The time has come to say ‘until next time’ to a brilliant, dedicated and effective diplomat, who leaves behind many great accomplishments and a plethora of newfound friends. Diplomat Magazine celebrated Ms. Abir Ali, Charge d’Affaires of Lebanon for her successful time in the Netherlands by awarding her a Certificate of Merit. The event was packed with colleagues, ambassadors, and personal friends. The room filled to the point of needing more chairs, hugs and gifts were exchanged, and many congratulated Ms. Ali for her wonderful work while in The Hague. After the playing of the Dutch and Lebanese national anthems, H.E. Abdelouahab Bellouki, Ambassador of Morocco, took the floor to analyze the deeper meaning of Abir’s name in different cultures and her outstanding career. Additionally, he mentioned her exceptional performance in The Hague and emphasized their personal friendship. “What a task?”, said Ambassador Bellouki “Definitely it is a bitter occasion. A painful event. It is not an easy moment, because we are here today to bid goodbye to a charming, nice and kind person. A person we do not wish to depart. As someone said in a similar occasion: “We started with a simple hello but ended with a complicated goodbye.” For additional Roy Strik’s pictures, please open the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157687140778322  

“Abir is the personification of class and grace, of elegance and style and even glamor. Educated, wise and full of charm. She is the person you hope to be seated next to her at a dinner party. A distinguished representative of her country, the beautiful Lebanon. Abir is known for her dedication to her job and engagement for positive endeavors. Her sterling qualities force respect and consideration. She is gifted by humane and professional qualities. Even though she is one-person embassy, she succeeded in making the voice of Lebanon heard in the Netherlands on many fronts.” Ms. Ali’s personal qualities and overextended network deemed worthy of a second speaker, this time the Cameroon Ambassador and dear friend of Abir, H.E. Odette Melono. Ms. Melono took to the floor to praise Ms. Ali’s contributions to the diplomatic community of the Hague. Ms. Melono stated, “Well, what can I say about Abir? As soon as I met her when she arrived in February 2013, I realized how special she was. Abir is not only a friendly, elegant lady, she is someone who really connects to people on a personal level.” “You have been a successful diplomat but also a wonderful representative of the Lebanese  culture, hospitality and cuisine. We are all going  to miss your warm and well organised parties.”

Ms. Abir Ali’s farewell words were dedicated to her colleagues, the Hague’s international institutions including the ICC and the OPCW in which she played a powerful role, the Netherlands as a host country, and Diplomat Magazine. “Four years and eight months later, I can say that we do have warmer relations and better knowledge of each other. Indeed, the last years witnessed a strengthening of the ties between our countries. For the past years, Lebanon has been facing an unprecedented burden caused by the Syrian refugee crisis. Lebanon and the Lebanese did not shy away from their responsibilities and opened their homes and hearts to their (our) brothers the Syrians. But this did not come without a cost…

The values of tolerance, pluralism, openness, and acceptance of one another make Lebanon a model country where people of different religious denominations know that once they resort to dialogue and not war, all conflicts can be resolved and people can live peacefully together. The history, culture, art, and cuisine that give Lebanon its unique place in the Middle East, and the world. With the limited means at my disposal, material and human, I tried to showcase the best of Lebanon and to introduce Lebanon to the Dutch by organizing business events, art exhibitions as well as wine tasting event, and everything in between. I would like to give special thanks to the Embassy staff and the Residence staff for their help and support.”

The reception was a tremendous manifestation of friendship among colleagues from every continent. A guest described the atmosphere as a ‘salon was full of love.’ To preserve the memory, group pictures with all ambassadors together were taken. However, instead of lining up in U.N. order, the ambassadors simply gathered in enthusiasm wearing smiles on their faces. The merriness continued as teary-eyed participants joined together to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ Apostolic Nuncio, H.E. Aldo Cavalli, who was completely taken by surprise. The music of Fayrouz and Paolo Conte, favourites of Ms Ali started, filled the room. Guests shared an enormous delicious cake made by Marta Orban, an exclusive creation for Ms Abir Ali. It featured the Lebanon flag, pastel colors and enormous bouquet of sugar flowers representing her attachment and loyalty for her country, her joy and her beauty.

Many thanks to Diplomatic Card and Carlton Ambassador Hotel.  

The Deputy Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Mr Hamid Ali Rao, during his official visit to Mexico. Here at National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).  THE HAGUE, Netherlands — 8 November 2017 — The Deputy Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Mr Hamid Ali Rao, underlined the need for robust preparedness against chemical emergencies and the importance of peaceful uses of chemistry during his official visit to Mexico on 6 November.

Mr Jeffrey A. Apperson, Chairman, IIJE. Today, several international leaders in the field of justice announced the establishment of the International Institute for Justice Excellence (IIJE), a nonprofit institute. The Institute will be headquartered in the international city of justice – The Hague, Netherlands. The International Institute for Justice Excellence (IIJE) will hold an event to recognize our world’s continuing effort to serve humanity’s goal of justice, an “International Justice Excellence Day’” to be celebrated on November 14, 2017, and a “Justice Administration Excellence Award,” to be announced at the International Justice Excellence Day ceremony. On November 14 it will also be celebrating the justice administration legacy of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, which closes at the end of 2017, in the Great Courtroom in the Peace Palace, The Hague, Netherlands. Objectives of the IIJE The Institute will strive to work with national and international communities to:

• Assist in the development of the effective administration of justice
• Contribute with all members of the international community to achieve the goals of access to justice, fairness of judicial process and the attainment of the Rule of Law.

The Board of Directors of the International Institute for Justice Excellence, will collectively announce their establishment as a non-profit organization and their dedication to serving the above-stated goals. The specific mission of the Institute is: “To establish a nonpolitical, nonprofit, international institution dedicated to developing a collaborative approach to improving, globally, the administration of justice more uniformly and efficiently by promoting and providing:

1. Research;
2. Education; and the dissemination of international best practices and procedure related to the field of court management. And “To establish the ability to review practice outcomes as meeting international guidelines set by IIJE in all essential justice administration fields.”

The Hague Conventions outlined norms for the conduct of war, which remains a continuing challenge. However, the overarching goal of justice and peace as an intervention to war must be the primary global objective. Attaining justice requires a a more cohesive and informative generational approach to building our institutional capacities – both within our governments and in our collective society. Society is transformed by establishing and maintaining a strong foundation of justice that internalizes the Rule of Law. Martin Luther King referred to building “The Rule of Justice.” The Supreme Court of Pakistan refers to the same principle as “Rule Among the People with Justice.” No matter the language, the goal remains the same: establish, honor and maintain the Rule of Law. The IIJE will strive to provide an institutional forum in several languages for the dissemination of best practices in justice administration. The forum will include practice to advance the areas of:

• Institutional governance;
• Information technology;
• Human resource management;
• Court administration;
• Case management;
• Public and media access; and
• Strategic planning.

The overarching aim of the Institute is the improvement of access to justice. Launching our publication of an International Guideline for Justice Administration Practice and Procedure will be an immediate goal. Such guidance will accelerate the ability of nations to take a more cohesive and informative approaches to building the capacity of their national justice systems.

Diplomatic Press Officers in The Hague by Diplomat Magazine Alexey Dmitrievskiy, Press Attaché of the Embassy of Russia in The Hague, proposed to Diplomat Magazine a meeting among press officers currently working at embassies in The Hague. The purpose of this proposed meeting was to find the way to bridge the gap between the international community and Dutch media. To acquaint the press officers with one another, Dr. Mayelinne De Lara, publisher of Diplomat Magazine, called for a meeting at the Carlton Ambassador. During this first meeting many ideas were discussed by the group, and each press attaché had the opportunity to share his or her point of view. In the days to come, a summary of the meeting will be circulated among the press officers and a Facebook group will be created. The Facebook group will invite press attachés of international organizations and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to join for a meeting. Additionally, plans will be formulated to contact news agencies and inviting Dutch journalists to talk.

Mr. Dmitriesvkiy’s efforts display the mutually beneficial elements of partnering with Diplomat Magazine. Via our platform, it is possible to send pictures, press releases, and more, connecting embassies in the Hague with Dutch media. Additionally, due to our partnership with Dow Jones and Factiva, Diplomat Magazine is going global, reaching 1.3 million subscribers and over 70,000 readers via Benelux. With this in mind, Mr. Dmitriesvkiy’s meeting will certainly be productive for all.