NEW YORK, 12 March 2019 – Director of the International Institute for Middle-East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES) Assist. Prof. Dr. Zijad Bećirović, accompanied by IFIMES Main Representative at ECOSOC/UN Irena Mernik Knee, met UN Secretary-General António Guterres at UN Headquarters in New York.
Director of the Institute Assist. Prof. Dr. Bećirović presented to the UN Secretary-General Guterres the work of the Institute in the region of the Balkans and the Middle East, with a special emphasis on projects related to the special consultative status of IFIMES whit the ECOSOC/UN.
The IFIMES International Institute intends to issue a special edition of the European Perspectives International Scientific Journal in the next period, dedicated to the UN and its role in the world.
The Secretary-General of the UN, Guterres, stressed the importance of the UN and importance of global stability and peace to enable universal progress of humanity.
At the end of the talks, UN Secretary-General Guterres and Bećirović agreed that global security, stability, peace and fast solutions of open issues are of great importance.
Permanent Representative of Australia to the OPCW, H.E. Ambassador Matthew Neuhaus and OPCW Director-General, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias.
The Hague, Netherlands —18 March 2019 — The Government of Australia is contributing €100,000 toward the Trust Fund for Syria Missions for the formation and operation of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) team to identify the perpetrators of chemical weapons attacks in the Syrian Arab Republic.
The team was created pursuant to the decision on addressing the threat from chemical weapons use adopted by the Conference of the States Parties at its Fourth Special Session in June 2018.
The contribution was formalised through an arrangement signed on 15 March by OPCW Director-General, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, and the Government of Australia through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade represented by Permanent Representative of Australia to the OPCW, H.E. Ambassador Matthew Neuhaus.
The Director-General has appealed to all OPCW Member States in a position to make voluntary contributions to do so while emphasising that “Identifying perpetrators will advance existing endeavours to tackle the re-emergence of use of chemical weapons”.
Ambassador Neuhaus remarked that Australia welcomes the decision to boost the OPCW’s ability to investigate and attribute responsibility for any future use of chemical weapons, in a way that no single country can veto. He continued to state, “Identifying perpetrators in an independent and impartial way will help deter others who believe they can get away with using these reprehensible weapons.
Strengthening global arrangements to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is a key national security priority for Australia. It is part of the Government’s efforts to make our nation, and the international community, safer and more secure.”
The OPCW’s Technical Secretariat is currently assembling a team of experts and setting up necessary procedures.
In the picture H.E. Heidemaria Gürer Ambassador of Austria arriving to Rwanda´s event.
For International Women’s Day, the Embassy of Rwanda to The Netherlands along with the Rwandan Women Association in The Netherlands, organised on March 16 an event to celebrate and display Rwanda’s culture and progress in gender equality and women empowerment.
By Aurore Heugas.
“International Women’s Day is a celebration of respect, appreciation, love and care towards women in your life and society” was a statement spoken at the Rwandan Embassy’s celebration for International Women’s Day on March 16, 2019.
Taking place at the Hilton hotel in The Hague, the event was an opportunity for the Rwandan embassy, in cooperation with the Rwandan Women Association in The Netherlands, to showcase their country’s achievements in gender equality and women empowerment.
This year, several themes were enumerated for International Women’s Day. UN Women’s theme was “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change”. Their focus was to find new ways to advance gender equality and women empowerment, “particularly in the areas of social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructures”, according to the organisation.
The official website of International Women’s Day listed the global theme for this year as “Balance for Better”, which was open for interpretation for each country to suit their needs.
The goal for this year is to involve everyone; women and men, to aspire to reach gender balance in every aspect of society. In 2019, the Embassy of Rwanda’s take on that theme was “Together, let’s build a safe family”.
The event felt like both the UN Women and International Women Day’s themes had been merged. Several speakers, men and women alike, talked about the importance of achieving more balanced family dynamics, by offering equal opportunities and equal respect to everyone.
For them, if your home is stable, you already have a better chance to thrive, get an education and continue the cycle of equal opportunities later on.
More than talking about building safer families, the celebration of International Women’s Day promoted the work of strong women in Rwanda, in an effort of women empowerment.
H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Ambassador of Bangladesh, H.E. Mr. Bruce Koloane, Ambassador of South Africa and one of the judges of the International Court of Justice.
Coffee was an example of how a simple act, like buying coffee, can make a difference. The event showcased and gave samples of Bekske coffee amongst others. Bekske Coffee is a Dutch-Rwandan project, that aims to support female survivors of sexual violence during the genocide in Rwanda.
Instead of buying coffee from larger companies with a set price for the kilo of beans, which then only gives 26 cents, or a very small percentage back to the original coffee workers, the Dutch foundation supports female coffee entrepreneurs by buying coffee from a local partner, where 8.23 euros per kilo goes back to support the local population and women in the program.
Fashion show by Rwanda´s designers.
In addition, 25% of the profits go directly to the women workers in Rwanda, for them to be able to have a chance at an education and a better everyday life.
Through the promotion of that foundation and that coffee, the event helped further three of the sixteen United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
SDG 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere”
SDG 5: Reach gender equality and empower all women and girls”
SDG 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all”.
However hopeful and proud of Rwanda’s accomplishments, the women of the Rwandan Women Association were also honest about what is still left to do. “As a country, we have made great progress when it comes to women’s political participation, school attendance of girls, heritage rights to name a few achievements. But as our president said recently, there is much more to do in Rwanda to ensure women feel safe and enjoy equal opportunities.”
Panorama Mesdag and TU Delft move together onto a higher plane with the exhibition
14 March 2019, Den Haag _ In 1880, while Mesdag was making sketches for his Panorama from the highest dune in Scheveningen, land surveyors were trekking across the entire country drawing up a map of the Netherlands.
The painter and land surveyors alike sought out the highest points in the landscape: the first to create a spatial illusion and the latter to measure distances accurately. What similarities and differences were there in the approach of the artist and that of the surveyors? Thanks to a collaboration between Panorama Mesdag and TU Delft, this theme is explored and explained in an accessible way.
Surveying the Panorama. A student from TU Delft conducts a survey at Panorama Mesdag to find out exactly where Hendrik Willem Mesdag was standing on Seinpost dune.
TU Delft Library collection at Panorama Mesdag
TU Delft Library is offering visitors a unique opportunity to come and admire its Special Collections outside the walls of the campus. In the exhibition rooms of Panorama Mesdag, the history of land surveying is ‘mapped’, as it were, using measuring instruments, drawings and historical maps. Scientific photos show the highest points on the landscape, including spectacular temporary constructions that were specially built for surveying the land.
Visitors can also stroll through digital and interactive maps that show earlier measurement points used by Cornelis Krayenhoff and the National Committee. These maps also show how the landscape has been constantly changing from Mesdag’s time to today.
Water board map.A detail from the overview page of the map showing the area of Delfland water board. The map was produced by the Cruquius brothers over a period spanning 11 years, from 1701 to 1712. The map shows every sluice and ditch in the landscape as well as the administrative entities responsible for their upkeep. TU Delft Library, Special Collections
Unique experiment
Specially for this exhibition, TU Delft students and researchers performed a land surveying experiment involving the Panorama to determine exactly where on the Seinpostduin Mesdag stood when painting his huge canvas. The starting points are the lighthouse, water tower, Oude Kerk (church spire) and other elevated spots Mesdag depicts. Even today these reference points are clearly visible and recognisable on the landscape of Scheveningen. Now, 137 years later, using traditional techniques, the position of these points in the Panorama are compared to their actual coordinates.
Repeating circle. A repeating circle used to measure angles when performing triangulation. The sights are set to two different points in the landscape, and the angle between them can then be read from the circular scale. If the distance between two of the three angles is known, the other distances can be calculated. The measurement would be repeated more than ten times to improve the reliability of the results. This instrument was used early in the 19th century by Cornelis Kraijenhoff (1758- 1840) during the first large-scale survey of the Netherlands based on triangulation. The instrument was made by French instrument maker Étienne Lenoir based on a design by Jean-Charles de Borda. TU Delft Library, Special Collections, Inv. no. 2000.0106.GEO
How accurate was Mesdag and how much artistic license did he allow himself? The fascinating results of this experiment in ‘surveying the past’ are presented and explained at the
exhibition.
The exhibition From the Highest Point: Land surveys in the time of Mesdag is in collaboration with TU Delft and is on display at Panorama Mesdag from 31 March to 22 September 2019.
Photography by Panorama Mesdag.
Main image a Land survey kit. 18th century land survey equipment packed in an octagonal case covered in shagreen. The contents include a semicircle with a detachable sighting telescope, alidade, plane table, compass, transversal scales, plumb bob and other attachments. These instruments allowed the surveyor to conduct measurements in the field and also to produce maps. They were made by Benjamin Ayres, who in 1749 was appointed as the first instrument maker for the Dutch Admiralty. TU Delft Library, Special Collections, Inv. no. 2000.0055.GEO
President of the Assembly of States Parties regrets withdrawal from the Rome Statute by the Philippines
The President of the Assembly of States Parties, Mr. O-Gon Kwon (Republic of Korea), has reiterated his regret regarding the withdrawal of the Philippines, effective as of 17 March 2019, from the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court (“ICC”).
President Kwon noted, “the Assembly of States Parties, comprising more than 120 States from all regions of the world, is fully committed to the Court’s mandate: to help put an end to impunity for the most serious crimes of concern to the international community.”
“I sincerely hope that the departure of the Philippines from the Rome Statute is only temporary and that it will re-join the Rome Statute family in the future. Encouraging universal adherence to the Rome Statute is key in strengthening our collective efforts to promote accountability for atrocity crimes and the rule of law”, said President Kwon.
“The ICC relies on the continued support of the international community to ensure its effectiveness in the fight against impunity”.
In Parallel Bait Muzna Gallery, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman 18 March – 1 April 2019
‘In Parallel’ interprets artist Rashid Al Khalifa’s artistic œuvre by considering the interconnectedness of styles that define certain periods.
Beginning with landscape painting in the ‘70s and continuing on to minimalistic, parametric structures that Rashid has exhibited most recently, his vast body of work has seen distinct shifts in style through varied use of mediums. However, the recurrence of certain sentiments resonates throughout. Matte, aluminum installations from 2012 onwards, recall his desert landscapes from the ‘70s, whereby the shadows cast by the soft desert light in these early landscape paintings, reawaken decades later in his minimalistic dunes and eclipses.
Mirrored pieces from the 2010’s, call to mind the reflective, fluidity of water and the susceptibility of Bahrain’s desert wadis, a regular feature of his paintings from the ‘80s. Feminine, wispy and emotive forms of the ‘80s and ‘90s, transpire in his lustrous lacquer paintings that began in the late 2000’s, only to reemerge a decade later in his immaculate enamel rose series.
The symmetry, geometric precision and bold hues of colour that define his most recent parametric forms are reminiscent of both his interest in the functionality of traditional Bahraini architecture, as well as the manner wherein these repetitive elemental structures react with their natural environment.
Despite experimenting with varying materials and developing distinct styles over the years, Rashid’s desire to simultaneously explore his heritage and his relationship to his immediate environment, has endured throughout his artistic practice. Essentially, the undercurrent that resonates throughout this exhibition at Bait Muzna Gallery is in many ways, reflective of the consciousness of the artist, the versatility of his work and of particular transitional periods in his life.
About Rashid Al Khalifa Bahraini artist Rashid Al Khalifa (Manama, Bahrain, 1952) began painting at the age of 16 and had his first exhibition at the Dilmun Hotel, Bahrain in 1970. He travelled to the UK in 1972 where he attended the Brighton and Hastings Art College in Sussex and trained in Arts and Design. Al Khalifa’s artistic practice has evolved over time: from landscapes in the 70s and early 80s, to merging elements of his figurative and abstract work in the late 80s, progression towards abstraction and experimenting with the ‘canvas’ in the 90s, and recent mirror-like chrome and high gloss lacquer pieces. His new work also incorporates installations reflecting a clear Bahraini identity.
His solo exhibitions include Penumbra: textured shadow, coloured light (Saatchi Gallery, 2018, London,https://vimeo.com/293801432, https://man.vogue.me/lifestyle/art-and-design/sheikh-rashid-bin-khalifaal-khalifa-penumbra-2018/), Hybrids, Ayyam Gallery, Dubai, UAE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG6wnHhlp9I, 2018) Les Roses de Bagatelle at Maison Guerlain (2018, https://www.facebook.com/pg/GuerlainFR/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1793190634050514) Convex: A New Perspective, Bahrain National Museum, Kingdom of Bahrain (2010); Art Department, Shuman Arts Organisation, Jordan (1997); De Caliet Gallery, Milan, Italy and El Kato Kayyel Gallery, Milan, Italy (1996); Biennials include: Bridges, Grenada Pavilion, 57th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy (2017); 3rd Mediterranean Biennale: OUT OF PLACE – Sakhnin Valley, Israel (2017); Arab Delegation, TRIO Bienial – Rio de Janeiro, Brazi (2015); and In The Eye of the Thunderstorm, Collateral Events, 56. la Biennale di Venezia – Venice, Italy (2015).
The Mubarak Mosque on the Oostduinlaan in The Hague was opened in 1955 and is the oldest mosque in The Netherlands. It belongs to the Ahmadi-Muslims or Ahmadiyya who believe that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad from the city of Qadian (India) was the Mujaddid, the promised Saviour or Mahdi. He preached a return to the basis of Islam to his followers, who today number well over ten million worshippers worldwide.
The Ahmaddiyya firmly believe in living within the communities where they settle. In the Netherlands they want their children to go to regular schools and to get their religious training at home or in the mosque. They participate as a community as well as privately in the life of the city and the country. Their charitable collections are disbursed to organisations like the Dutch KWF Cancer Fund, food banks and refugees. In order to promote dialogue and to foster mutual understanding, once a year they organise an open house, where people who live in quite a large circle around the mosque are invited to meet, talk and enjoy a curry dinner.
On March 16th this year the open house took the form of a Peace Conference. There was an impressive panel of speakers including among others a senior Alderman from the City of The Hague, Mr. Rachid Guernaoui, a member of the City Council of Rotterdam, Mr. Narsingh Balwantsingh, a journalist and media expert Mw. Tjalina Nijholt and several members of the Ahmaddiyya comunity.
The conference was held under the black cloud of the massacre in Christchurch, which underlined the need for dialogue and cooperation.
Mr Guernaoui stressed that in The Hague, a city with at least 180 nationalities, this dialogue is crucial. “We need to concentrate not on where people came from, but where they are going, what their future can be”. He is preparing an action plan for the city that concentrates on work, language (Dutch!) and a community without demarkations. Only when we can understand one another and listen to one another can we learn about one another and feel confident to be in each others work groups.
Mr. Narsingh Balwantsingh
Mr. Balwantsingh, a Hindu, was so overcome by the tragedy in New Zealand, that he had thrown his prepared speech away and gave an impassioned plea for mutual understanding, citing several stanzas from the Veda’s, the Hindi Holy Scriptures ending with an almost Spinoza like saying that everything is related, everyone is related to everyone.
Tjalina Nijholt talked about the influence the media have on society. The media can spread information, but they can also spread hatred. Where ill is spoken, ill will follows. She talked about her grandparents, good god-fearing people with not a racist bone in their bodies, who yet, because of what they read or saw on the television, are dead scared of the people down the street who wear black head scarves.
A local conference like this with perhaps 50 guests is small potatoes, but if you get more, if you get many efforts like this, you’ll end up with a big stew. And we all know that it is the variety of meat, vegetables and herbs that makes a good stew so irresistible.
22 February 2019, Milano, Italy: Daniel Lee hosted his runway début at Bottega Veneta within a specially erected glass pavilion on Piazza Sempione. The décor was sleek and stark, benches covered in Bottega Veneta’s signature woven leather in brown and duck egg blue. The pent up longing is for the kind of sophisticated, effortless and glamorously minimalist wardrobe fused alongside the leather heritage and good taste of Bottega Veneta.
Lee offered some of the garments essential to that wardrobe: a black coat evoking Bottega Veneta’s leather weave yet in cloth, a rigid and flared black tuxedo trouser with a ribbed panel down the side, and a long-sleeved knitted turtle-neck dress in charcoal with a cut-out and arched décolletage. It also appeared as an aubergine.
Elsewhere, the 32 year old Briton put his directional ambition in top gear. Knitted dresses were decorticated and interspliced, tailoring with fluid cut-outs lined in padded leather recalled retro futurism, and super sculpted blazers and coats with magnified and raised neck and shoulder lines felt decidedly made for fashionable people.
On the menswear side, hacked-up black and navy roll-necks and cut-glass black tailoring and power coats that match the ideal dystopian science fiction style of Daniel Lee. The latter was exemplified in a wildly boxy, cape-sleeved, lapel-less black blazer worn bombastically over an all-leather motorcycle suit, the trouser tucked into an unyielding Storm Trooper leather boot. However the delicate elegance of a very contrasting transparent blouse worn under a delectably skinny black overcoat with matching black trousers and a black capitonnage leather derby trumped the quotidian elegance sought after by male wearers.
In a few months a new and extended translation will be published in The Netherlands by Gerard Arp of Arpenco Publishers. It has been for over a century since Noli Mi Tangere has been translated into the Dutch language.
To date the only work of Rizal which has been translated into Dutch. The “Noli” is the first novel published by the Philippines national hero Jose Rizal and is considered one of the great literary legacies of the Philippines.
Originally it was written in Spanish and published in Berlin in 1887. The book was quickly banned by the Spanish authorities in The Philippines because of its critique on the colonial government.
This new translation includes the parts which has been left out in the original 1912 edition by Dr. A.A. Fokker and will be published both in paperback and an exclusive hardback subscribers edition. In the later the names of the subscribers will be included in the book.
Jose Rizal, who was executed in Manila December 30, 1896, was prolific writer and artist. He masterminded several languages during his stay in Europe where he studied medicine, specializing in ophthalmology. His works have been inspiring the people of the Philippines in the uprising against the Spanish. There are also plans in translating the sequel to the “Noli” titled El Filibusterismo which originally was published in the Spanish language in 1891.
Ambassador Jeffrey outlines the United States’ next steps in Syria
By Guido Lanfranchi.
In the wake of the Conference of Donors for Syria, the United States’
Special Representative Ambassador James Jeffrey welcomed the international
community’s commitment to support the Syrian people through humanitarian aid.
At the same time, he also stressed the need to continue the fight against ISIS
and to support a political transition in Syria.
On March 12-14th, 2019, representatives
from over sixty countries and international organizations gathered in Brussels
for the donors’ conference “Supporting the future of Syria and the region”,
co-organized by the European Union and the United Nations. The participants to
the conference discussed the situation of Syria and its surroundings, and
agreed to pledge around USD 7 billion in order to assist the Syrian population,
by now affected by eight years of conflict.
Speaking from Brussels in the wake of the conference,
Ambassador James Jeffrey, the United States’ Special Representative for Syria,
welcomed the amount pledged by the conference, underlining the U.S.
contribution of around USD 400 million. At the same time, however, Mr. Jeffrey
stressed that humanitarian assistance is not enough. He accused the government
of President Bashar al-Asad to be at the root of the country’s problem, and he
thus stressed the need to move forward with a serious political process in
order to improve the country’s conditions. Such process – Ambassador Jeffrey
underlined – should be brought forward by the Syrian people, with the
international community set to hopefully play a supportive role.
Special Representative Jeffrey also outlined parts of the
U.S. military strategy in the wake of President Trump’s announcement that the
U.S. would withdraw its troops from Syria. He clarified that there is no
pre-defined timetable for such withdrawal, as well as that, in spite of a
partial withdrawal, the U.S. will maintain some military presence in the country.
This presence will be aimed at avoiding a “destabilizing vacuum” – he noted,
stressing that the US military presence in the region remains “a force for
stability and collective security”.
At the same time, Ambassador Jeffrey noted that the
U.S. and its allies will remain in Syria as part of the Global Coalition’s
mission to defeat the Islamic State. While the terrorist organization has been
defeated militarily, it can still be very dangerous as an underground terrorist
group – he claimed. He also praised U.S. allies from all over the world for
their positive responses to the U.S.’ request for fairer burden sharing on the
mission, although noting that no final decisions on increased military presence
by other countries have yet been made.
Finally, Ambassador Jeffrey also touched upon some of
the many international players involved in the Syrian scenario. He voiced the
U.S. willingness to meet the legitimate security concerns of both its Turkish
and Kurdish partners, and praised the crucial, albeit difficult, cooperation
between the U.S. and Turkey in the Manbij area. Conversely, Ambassador Jeffrey
condemned Iran for its “destabilizing activities” in Syria and in the broader
region, and underlined that – according to the U.S. position – the Syrian
political process should lead to the departure of foreign troops, and chiefly
Iranian troops, from the country.
In his concluding remarks, Ambassador Jeffrey stressed
that, in order to have a positive impact in Syria, the U.S. needs the support
of the international community, including its partners in the region as well as
the European Union. As the international community has proved to be effective
in pledging humanitarian support to the Syrian people – he noted – similar
mechanisms will have to be at play to address the country’s political
situation.
