By Anton Lutter. After the longest period of negotiating in Dutch political history – 208 days – a cabinet has been formed by the VVD, CDA, D’66 and CU political parties under the slogan “Trust in the future”, with Mark Rutte as third time Prime Minister, thus starts cabinet Rutte III. In part I and II, we will introduce the 24 Ministers and State Secretaries who were initiated by H.M. King Willem-Alexander at palace Noordeinde the 26th of October. Mr. Mark Rutte Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs, is the party leader of the largest coalition party in government the VVD. Rutte born in The Hague 1967 is Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 2010 and the first liberal Prime Minister for 92 years. Since 2006 he’s also the leader of the Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy. He earned his master’s degree in history from Leiden University, after which he worked for Unilever and Calvé. He entered public office as state secretary for Social Affairs and Employment in 2002 until 2004 and Higher Education and Science from 2004 until 2006 after which he entered parliament until being initiated as Prime Minister in 2010. As a politician, he still manages teaching class for two hours a week at Johan de Witt high school in The Hague. Deputy-Prime Ministers The leaders of the other coalition parties – unusually in Dutch political tradition – did not enter the cabinet but prefer to stay in the Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal (parliament). CDA, D’66 and CU put forward as their Deputy-Prime Ministers Mr. Hugo de Jonge, Mrs. Kajsa Ollongren and Mrs. Carola Schouten. Mr. Hugo de Jonge, born in 1977 is Deputy-Prime Minister for the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport. Before entering the cabinet, he was Deputy-Mayor of Rotterdam since 2010, for Education, Youth and Family and later of Welfare. Mr. de Jonge is a teacher by education later serving in various positions within the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. He’s married with two children. The second Deputy-Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations is Mrs. Kajsa Ollongren, representing Democrats 66 (D’66) party. Mrs. Ollongren, who’s also of Swedish nationality, studied history at University of Amsterdam earning a master’s degree and subsequently studied public administration at École nationale d’administration in Paris. Her career has been in the civil service starting at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, lastly becoming the Secretary-General of the Ministry of General Affairs under Prime Minister Rutte in 2011. In 2014 she entered politics by becoming the Deputy-Mayor of Amsterdam, her portfolio including such topics as economics, sea-and airports, local media and monuments. For a shortwhile she was acting Mayor of Amsterdam, after the sudden death of Mayor Eberhard van der Laan on the 5th october 2017. Ollongren is married with two children and is the first minister since 1981 who belongs to the Dutch nobility. The third and last Deputy-Prime Minister also Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food quality Ms. Carola Schouten, who enters the cabinet as one of the 10 female Ministers and State Secretaries, is also the youngest minister in Rutte III. She represents the Christian Union (CU) who for the second time enter a government coalition. Before entering the cabinet she was a member of parliament 2011-2017 and earlier a civil servant at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. Mrs. Schouten studied business at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Cabinet Ministers and Ministers without Portfolio A surprise appoint is Halbe Zijlstra who will lead Dutch foreign policy as Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Halbe Zijlstra (VVD), born in 1969 studied sociology at the University of Groningen earning a master’s degree in 1996. Working for Royal Dutch Shell he visited countries like Greece, Italy, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela and Nigeria. From 1998 to 2001 he was a member of city council of Utrecht and again from 2003 to 2006 when he was elected to parliament. In october 2010 until 2012 he was chosen to be the State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science in the Rutte Cabinet I. In that he was known for initiating budget cuts in the cultural sector, which bolstered his image as person who’s not afraid to take unpopular measures. As Mr. Mark Rutte became Prime Minister for the second time, Zijlstra became the chair of the VVD parliamentary group until his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He’s married, having one son. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also houses the office of the Minister without Portfolio for Development Cooperation. For this position D’66 member Mrs. Sigrid Kaag has been chosen. A career diplomat Mrs. Kaag, born 1961, held the post of United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) since january 2015. She has been working in a variety of positions both for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Royal Dutch Shell and the United Nations. She has earned a master’s of philosophy degree in international relations from the University of Exeter and a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Oxford. Mrs. Kaag is married with Mr. Anis al Aq former Palestinian representative to Switzerland, having 4 children. Known to be rising star in the CDA, 42 year old Wopke Hoekstra is the Minister of Finance. He studied law at Leiden University and was praeses (president) of the Minerva student society. In 2005 he earned an MBA from ENSEAD at Fontainbleau. His start in public politics is as member of the Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal (senate) since 2011 until his recent appointment. He worked for Royal Dutch Shell and lastly as partner at McKinsey. His State Secretary of Fiscal Affairs, Lower Governmental Finances is Menno Snel (CU). Amongst others Mr. Snel was acting-director-general of Fiscal Affairs at said ministry, executive director of IMF and lastly chairman of the executive board of the Nederlandse Waterschapsbank. He studied economy at Groningen University. At the Ministry of Justice and Security Mr. Ferdinand Grapperhaus (CDA) is at the helm. The son of a former state secretary of Finance, he was a law professor at Maastricht University and chairman of Allen & Overy Law firm. Born 1959 in Amsterdam Mr. Grapperhaus earned a master of law and doctor of philosophy at University of Amsterdam. Minister of Legal Protection (minister without portfolio) is 42 years old Mr. Sander Dekker (VVD). In Rutte II cabinet he was State Secretary at the Ministry of Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, dealing with higher education, science and knowledge, teachers and culture. From 2006 until 2012 he served as Deputy-Mayor in The Hague where he started his political career as city councillor and was known as a strong debater. He studied public administration at Leiden University. State Secretary of Immigration, Integration and Asylum Affairs at the Justice and Security Ministry is Mr. Mark Harbers (VVD). Born in 1969 he was a member of parliament since 2009 until this appointment. 2007-2009 he served as deputy-mayor in Rotterdam, at which city he also studied economy.        

Intervention by Steven van Hoogstraten, CEO Hague Institute,  before the Human Rights Committee of the Liberal International, at the “Europa Huis”. Mr Chairman, ladies and gentlemen Many thanks for the invitation to come and speak before your parliamentary committee this morning on behalf of the Hague Institute for Global Justice. In the words of the former Mayor of the Hague, the liberal politician Jozias van Aartsen, “the Hague Institute for Global justice was established 5 years ago in response to a growing demand for policy relevant research and innovative thinking on critical issues of peace and justice. Today the Institute plays a key role in informing the work of cities, governments and international organizations by conducting research, building capacity and convening scholars and practitioners to discuss solutions to contemporary global challenges”. Mr. chairman Global Justice is what we call in this country a “container notion” , a notion that does cover many things for many people. In other words, it is not a one dimensional concept but it brings together many issues under the umbrella of an attractive, overriding theme. Issues of global justice are indeed ranging from the individual responsibility of military commanders to the conduct of states, from migration to mediation, from crimes to humanity to the greatest needs of humanity. At the Hague Institute for Global Justice, we tend to use a framework which is composed of 4 different objectives or 4 dimensions

• The first is enhancing accountability for perpetrators of international crimes.
• The second is the promotion of the Rule of Law notably in fragile states.
• The third is the effort to improve Global Governance.
• The fourth is the prevention and resolution of Conflict.

Justifiably, there might be more of these axes, such as the fight against illicit trade, human trafficking or the widespread pandemic of corruption. But at this more strategic level we should not complicate matters too much, and so stick to this first set of 4 already wide ranging perspectives. You will note that the protection of human rights is not defined as one of the 4 axes. That is because in our view, the problem of Global Justice is primarily one of the ethical and legal behavior of states, of the judiciary or official institutions. Human Rights are in this perspective an intertwining concept, one that does not come directly to the forefront. Global Justice basically seeks to improve the conditions for the population at large, and that of course means the enhancement of the position of individuals too. The Rule of Law presupposes the establishment of democratic institutions, which do their work properly and can be held to account. These institutions may or may not step on the line of human rights, which then is easily a lesser consideration in the light of the greater objective of societies which are stable and which know an internal system of checks and balances. One may criticize China for its record on Human Rights, but it knows what governance is and there is more than a hint that the Chinese governance is acceptable at the world stage. It is no overstatement to say that the city of the Hague is well placed to work for Global Justice, as this city is working for Peace and Justice according to its coat of arms. The Hague is the home to so many judicial institutions. The International Court of Justice, principal judicial organ of the United Nations, the International Criminal Court and the International Criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia ICTY are the most visible examples. But there is more. What to think of the oldest institution for the settlement of disputes by arbitration, the Permanent Court of Arbitration – which has a pretty large agenda these days. Or the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, and another special tribunal for Kosovo ? For many people, the enhanced accountability for crimes is clearly at the top of list, if we talk about Global Justice. No person should go unpunished, if he or she commits the worst conceivable attacks. Still, this is primarily a matter for national concern, as is shown by the constitution of the International Criminal Court. The ICC comes into play only if national jurisdictions are incapable or unwilling to prosecute the crimes themselves. We are all aware of the weaknesses of the ICC, namely (1) the procedures are slow, (2) there seems to be an emphasis on Africa – for whatever reason – and (3) many nations have not yet signed up to the ICC, including the most powerful ones. But if Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Argentina, South Africa and all the European nations can be part of ICC, we are justified in asking why Russia, China, India and the US are not. And if we place a historical lens before our eyes it is still early days, as the ICC has merely had its first 10 years. Still there is a lot to improve and notably the efficiency and speed of bringing justice. The case of the prosecution launched at the request of Kenya is a horror example like no other, but it would be hard to blame only the Court for that. The killing of important witnesses is not attributable to a court of law, if you understand what I say. I think that the Prosecutor made an important announcement when she said that she had opened proceedings in Afghanistan. That will go some distance to take away the so called anti African sentiments Incidentally, the improvement of accountability is not just a matter for International Courts to be established. If we look to Syria, it is obvious for me that a legal mechanism of international criminal law will not quickly be created to deal with the crimes of this long-lasting and bloody internal war. All the more reason to applaud the decision by the General Assembly to create a monitoring mechanism called the IIIM, or commonly the triple I M, the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism whose primary aim it is to collect evidence and document the war crimes since 2011 in Syria. Not a prosecutorial system, but an important helping hand to support a future prosecution if it ever came to that. (Resolution nr A/71/248 dd 19 December 2016) . According to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, “this new mechanism is a very significant step to further accountability”. Global governance At The Hague Institute for Global Justice, a lot of our work is related to the architecture of global governance. This concerns of course mainly the United Nations, whose Charter and institutional setup still reflect the political situation of the Post World War II period; but also other important building blocks of global governance, including the development and promotion of new norms, the role of regional organizations as supporting pillars of the global order, and specific sectorial regimes. Concerning this overarching architecture, I would like to point to the Commission on Global Security, Justice and Governance, which was co-chaired by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Nigerian Foreign Minister Ibrahim Gambari, and for which The Hague Institute and the Stimson Center in Washington DC served as the joint secretariat. It culminated in the Commission’s final report entitled Confronting the Crisis of Global Governance, which was launched at the Peace Palace here in The Hague in June 2015. Some commentators may have found that the title was “too gloomy”, but the system is often seen as blocked by national interests. It should be borne in mind that the recommendations are intended for the 75^th birthday of the United nations in 2020. To attract some attention, one needs a spicy title and pickled proposals. This World Commission introduced the notion of “Just Security”, the intersection of justice and security which is critical to understanding – and tackling – today’s global governance threats and challenges. Justice is essential to safeguarding human security. A just society is an illusions without security. The goal of Just Security is to forge a global system of accountable, fair, and effective governance and sustainable peace. This vision is rooted in long standing international commitments to human rights, international law, and the critical role of flexible and evolving multilateral institutions, states and NGO’s in global governance. Among several other recommendations , this World Commission aimed to create the next generation for the UN conflict mediation and peace operations capacity, to innovate climate governance, to establish a new G 20 + for global cooperation in order to avert financial, cross border shocks and to work on the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, and to develop a global network of cybercrime centers next to increasing internet access in the Global South. The Commission also saw great merit in expanding the Security Council’s membership while restraining the use of the veto. Finally and importantly for the Hague, the World Commission wishes to strengthen and more fully use the International Court of Justice, by expanding the number of acceptances of this Curt’s jurisdiction and use its advisory opinions in innovative ways. You may know that only 73out of 195 countries in the world accept the jurisdiction of the ICJ as a matter of national policy. The Dutch are among those who do, like most European nations. But not the French, who backed out after the Nuclear Test Case. And not the USA, nor Russia, or China and so many others. Last but certainly not least, we understand that global justice cannot be only promoted by norms and strategies alone, but also through well-functioning institutions and implementation on the ground. A good example of this is the Global Governance Reform Initiative (GGRI). The GGRI is a collaboration between The Hague Institute, The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Observer Research Foundation, India’s leading think tank. It seeks to analyze the deficiencies in salient regimes and proposes evidence-based policies for improving governance in select domains. Moreover, it looks at emerging patterns and how innovations in one sector can foster solutions in others as well. As a multi-year, multi-phase project, it focused first on cyber governance, with its findings feeding directly into the India Conference on Cyber Security and Cyber Governance in 2014 and the Global Conference on Cyber Space held in The Hague in April 2015. Subsequently, the project’s attention turned to oceans governance, in particular concerning blue growth and sustainable development. The findings from this phase were presented at the Oceans Dialogue 2017 in Kerala, India, a conference organized by the ORF in partnership with the Dutch government. The project’s current and final phase homes in on its politically most contentious topic: Migration governance, with a particular emphasis on using regional cooperation as a way to manage the pressures created by migration and refugee flows, not just in Europe but also in other world regions. Through its expert meeting and online consultations, the project is designed in such a way that it absorbs input from all relevant stakeholder groups, including business and civil society, as well as perspectives from the Global North and South, in particular the BRICS countries. In a similar vein, the deliverables that GGRI produces are designed to speak not just to academic but a range of different audiences. For instance, while each phase produces a special issue of articles in the leading, interdisciplinary academic journal Global Policy, a compact policy brief provides practitioners with the main take-away and reform proposals for each phase, while op-eds and blog posts address the wider, interested public. Mr. Chairman You have asked me to look into the future of the international justice system. May I say that such broad question is easier asked than answered. What I can say from my experience that the international justice system is now rather well developed, but still ailing from one serious illness. That illness is that so many countries have not accepted as yet the jurisdiction of either the International Court of justice or the Rome statute of the ICC, or the arbitration rules of the PCA. I refer to the arbitration case under the UN Convention for the law of the Sea about the South Chines Sea, between the Philippines and China. China did not accept this arbitration and simply refused to come to the proceedings. In the same vein I note that still so many countries are outside the mandate of the International Criminal Court. One can see the importance of the work of the ICTY, an institution which has passed judgement on the main “names “ of the war in Yugoslavia in roughly 20 years. The recent decision of the ICTY on general Mladic after 500 court days is a strong example. But the process of international justice is painstakingly slow, and especially the International Criminal Court has not yet a record to show with pride. My view of the future of the international justice system is that the call for justice will not diminish, and that the core principle of ‘no safe havens for crimes committed” will stand strong. This by itself will allow for new forms of justice systems to come into place, like the investigation mechanism for Syria. But we all know what is needed for that, and notably that is a form of consensus in the Security Council. Sometimes the window of the Security Council will open briefly, but most of the times this window stays shut. Locked by some veto of one of the powers. That is a flaw in the UN system, where a global reform is urgently called for . Like the report on global governance mentioned, why not abolish the veto rule for situations where mass violations of human rights are at the heart of the debate. That would be a small but highly significant step forward. ***          

Diplomat Magazine, the first diplomatic magazine in the Netherlands, is more active than ever. One need only look back at our recent successes, including the innumerable events organised by the magazine in the last five months, the special 10th Anniversary issue for the embassy of Rwanda, the development of the magazine into a leading online publication with hundreds of thousands of readers, and now this special printed edition.   Inside the microcosm of The Hague, the picture of the world is composed of unique elements. In terms of international politics The Hague is different; here diplomats live in an exceptional territory, meeting regularly in order to find agreements, support, alliances and information. The diplomatic scene is so alive here that it becomes possible to see the world as a place of hope for the future. That is the magic of The Hague, and that’s why we are always busy looking for the best angle to show our readers the diversity and the intensity of diplomatic life.  Diplomat Magazine became global after passing all of its articles to the Dow Jones / Factiva platform where more than 1.3 million subscribers have access to the unique compendium of texts produced by ambassadors, ministers, diplomats, heads of international organisations and academics from the Benelux and around the world. We are also traveling to capture events and places globally; recently invited to Kazakhstan, Thailand and Uzbekistan, we share here with you our impressions of the Astana Expo, the Health and Wellness Showcase in Thailand and the Festival Taurami in Marken.  In this issue we have the privilege to publish the reflections of Sidiki Kaba, President of the Assembly of the State Parties for the International Criminal Court, on international justice and accountability, Dr Mary Aiken talks about cyberspace, Martin Wyss exposes the European migration dilemma, the Ambassador of Russia communicates his pride at his country’s completion of their chemical disarmament program in association with the OPCW, while women Ambassadors in The Hague are discussing global security with the Dutch Ambassador to the UN. A dear friend is leaving The Hague soon; more than 50 ambassadors came to say ‘au revoir’ to Abir Ali from Lebanon, Duke Michael of Mecklenburg, our Junior Editor and leader of our Junior Team, finished his Master of International Relations programme at Leiden University, Barend ter Haar is asking which countries are powerful? and Mirko Zambeti talk about new Swiss technologies. The role of the spouse is analysed by Linda Zin of Malaysia, and the new President of Eurojust, Ladislav Hamran takes office at the same time as Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his new cabinet which includes an appointment of special importance to all of us, the appointment of H.E. Halbe Zijlstra as the new Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs. We take this occasion to specially congratulate His Excellency Fernando Arias, Ambassador of Spain who has been elected as the new OPCW Director-General.  Thanks to the Diplomatic team for all of their unconditional support and hard work as always. Dr Mayelinne De Lara, Publisher.      

On the picture portrait and works of Jin Yong. Chinese martial arts, often named under the umbrella term of wushu or kung fu, involve exercising the mind as well as the body, a strenuous and continued effort devoted to one’s pursuit.

This resonates with the Hong Kong spirit – strive for perfection, never give up, and at the same time, be skillful and flexible in facing challenges. Wuxia literature has a long history. Xia were soldiers originally fighting for one of the contending Warring States, who later became knights-errant of the common people, fighting against injustice and corruption.

The genre was revived in Hong Kong in the 1950s and flourished there, alongside the cinema it inspired. Louis Cha published his first martial arts novel, The Book and the Sword, in 1955 under the pen name Jin Yong. It was a huge success and he went on to write a total of 14 novels and one short story which have deeply influenced the popular culture of Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan and Macao. The Hong Kong Heritage Museum honoured Dr Cha by opening a Jin Yong Gallery earlier this year (www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk/en).    

                            Dr Alfred Kellermann. EU Project “Further Strenghtening of the Bi-Cameral Parliamentary System and Communications between the Parliament and the Regional Assemblies in Uzbekistan”. By Dr Alfred Kellermann. In October 2012 I was involved as Team Leader in Uzbekistan in an EU Project which had the objective “To support the current process of reforms and further democratisation in Uzbekistan by modernising the Uzbek Parliament and reinforcing its relationship with society.” Objective 1 – Capacity building was to increase the effectiveness of the legislative process and to reinforce the parliamentary mechanisms for monitoring law implementation at different levels in line with EU and international best practices combined with national experience and parliamentary traditions . Objective 2 – Networking to create an information / communication network that will ensure continuous and clear interaction between the Senate and the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis, the Jokargy Kenes (Parliament of the Republic of Karakalpakstan) and local Kengashes of people deputies. Objetive 3 – Public Awareness increasing at Uzbek society for the role and functioning of the Parliament, improving public and NGO Participation and involvement in discussing draft legislation at different stages. The results of the three objectives were more or less realized in 2014. Full integration of Uzbekistan into the International and EU legal order poses a number of tasks for the Chamber of Legislation and Senate in Uzbekistan. Some of these tasks have to be implemented in the near future. The First contractual relationship of Uzbekistan with EU, the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) signed on 21 June 1996 in Florence, came into force on July first 1999. In accordance with Article 83 PCA, a Parliamentary Cooperation Committee for PCA and Association was established. Since the entry info force of the Lisbon Treaty, many new developments took place which were of interest for this parliamentary project for example the new role of the national Parliaments (Art. 12 EU). Strengthening the capacities of the Chamber of Legislation and Senate of Uzbekistan to monitor the Approximation of the Uzbek legislation with International Conventions and EU acquit according to Article 42 PCA was one of the priorities. Since January 2005 the Parliament consists of two chambers: the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis (Lower House) and the Senate of the Oliy Majlis (Upper House). The Senate is the highest legislative body of territorial representatives . It consists of 100 Senators and represents 12 viloyats (regions) of Uzbekistan, the city of Tashkent and the Republic of Karakalpakstan. The Legislative Chamber consists of 150 Deputies with a right of legislative initiative, elected from various electoral disctricts based on a Multi-party system. The Republic of Karakalpakstan is an integral part of the Republic of Uzbekistan, with 1,5 million inhabitants and covers approximately one third of Uzbekistan’s territory. Jokargy Kenes is the unicameral Parliament of the Republic of Karakalpakstan and has 86 deputies. Plans towards building a democratic state respectful for the rule of law, Human rights and participative civil society have been prepared during the period of the EU project. These developments together with an action plan for future reforms have been presented in a “Concept of further deepening for democratic reforms and establishing the civil society in the country”drafted in late 2010. In a Keynote Speech of the President on 14.9.2012 the level and quality of training of specialists was raised as a top priority of state policy. Uzbekistan’s new President Shavkat Mirziyoyev elected on December 4, 2016 says he wants his country to finally move on from Soviet era policies and economics. This has as a consequence that in the near future the objectives and results of the EU project of 2012 will be enlarged and will continue to have its effects for new reforms! ——– Dr Alfred Kellermann, Team Leader 2012 in Uzbekistan. The EU integration of Uzbekistan’s full project is available in the Chamber of Legislation and Senate of Uzbekistan.  Dr Kellerman is a Professor in European Law. Institution Building Expert.    

Naseeb Mfinanga, Donna Duggan and family. Maasai Wanderings and Nasikia Camps Tanzania  announce Advisors and Executive nominees Leading African tourism companies Maasai Wanderings and Nasikia Tented Camps (Tanzania) have released the companies’ first public statement following the tragic loss of Managing Director and Co-Founder Mr Naseeb Mfinanga. Mr Mfinanga was one of 11 people who lost their lives on 15 November, 2017 when a Cessna 208B  Grand Caravan aircraft operated by Coastal Aviation was involved in an accident which took place above the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in northern Tanzania. Mr Mfinanga’s brother Shatri Mfinanga and the company’s graphics specialist Gift Lema also lost their lives in the incident.

An investigation to ascertain the cause of the accident is being conducted by Tanzania’s Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication.  The operator Coastal Aviation has also commissioned independent air investigators. Ms Duggan is also being advised by a leading law firm, Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs Inc. (ENSafrica), via its offices in Dar es Salaam, on the process of the continued operations of Nasikia Camps and Maasai Wanderings as well as the accident investigations referred to above.

The following highly respected persons will also work closely with Ms Duggan during this period:     • Mr Andrew Shapland of Tourism Corporation Africa Ltd and The Roving Ambassador GTC (Pty) Ltd, in the role of Business Development, reporting to Ms Duggan.   • Mr Stefan le Roux, South African Attorney and Solicitor of The Supreme Court of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, will act as legal advisor to ensure the best interests of Mr Mfinanga’s wife and family.

• Mr Johann Lombard in the role  of Sales and Camp Development.  Mr Lombard has a deep understanding of the groups’ values, products, philosophy and vision as well as extensive expertise in guide skill development, camp construction, infrastructure and operations. • Mr Charles Mwanisawa former General Manager of KasKaz Mara Camp,  will head Operations to oversee standards of excellence in all camps and locations. Formation of the ‘Naseeb Mfinanga Memorial Trust’ Co-Founder and joint Managing Director of Maasai Wanderings Limited and co-founder of Nasikia Camps (Nasikia Tanzania Ltd) Donna Duggan, has announced the formation of  ‘The Naseeb Mfinanga Memorial Trust’ to be incorporated in the Republic of South Africa. “Through the Naseeb Mfinanga Memorial Trust, we will honour my husband and continue the work which was so important to us both – helping those in need in our communities and across Tanzania, with particular emphasis on preservation, conservation, youth empowerment and education,”  Ms Duggan said.

   

Special Representative for Hong Kong Economic and Trade Affairs to the EU, Ms Shirley Lam, with the fastest team at the Oxfam Trailwalker. As one of its initiatives to mark the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s 20th anniversary, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (HKETO, Brussels) brought 20 young people from Hong Kong to participate in the 100-kilometre Oxfam Trailwalker challenge in Belgium’s High Fens around Eupen on 26-27 August. The challenge consists in teams of four walkers having to complete a 100km trek in no more than 30 hours. Although it is now a worldwide event that takes place in nine countries over four continents, the first Trailwalker was first held in Hong Kong in 1981 as a Gurkha training exercise, before it was taken over by Oxfam in 1997.

In view of this special link, HKETO, Brussels was happy to sponsor the event. The 20 young people, all 20 years old, the same age as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, successfully completed the arduous trek, showing the true Hong Kong “can do” spirit. In addition to the five teams of young people, seven Hong Kong adult teams also “Walked the Hong Kong Spirit”, including “Fearless Dragon”, a team of walkers with disabilities. There was also a shorter VIP walk. The Belgian team that raised the largest sum of money for charity was invited to take part in the Oxfam Trailwalker in Hong Kong on 17-19 November 2017. During their week-long visit, the group of twenty-year-olds learnt more about Belgium and the EU through a series of briefings on topics ranging from youth policies to climate change. They were taken on guided tours to major sites, including World War I locations and the battlefield of Waterloo. The group also visited a project in Boom near Antwerp, where De Steenschuit offers traineeships to people who have been unemployed for at least one year.

In 2013, it started the construction of a replica of the RV Belgica, a wooden three-mast ship in which famous Belgian explorer Adrien de Gerlache sailed to the South Pole on an international expedition of discovery in 1897. Once it is completed, the New Belgica will take part in tall ship events and take pride of place in Antwerp’s new Museum for Maritime Heritage, to be opened in the docks in 2023. The project is supported among others by funds raised at the annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in Antwerp, organised by Rotary Club Antwerp West and supported by HKETO, Brussels.