H.E. Aviv Shir-On, Ambassador of Israel and H.E. Hector Horacio Salvador, Ambassador of Argentina. By John Dunkelgrün. No name in the world evokes the agony and the suffering as a result of racial and religious discrimination more than that of Anne Frank, the 16 year old Jewish girl that after more than two years of hiding from the Nazi’s was deported, together with her family, to the Bergen Belsen concentration camp and murdered.

Her very name is iconic from Japan to Argentina, from California to New Zealand, in the struggle against all sorts of discrimination. Every year millions of visitors from around the globe visit her hiding place, the “Anne Frank Huis” in Amsterdam. It is run by the Anne Frank Stichting, an organization devoted to teaching about the Holocaust and generally about discrimination. It teaches teachers and disseminates course material. Its aim is to keep the memory alive of Anne Frank and of the horrors that killed her and to make people aware of the dangers of discrimination in any form.

To further this goal, the Anne Frank Stichting has been instrumental at the establishment ten years ago of the Centro Ana Frank in Buenos Aires. This center has broadly the same goals as the Amsterdam organization and has reached thousands with its programmes. One of its activities is an annual visit to the Anne Frank Huis by a group of young people selected after an essay writing competition to which many hundreds enter every year. This year the Argentinean Ambassador, H.E. Horacio Salvador, and Sra. Jane Berger de Salvador invited the group of winners to a special event at the Residence. The group was led by the President of the Centro, Sr. Hector Shalom and the coordinator of its educational programmes, Rabbi Silvina Chemen.

The programme started with the very emotional testimonies by Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp of The Hague and his wife Mrs. Sira Soetendorp. Rabbi Soetendorp told Mrs. Sira Soetendorp that when he was a little baby a Gestapo squad entered his parents’ house and would have taken them away if not for the officer in charge who, after seeing him as a baby, said: “What a pity he is a Jewish baby”. His father replied that he was glad it was a Jewish baby because he would always know that his father was not a murderer. Thereupon the officer swore and shouted while taking his men out of this “stinking Jewish hole” and vowing to come back to arrest them the next day. In this way, he gave them the possibility to flee. Rabbi Soetendorp said that if the heart of a single man could be moved to save a baby, there was still hope for humanity, even in the very worst of times. It was reminiscent of the Talmudic saying that “He who saves a single life is as of he has saved the whole world”.

After a musical interlude, a short film was shown made from a play “La Ventana del Arbol y Ana Frank“, the window of the tree and Anne Frank. In it, the lovely Actress Zoe Hochbaum who was present plays Anne Frank writing and rereading her diary, philosophizing about the world and its many injustices. Again the play, the movie, effectively and emotionally warn us about the dangers of prejudice, discrimination, and alienation. The event was concluded by a reception in the lush gardens of the Residence, where the guests, among which were many ambassadors, the delegation from the Centro Ana Frank and the Anne Frank Stichting and rabbis from The Hague and Amsterdam were treated to Argentinean specialties and superb wines. Hats off to Ambassador Salvador and his Embassy team for hosting this annual delegation and helping to further the efforts of these wonderful and regrettably very necessary organizations. ————— Photography by John Dunkelgrün and GNS BW.

The Dominican Minister-Counselor to Uruguay, Dr. Eugenio Matos G. was recently recognized by the Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa, in Canada, the International Public Diplomacy Council and the Deanship of the Diplomatic Corps of Canada, for succeeding in international relations and fostering Public Diplomacy overseas. The distinction was made on the occasion of the inaugural ceremony of the 1st Canada’s Ambassador of the Year and Public Diplomacy Awards 2018 (First Ambassador of the Year of Canada and the Public Diplomacy Awards). Dr. Matos is one amongst five heads of diplomatic missions that launched Diplomat Magazine in 2013 in The Hague, the very first diplomatic publication in the Netherlands´ history. The very well attended event counted with the presence of Dr. Roy Norton, Chief of Protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Canada (Global Affairs Canada), officials of the Federal Government, more than fifty foreign ambassadors accredited to Canada, representatives of international organizations, members of the Canadian Senate and the media. One shall remember that in February 2017 Eugenio Matos received from the hands of the Dominican Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Rubén Darío Paulino Sem, the Recognition of Merit for his support in the modernization of military skydiving of the Dominican Air Force. On the picture: H.E. Florence Chideya, Ambassador of Zimbabwe and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps of Canada; Dean and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa Mr. Pierre Thibault and Mrs. Céline Lévesque handling the recognition to Dominican Minister-Counselor Dr. Eugenio Matos G.

Donald Tusk and Shinzo Abe at the signing ceremony – Picture by European Union Tuesday, 17 July 2018, 25th EU-Japan summit: A historic agreement to bring about a future of free and fair trade between Japan and the EU was signed at Tokyo. The new Economic Partnership Agreement will lead to increased openness, transparency, and easier Japan-EU trade. This agreement will strengthen economic cooperation between Japan and the EU and, by creating new business opportunities, reinforce their competitiveness as mature yet innovative economies. The EPA is one of the largest and most comprehensive economic agreements that either the EU or Japan have concluded so far. This EPA will create a huge economic zone with 600 million people and approximately 30 percent of the world GDP, and it will open up tremendous trade and investment opportunities and will contribute to strengthening our economies and societies. The EU was represented by Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, and by Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission. Cecilia Malmström, European Commissioner for Trade, also partook at the Summit. Japan was represented by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. For further information: 

• https://www.government.se/articles/2017/07/eu-and-japan--agreement-on-free-trade-deal/
• http://www.diplomatmagazine.nl/2017/12/11/japan-and-eu-settle-trade-agreement/

(Left to right) ICC Registrar Mr Peter Lewis, ASP President H.E. O-Gon Kwon, President of Nigeria H.E. Muhammadu Buhari, ICC President Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji and ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda at the high-level commemorations of the Rome Statute’s anniversary on 17 July 2018 ©ICC-CPI. Rome Statute 20^th anniversary high-level commemorations generate strong calls for justice On 16 and 17 July 2018, an event was held at the headquarters of International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “the Court”), in The Hague, The Netherlands, to mark the 20^th anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute of the ICC. High-level representatives of more than 30 States in attendance included the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, representatives of national Senates and Parliaments, Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Justice, as well as officials of international and regional organisations, civil society and academia. Speakers reiterated their support to justice and accountability for the gravest crimes listed under the Rome Statute. The event featured a keynote address by the President of Nigeria, H.E. Mr. Muhammadu Buhari, as well as remarks by the President of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute, Mr. O-Gon Kwon; ICC President, Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji; ICC Prosecutor, Mrs Fatou Bensouda; ICC Registrar, Mr. Peter Lewis; UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and Legal Counsel, Mr Miguel de Serpa Soares; Chair of the Trust Fund for Victims (“TFV”), Mr Motoo Noguchi, and other high-level guests. In his opening remarks, the President of the Court, Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, recalled that the Rome Statute was adopted with a vision of a world in which atrocities that shock the conscience of humanity would no longer be committed with impunity. He said that reflections on the 20^th anniversary of the treaty should concentrate on what this generation will do with the monumental legacy handed to it by the visionaries of 1998. “Let us ensure that allegations of the most serious crimes are met with a robust, fair and impartial judicial response – at the international level as a last resort, where national systems prove unable to give victims their day in court. Let us make sure that we do not let down those who worked so hard to make the Statute of an International Criminal Court a reality”, President Eboe-Osuji said. “The ICC has given hope for justice to so many, by demanding strict adherence to the rules of international humanitarian law. A strong and effective ICC demonstrates the international community’s commitment to the rule of law,” said the President of Nigeria, H.E. Muhammadu Buhari. “I urge all States that have not yet done so to, as a matter of deliberate State policy, accede to the Rome Statute of the ICC so that it can become a universal treaty.” “I am certain that the Rome Statute is as necessary today as it was 20 years ago. I believe it is important to go ‘back to the basics’ with a renewed dedication, commitment and also excitement – just as we did when we first adopted the Rome Statute,” said the President of the Assembly of States Parties, H.E. O-Gon Kwon. “Let today serve as a time to reflect, look back, appreciate what we have accomplished, and most importantly revive our commitment to the fight against impunity.” ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda stressed the importance of the anniversary and the opportunity it presents to recommit to the values and goals of the Statute, but also to take stock of the last two decades and reflect on how the Rome Statute system can be made more effective. “As we commemorate the 20^th anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute, we owe it to ourselves, our children and future generations to fully support and nurture the ever evolving international criminal justice system, and the ICC as its central pillar,” she stated, adding, “a more rule-based global order where mass atrocities are checked through the force of the law and the progress of humanity, demand it.” Following a solemn hearing in the ICC’s main Courtroom, an interactive symposium featured lively debates on the achievements of the Rome Statute, its impact, and challenges in the fight against impunity. As part of the commemoration, representatives of the Assembly, the Court, the Trust Fund for Victims, civil society and counsel also planted a tree on the Court’s premises in remembrance of the victims of the most serious crimes and to symbolise a deep-rooted commitment to end impunity for such acts.