico and Holland” was shown between April 5th to May 31st at the Embassy of Mexico in The Netherlands.
In this exhibition, we saw a choice of the first paintings the artist created in Mexico and also of the ones she painted 25 years later in The Netherlands. The exhibition also included drawings she made during her youth, that show a less known period of her life.
The central concept of “Paths of a Life: between Mexico and Holland”, centred around the context of the artists lifes, and the influence of their surroundings and circumstances, to their creative process, like it was the case for Nancy. While creating artistic work, many artists, depending on the themes they choose to work within their artistic creations, ideas, figures, and colours, in relationship to their circumstances and their experiences in life. And it also reflected Nancy, who observed her surroundings and created not only according to what she witnessed, but continuously tried to capture colours, forms, feelings, and experiences that she encountered.
Places and experiences as source of inspiration.
Nancy van Overveldt painted not only what she saw, but was an observer;
Our actions and the way we view the world are intimately related to our own world which we sometimes do not give too much attention. Due to her sensibility, Nancy succeeded in capturing this intimate relation with her surroundings and reflected those sensations and experiences in her paintings.
In some of her paintings, we see at times brilliant colours, or sometimes shaded, influenced and depending on the places we are situated, the climate or landscape we are in. But maybe also the tone of brilliance and shades can be related to the experiences that we have, and the people we share them with.
Nancy Scheffer van Overveldt, was born February 2nd, 1930 in The Hague, where she later studied at the Royal Academy of Art. At the age of eighteen, Nancy was sent to a reconstruction project in France, but due to a tendon injury, she had to return home. During this voyage, she met her future husband, Reinhard Ruge, with whom she travelled and walked in a pilgrimage to Rome, to meet the Pope. One year later, Nancy arrived in Paris to study at the ‘Academié André L’Hôte’ in Montparnasse, where she experimented with different techniques of colouration, and influenced by Cubism and the Cobra movement, Nancy Scheffer further developed her own style.
It is at this time, that Nancy chose her mother’s last name as her professional painter’s name, changing from Nancy Scheffer to Nancy van Overveldt. In 1951, at the age of 21, Nancy travelled to the country where Reinhard had lived from the age of five; Mexico. After marrying Reinhard, her first daughter, Tiahoga, was born. It was in Mexico where, inspired by this new world, so different to her own, where colours were so vibrant, her professional life as a painter started.
The first path of Nancy: Mexico a world of colour and passion.
Motivated by a deep desire to discover a world so different to her own, Nancy van Overveldt was fascinated by the brightness and colours of nature and was inspired by the way people lived their lives in the villages, full of traditions, mysticism, music, colours and festivities.
Also, Mexican art and architecture as well as the Mexican artistic world, captured her interest. Eager to discover, Nancy travelled throughout the country in local buses, participating and witnessing multiple festivals, dances, rhythms, music, and hiking over mountains to remote communities, sharing life with the people she met along this way. In this way, Nancy united profoundly with Mexican life, later transforming her experiences into drawings, portraits and especially paintings, that appeared on the canvas through an organic process where colours and forms merged out of pure feelings and of rhythm, without being preconceived, as also with time, would develop a unique style.
In the majority of the artworks shown at the exhibition: “Paths of a Life: between Mexico and Holland”, inspired by Nancy’s experiences through Mexico, we see a colourful pallet of ingenious realism, compositions of the absurd and impressionistic figures in scenes of purely Mexican parties. A remarkable period in her artistic career, full of colour and artistic production, always inspired by a country full of brilliant light and incredible dimensions where people live intimately connected with cosmic forces. A profound and contrasting Mexico, as are her art.
Dutch Mexican painter Nancy van Overveldt. Swan lake / El lago de los cisnes. Oil on canvas / Óleo sobre tela. Foto: Michelle Porro. Cortesía de Embamex.
Nancy resided 25 years in Mexico, and during this time met important Mexican artists, like Rufino Tamayo, Remedios Varo, Frida Kahlo, Leonora Carrington, Diego Rivera among others, and sculptors like Angela Gurria with whom she became very close friends. Also, she met Mathias Goeritz, with whom she worked in the late fifties in an active participation in the designing of the Towers of Satélite. Her work was exhibited in prestigious institutes such as: Palacio de Bellas Artes, Galería Antonio Souza, el Museo de Arte Moderno, la Galería de Chapultepec, which positioned her in the Mexican artistic world, and participating as a member for more than 40 years in the Mexican artistic community, represented by the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana.
Besides her pictorial artwork, Nancy van Overveldt was also as a gifted writer and under the pseudonym “Dolores Cienfuegos”, she projected her experiences into words, in a book of stories, called “Vivencias Mexicanas”.
“The Repose”
“I was so tired of so many celebrations and of so much rum that I decided to slip off to the countryside hoping to be able to liberate myself of the heavy clouds that inhabited my head. Half asleep, I got into a bus, and watched through the windows how we passed little towns and villages untill it became dark, but soon I fell in to a deep sleep. When I awoke, we had already arrived to the last destination of the bus, Pátzcuaro. It was early in the morning and the sky was clear blue.
On the streets and in the main plaza a deep serenity reigned under the sunlight. It was like being in a different world. I walked in the direction of the lake. In the silver water I could see the reflection of the sun, and in the distance, I could see fishermen and large and narrow canoes with nets like butterflies. The Tarascan people who live in the villages around the lake, know like no other that the serenity of the lake can suddenly change without notice; they know the currents and the unpredictable wind that blows over the lake. I walked along the lake till I arrived at Erongarícuaro.” As quoted by Jose Iturriaga de la Fuente in his book “Foreign travellers through Michoacan”, about Nancy van Overveldt’s life and work.
After divorcing her first husband, Nancy married a Mexican intellectual, Valentin Saldaña, with whom she conceived her second daughter, Alejandra. Despite the fusion Nancy made with Mexican life, she never lost her Dutch roots. When the bicycle was still a rarity in the Mexican streets, Nancy would take her daughters on the bicycle as means of transport, which for her, was the most natural thing to do. She became well known on the streets of Mexico City, as the lady on the bicycle. Nancy was so deeply connected with Mexico that her work really became Mexican, in theme as in its softness of colours. Her pallet is reminiscent of Orozco and some artists originating from Oaxaca, especially in her bird figures and the change of her pallet to brilliant colours, as a way to capture the festive soul of Mexico.
It is in her own words that Overveldt reflects about Mexico, during an interview taken by Katrien van den Berghe, in 2014, one year before her passing:
“In Mexico I had a heroic existence. Every day I did the impossible, and my feelings and passion for life are clearly noticeable in my paintings: varying from colourful forms, spheres of mysticism, ludic and frivolous ‘fiestas’, …passion is everywhere in Mexico. You can sense that. People are also more connected with cosmic forces.”
Back to the original path
After 25 years in Mexico, experiencing a life full of passion, art and love, she returned in 1976 to the Netherlands, to a world of darker colours, still well known to her, were she discovers a new path. The impact her return to Netherlands had on her was notorious and could be seen in the paintings in the exposition “Paths of a Life; between Mexico and Holland”. Affected at the time by the changes in her life, she had to readjust her way of working, searching and introducing a new style, mostly influenced by the Dutch light and landscape.
The search for a new style began from “Transformations of Light and Water” to the style that would be present until the end of her life. The detail in her paintings and the management of light combined with elements of nature, are its principal characteristics. In the paintings named “Transformations”, van Overveldt expressed the movements of water, fire and air. These reflect in her canvases where colours create forms, that continuously merge with others.
In respect to this new style, in the same interview with Katrien van den Berghe in 2014, Nancy said: “The new style is an opportunity for a broad development, an opportunity to bring more structure into my life, in the time I returned to the Netherlands. Destruction is present in everything, also in nature. Later I noticed that even the waves in the sea stream regularly towards the horizon and the same happens with birds; organized and in even distance, they fly towards spaces. I had never before noticed that. It is this new way of ‘seeing’, that is reflected in my work.”
From 1980 onwards, van Overveldt added a new element to her pictorial work: The Horizon. In it, departing from a central point, round and sharp pointed patterns emerging as explosions, rotating in a spiral to the edge of the canvas, creating a harmony from authentic forms, elements, that seem in constant movement. Nancy said: “Everything that comes together at one point in yourself, in the silence, is what I wanted to show in my paintings before 1980: forms that, becoming every time smaller and smaller, move to a brilliant point on the canvas and repeat themselves in reflection. From 1980 onwards, that changed. The process has now reversed: the horizon becomes a fountain.”
When living in Lelystad, a northern province of The Netherlands, her work was influenced by the ‘polder landscapes’; van Overveldt reflected fields, wind and sun rays starting from geometrical figures for which she looked for symmetry. That is to say, it was a search to reflect rhythm and music, parting from what she observed, because every painting, represented a journey to the unknown.
Nancy van Overveldt painted every day of her life. In her last paintings, her work became more and more mathematical, an abstract harmony in forms and rhythm, that keep returning, again and again. They again, like the early paintings, take you to the central point of light in the horizon, with openings to other spaces. Nancy van Overveldt passed away on the 7th of June 2015, leaving us a legacy of great artistic quality.
The birth of an artist
In her childhood, van Overveldt showed a great ability and talent for drawing and writing, in spite of her timidity. She succeeded in great expressions through these media, for which she received several prizes throughout her primary school period. In her drawings, even at this young age, she recreated everyday scenes, because her context had influence on her artistic expressions. Examples of these drawings, shown for the first in the exhibition ‘Paths of a Life; between Mexico and Holland”, show part of the childhood and life experiences of the young van Overveldt, that were mostly unknown.
The majority of the drawings unfortunately don’t have a date or reference, but observing the style and scenes as the main thread, they originated between 1943 and 1946, when she was 13 to 16 years of age, and living with her parents and her sister Wendela Scheffer in Wassenaar, The Netherlands. The drawings shown in the exhibition “Paths of a Life; between Mexico and Holland”, are unique. They tell us about her interests and personal life of the young Nancy Scheffer, long before she became a professional painter. Some of the drawings are signed with her paternal name: “Scheffer”. Later, after becoming a professional artist, she used her mother’s last name as her artistic name: “Van Overveldt”.
Always inspired by her context, some of the drawings express the atmosphere and the experiences of her surroundings in World War II, in The Netherlands. The quality of the drawings is evident, because they harbour interesting compositions, correct and real dimensions. An interesting element in some of her drawings are the dark-haired figures with a Mediterranean expression, a reference to the world that Nancy, without knowing it, would encounter in her journey to Mexico. For more than 65 years, Nancy van Overveldt produced a vast quantity of pieces of art, that were exhibited in Mexico, New York, The Netherlands and London.
These artworks, drawings, sketches, paintings, portraits, and written stories, transmit and disclose, through colours and forms, the feelings, emotions and experiences, she lived in the two different worlds, Mexico and The Netherlands.
And now, they still open the possibility for you to share her experiences throughout her Life and her authentic and splendid artistic creations.
Main image: Nancy van Overveldt. Musicians in México / Músicos en México. Oil on canvas / Óleo sobre tela. 81 x 106 cm. Foto: Michelle Porro. 1969. Cortesía de Embamex
For more information about Nancy van Overveldt, please visit: www.nancyvanoverveldtcollection.com
or contact: infoart@nancyvanoverveldtcollection.com
Friday, 5 July 2019, Toblach/Dobbiaco, Autonomous Region Bolzano-South Tyrol, Italy: The 50th Conference of heads of government of the ten member strong contingent of countries and cantons of the Alpine Working Community Arge Alp met at Toblach/Dobbiaco to mark the end of the South Tyrolian chairmanship. Accordingly South Tyrol’s Governor Arno Kompatscher handed over the presidency to Salzburg’s Governor Wilfried Haslauer.
The heads of government discussed several issues of importance for the population of the Alps: The Alpine countries adopted a resolution on the main topic of the South Tyrolean Presidency year, “rural development”, as well as on transalpine transport. Moreover, they also discussed the progress of the demands made a year ago for wolf regulation in the Alpine region.
As a result of the intensive examination of the main topic, the Alpine countries have committed themselves in five theses, that is to say, to the goal of securing and developing rural areas as high-quality living, working, economic, cultural, recreational and natural areas. Thus, flexible forms of work such as smart working and alternating tele-work should become a matter of course when it comes to “work”. The public administrations set an example in this respect and a comprehensive broadband connection is the basic prerequisite for this.
Second, the Alpine countries want to strengthen regional economic cycles, value creation in the business sector and the purchasing power of rural areas, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises.
Thirdly, they see the strength of rural areas in the cohesion of the population. For this reason, the governments want to specifically promote strategic long-term planning to revitalise the town centres as well as a town centre maintenance management and reward voluntary work.
Fourthly, the public authorities should ensure that rural areas are adequately accessible and barrier-free. It considers modern and multi-modal mobility services to be just as important as green mobility.
After all, it is about quality of life, among other things through short distances to basic services, childcare and education and cultural offerings for all generations. Sub-centres and the distribution of public facilities can be a useful way to achieve this.
Transport: From road to rail In an intensive discussion, the representatives of the individual countries have wrangled over a further resolution on the explosive issue of transport.
Günther Platter, Governor of the Tyrol, spoke as per statement below of a “dramatic situation: despite an intended shift, traffic on the roads has steadily increased over the past few years, while that on the railways has decreased”. More trucks cross the Brenner Pass than on all six transalpine routes in Switzerland and France combined.
Bavaria’s Minister of State for Federal, European and Media Affairs, Dr. Florian Hermann shared the “necessity of a stronger shift”, but warned against “island solutions: We need a common solution to achieve large-scale impact.”
Joint approach to the wolf The Alpine countries furthermore re-confirmed the previous year’s resolution presented by South Tyrol on the “Regulation of the wolf population in the Alpine region” with all its contents.
Arnold Schuler, South Tyrol’s Agriculture Councillor, reported on the development of the wolf population in Europe. The countries unanimously agreed to his demand for a “common Alpine strategy” and appealed to the EU and its member states to take the necessary steps to lower the wolf’s protection status and to give the regions more room for manoeuvre in managing the large predators.
In the picture Viktória Pikovská, founder of Victory Art and the Ambassador of Slovakia H.E. Mr. Roman Buzek.
On the 20th of June, the team at Victory Art organized their biggest exhibition ever–World Trade Center x Victory Art introducing Andrea Ehret: 24K Feelings. The exhibition displayed a new collection of Andrea’s art pieces which involve her work with real gold and represent a golden embrace that is the 24K Feelings.
The exhibition’s name, 24K Feelings, comes from Ehret’s unique take on artistic design through golden dust powder. She embraced the golden tint in her canvases led by a unique artistic inspiration. She approached authenticity in her work with golden dust powder, creating a dream-like effect to her paintings. And through this exhibition, she intends to portray an illusion of the inner and outer world.
Andrea Ehret, 24K Feelings.
After the first opening of the exhibition at the Slovak Embassy in The Hague on Thursday, May 16, 2019, the artist’s most prominent works were displayed at the main exhibition at the World Trade Center in The Hague.
Much like the first exhibition, the event began with a kick off by the founder of Victory Art, Viktória Pikovská and the Ambassador of Slovak Republic, His Excellency, H.E. Roman Bužek. After her speech, Pikovská gave the floor to the artist Ehret for her to perform a live painting.
The live painting performance embraced the highlight of the exhibition, her work with golden dust powder and was appreciated by all of the guests. The reason why the artist deeply connects with live painting performances is that, to her, they are absolutely raw. As she mentions, there is no fake moment in a live performance. Finally, the kick-off concluded with intriguing questions from Pikovská to the artist.
Viktória Pikovská. and Andrea Ehret during the opening.
The day marked a wonderful evening showcasing the remarkable artist Andrea Ehret. The main intention of this exhibition was to offer an authentic perspective portraying an illusion of the inner and outer world. Her search for her unique design followed its natural course of action and finally came together with a golden embrace that represents the 24K Feelings.
The exhibition was indeed a grand success; the most prominent work of art and the face of the exhibition, Above the flower fields, was sold among many other paintings by Ehret. Victory Art would love to thank everybody who helped make it a success.
24K Feelings by Andrea Ehret.
The exhibition lasts until the 27th of June at the World Trade Center in the Hague and is concluded by a panel discussion: From Novice to Expert: How to Navigate in the Art Industry. This event includes a discussion with knowledgeable individuals to help enrich the art industry, discuss current topics surrounding this sector and find the answers to crucial questions together.
However, the enjoyment of the exhibition was not only limited to the great art and people. It was also the sponsors that made the event possible that who made the night so much more memorable.
Ewal’s Cargo Care ensured that all the art pieces arrived at the exhibition on time and in pristine condition. On the other hand, Veggihap ensured that everyone arriving would not have to go home with an empty stomach while contributing to the food waste problem that is incredibly prominent in today’s society. And to wash it all down, a winning beer, De Leckere beer as well as Slovak wine was provided by the Embassy of Slovakia.
The Hague, 11 July 2019– Judge Carmel Agius, President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism), today attended the Commemoration of the 24th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide at the Potočari memorial in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).
In paying his respects to the victims President Agius delivered remarks, along with a number of other high-level dignitaries including Mr Sefik Džaferović, current Bosniak Member of the BiH Presidency. In addition, Mr Nedžad Avdić, a survivor of the genocide, addressed the ceremony.
President Agius also laid flowers in honour of all those killed during the genocide, including the 33 victims who were buried this afternoon. In his remarks, President Agius noted that the judgements of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) were the first to establish beyond reasonable doubt that the events in Srebrenica in July 1995 constituted genocide, as subsequently confirmed by the Mechanism and other courts.
He spoke of the resulting changes in BiH, highlighting that thanks to the ICTY and the Mechanism, “[t]hose most responsible for the heinous crimes committed during the conflicts of the early 1990s have been brought to justice, an exhaustive historical record has been established, and the vast majority of those who were killed have at long last received a respectful burial.”
President Agius drew attention to the campaign of genocide denial that has been gaining momentum in recent times, observing that such denial is intended to hurt and disempower the victims, and is “being used to political advantage by leaders who seek to gain from having an ethnically-divided BiH that remains stuck in the past.”
The President noted there is “a new urgency to push back strongly against the attempts by the deniers to rewrite history”, particularly in the context of defending the rule of law and the role of the courts. He stated that “a conviction for genocide is not a matter for politicians or individuals to decide”, emphasising the need to proactively denounce and expose “those who would seek to replace the long-standing judgements of international and domestic courts with so-called ‘findings’ of their own.”
In conclusion, President Agius exhorted those present to unite against the voices of hate, to pledge to keep robustly defending the established record, and to continue to demand that the processes of justice be respected and upheld. In doing so, the President said, “we must always remember the victims and their loved ones, who are they reason we are here today”, paying tribute to their “remarkable courage and resilience” which is “an inspiration to us all”.
The ICTY and the Mechanism have convicted 15 individuals for genocide and other crimes committed in Srebrenica in July 1995, including senior Bosnian Serb political and military leaders. During the Srebrenica genocide, up to 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed or are still missing and up to 30,000 women and children were forcibly transferred from the Srebrenica enclave.
On Friday the 6th and Saturday the 7th of September the seventh edition of the Embassy Festival will commence. The organisation is confident that they will reach a record-breaking number of 70 embassies, that will be participating in the Embassy Festival, taking place at the Lange Voorhout this year. This will allow for a cultural world trip with dance, music (from pop to classical), performances and authentic bites and drinks.
The kick-off of the Embassy Festival will take place on Friday evening from 5pm in an intimate setting at the Lange Voorhout with two stages. Expect a highly energetic performance by London Afrobeat Collective (GBR), a wonderful show by clarinet-master Cüneyt Sepetçi (TUR), surprise acts and lots of delicious food and drinks options.
On Saturday the 7th of September the Embassy Festival will take over the Lange Voorhout in its entirety, starting at noon. The international spirit, status and experience of The Hague will cast a spell on its visitors and residents. By working together with the embassies, the Embassy Festival is able to put together an event with the cultural richness of around 70 countries. The result of this is a day filled with, amongst other aspects, dance and music; the universal language that brings people together.
There will be a lively programme on the four stages that will be present at the festival. The Embassy Festival offers a melting pot of music, a worldly mix of dance and theatre, several cultural institutions will present themselves and we’ll have a Kids Compound to entertain our youngest visitors.
Embassy Festival.
A small selection of the programme for this year: Faraj Suleiman (Palestine pianist/composer), Kristin Mulders (mezzo-soprano from Norway), and Lady Bazaar(Swiss soul-hip-hop sensation).
The Creative Arena will be filled with exquisite performances by traditional dance groups, vocalists, and other acts that focus on bringing their cultural heritage to the Embassy Festival. This one-of-a-kind stage offers so much cultural diversity that visitors will be treated to a glimpse of the different cultures that make up the Embassy Festival.
The International Marketing will form the binding element between the several stages. Taste buds will have a field-day with all the traditional bites and drinks that are made freshly made or have been flown in from all corners of the world. The Embassy Festival will once again create unity in diversity which is exactly what makes this festival so unique.
Embassy Festival.
Participating Embassies Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Hungary, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sint Maarten, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen.
Friday 6 September: 5pm – 11pm | intimate setting with two stages
In the picture OPCW Director-General, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, and the Republic of Korea’s Permanent Representative to the OPCW, H.E. Ambassador Yun-young Lee.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — 24 June 2019 — The Government of the Republic of Korea has contributed $150,000 to support a number of projects and activities of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The contribution was formalised today at the Organisation’s Headquarters in The Hague at a ceremony involving the OPCW Director-General, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, and the Republic of Korea’s Permanent Representative to the OPCW, H.E. Ambassador Yun-young Lee.
The Republic of Korea contributed $70,000 to a special OPCW Trust Fund to support the project to upgrade the current OPCW Laboratory and Equipment Store. This project will result in the construction of a new facility, which will meet the demands of OPCW States Parties for enhanced verification tools, improved detection capabilities and response measures, as well as increased capacity-building activities.
H.E. Yun Young Lee, Ambassador of Korea.
In addition, $80,000 will augment the OPCW’s Trust Fund for Regional Seminars to help run eight workshops on the peaceful development and use of chemistry for OPCW Member States in the Asian region, to be held in Seoul in 2019.
Director-General Arias stated: “The Government of the Republic of Korea has my sincere thanks for its contributions. This funding will help bolster the OPCW’s ability to respond to new and emerging chemical weapons threats around the world, and support the peaceful use of chemistry in Asia.”
Ambassador Lee, on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Korea, announced the decision to contribute $150,000 to support OPCW activities and remarked: “Faced by newly emerging threats, the OPCW needs to adapt itself to the rapid advancement of science and technology, and upgrading the current laboratory is instrumental in achieving this goal. The Republic of Korea was the first State Party to make financial contributions to this important undertaking last year and is proud to contribute once again.
“Supporting the work of the OPCW in the fields of chemical safety and security has been a key policy priority of the Republic of Korea. We hope that the 8th Seoul Workshop this year will further contribute to raising awareness and building capacity of Asian Member States in these areas.“
President Michael D. Higgins being welcomed in Berlin, Germany – Image by Irish Presidency, president.ie
3-5 July 2019, Germany: Irish President Michael D. Higgins paid the first visit by an Irish Head of State to Germany since 2008.
The President and his spouse Sabina Higgins were accompanied on the State Visit by An Tánaiste and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Coveney, Irish Ambassador to Germany Michael Collins and spouse Marie Collins. In addition to his meetings with political leaders at federal, state and city level, President Higgins participated in a number of events hosted by Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bia and Tourism Ireland, to assist in their work of strengthening business links.
Over the three days, President Higgins visited four German states, including the federal capital Berlin, Frankfurt in Hesse, Würzburg in Bavaria and Leipzig in Saxony, reflecting the Irish government’s commitment to deepening our relationship with Germany – a vital political and economic partner for Ireland and a fertile landscape for Irish culture.
Welcome by Mayor Michael Müller (Berlin) – Picture by Irish Presidency, president.ie.
The visit takes place to mark 90 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The State Visit began on Wednesday, 3 July, with a formal welcome by German President Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier at Bellevue Palace.
After the meeting with President Dr. Steinmeier, President and Sabina Higgins travelled to the nearby the Brandenburg Gate, whereafter they met with the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller.
The President continued with a meeting with the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr. Angela Merkel, at the Federal Chancellery, and President of Germany’s Federal Parliament, Wolfgang Schäuble, in the Bundestag.
In the evening the President held an allocution at an event hosted by Enterprise Ireland, for CEOs of 30 leading Irish companies and their German business partners, and attended a State Dinner hosted in his honour by his German counterpart.
President Higgins moreover delivered a keynote address at the University of Leipzig in Saxony. Indeed he is the first Irish Head of State to include Leipzig – a city in the former East Germany – in the programme for a State Visit, reflecting Ireland’s intention to go beyond traditional centres of Irish links and build new links for the future.
President Higgins subsequent visited the Church of St. Nicholas and held meetings with the Mayor of Leipzig, Mr. Burkhard Jung, and the Premier of the Free State of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer.
In Frankfurt, the President marked the opening of a new Consulate General, the first such diplomatic representation in continental Europe in the modern era. Hesse’s Minister for Federal and European Affairs, Lucia Puttrich was in attendance.
African Ambassadors accredited in The Hague held a reception to celebrate Africa Day 2019.
Guests turned out in their numbers to celebrate this momentous occasion. Not only were Ambassadors, Diplomats, African business people included, but guests from other continents as well were on hand to enjoy the festivities. Of course, the diaspora showed up in all its colors and resplendent beauty.
African Ambassadors at 2019 Africa Day.
The occasion commenced with the playing of the Africa Union song and the national anthem of the Netherlands, after which, H.E Mr. Jean Pierre Karabaranga Ambassador of Rwanda and Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps delivered the welcome address.
Other speakers at this reception were Mr. Peter Kleiweg, Deputy Director General for Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. Kleiweg lauded Africa for its various achievements, such as in the field of digitalisation.
The keynote speech was delivered by the Ambassador of Egypt H.E. Mr. Amgad Abdel Ghaffar, representative of the Chair of the African Union.
Mr. Peter Kleiweg, Deputy Director General for Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.
The official part of the celebration was concluded with a toast to the continued progress and prosperity of the African continent. The Ambassador of Tanzania H.E. Ms. Irene Florence Mkwawa Kasyanju, presided. A rhythmic drumming session followed and the performances by the children enthralled all in attendance.
Ambassador Amgad Abdel Ghaffar stated “Let me first, as the representative of the Chair of the African Union, along with our Dean H.E Ambassador Karabaranga, to commence by welcoming you and also expressing my gratitude for attending today the celebration of the African history, accomplishments, and culture.
H.E. Jean Pierre Karabaramga, Ambassador of Rwanda and Dean of the African countries.
On this day, 56 years ago, the founding fathers of the OAU set out on the road of unity and cooperation in Africa and laid the foundation for continental economic integration and joint action, setting off Africa’s transition towards stability, progress and prosperity.
We are now reaping the fruits of the efforts exerted by the founding fathers of the OAU and the hard work of successive generations of Africans over the past decades.
The Ambassador of Egypt H.E. Mr. Amgad Abdel Ghaffar
Africa is steadily moving towards sustainable development through the implementation of its ambitious 2063 Agenda.
Every day adds more strength to our joint efforts to find solutions to conflicts and problems which our continent has suffered from for decades and which have for long prevented the realization of the dreams of its people.
In order to achieve their common objectives, it is crucial for African countries to make better use of the African private sector alongside the African public sector to be able to build mega continental projects to develop the African infrastructure, thus contributing to the realization of our integration and market linkage plans, in pursuance of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, whose entry into force will be celebrated soon and this will drive us to encourage investments in infrastructure projects in the continent, along with other existing Mega Projects underway like Cairo/Cape Road and the navigational river route (VICMED) that will link Lake Victoria with the Mediterranean sea through the Nile River.
People from Rwanda with Ambassador Karabaranga at Africa Day 2019.
The international partners will have an important role in financing such mega projects via Public Private Partnerships PPP’s which will be established in this regard.
Egypt as the Chair of the African Union also puts high equality important to Peace Building and Peace Keeping in our continent and also focusing on post conflict reconstruction to avoid conflict relapse.
Africa Day 2019.
In this regards I would like to inform you that Egypt will host in the Beautiful southern City Aswan on 12 till 14 December 2019 an International High Level Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development under the title “An Agenda for sustainable Peace, Security and Development in Africa” to foster dialogue and reaching actionable outcomes through linking “sustainable development” with “sustainable peace”, as it will bring together heads of states and governments, leaders of national governments, regional and international organizations, financial institutions, the private sector, and civil society, as well as visionaries, scholars, and prominent experts.
Moreover, during the next months Egypt will launch the African Union Centre for Post Conflict Reconstruction and Development (AUC – PCRD) will be launched in Egypt.
We’ll also have to seek persistently developing our human resources, with high appreciation and respect to the role of African Women in the continent’s Development Process, and while preparing the continent’s young people to cope with the global developments and take responsibility for the future of the continent.
Guests from Tanzania at Africa Day with the Ambassador of Tanzania H.E. Ms. Irene Florence Mkwawa Kasyanju.
That will come true through developing the African capabilities especially in Youth and Sports. And here, Egypt is proud to be the host of African Cup of Nations 2019, which will kick off on the 21st of this June 2019, a major sport event in the continent and will once again showcase the great African world class football players.
The Ambassadors of South Africa, H.E. Bruce Koloane, the Ambassador of Rwanda and Dean of the African Group, H.E. Jean Pierre Karabaranga and. the Ambassador of Nigeria, H.E. Mr. Oji Nyimenuate Ngofa with guests.
Finally I would like to quote the words of H.E President of Arab Republic of Egypt Abdelfattah Al Sissi in the commemoration of Africa Day This year:
// We have to commit ourselves to fulfilling the dreams of the OAU Founding Fathers and the aspirations of the great peoples of Africa to build a stable and prosperous continent that is capable of ensuring a decent life for all its people and serving the entire human civilization through its culture of tolerance and love//
Wassenaar, Saturday 29 June 2019, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia put on a unique Cultural Promotion Event. It was an authentic West Java Sundanese Wedding Procession.
Hundreds of invitees including representatives from over twenty Embassies in the Netherlands turn out to be eyewitness of this extraordinary cultural spectacle.
The lawns of the Residence of H.E. Ambassador I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja served as a backdrop for the occasion.
The event started with a very charming and colourful Sundanese Peacock Dance.
The wedding ceremony proper consisted of various segments, a Saweran procession in which the bride and groom and the in laws had a part to play.
West Java Sundanese Wedding Procession, by the Embassy of Indonesia in The Hague.
The couple was outfitted in typical Sundanese attire. Ambassador I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja addressed the guests. Further, Ambassador Puja hopes that this event would promote the richness of Indonesian culture and will improve the people to people contact between the two countries.
Featuring on the program was a quiz session, sundanese dances: hanoman dance and arak-arakan, a party with the opportunity to dance.
The evening concluded with an exquisite West Java/Sundanese dinner buffet consisting of empal gentong, sambal, liwet teri rice, pesmol fish, fried chicken, fresh vegetables, karedok and bakwan lumpur adorned with crispy Indonesian crackers.
