By Dimitris Iliopoulos.
“The Hague has undeniably earned over time the title of “the capital of peace and justice” by becoming the hub of a number of important International Organisations such as the Nobel Peace prize winner Organisation for the prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, the Permanent Court of Arbitration and a number of Courts pertaining to specific country situations. It has also become the seat of a number of Regional organisations such as EUROPOL, EUROJUST, a.o.
Therefore, one cannot be surprised by the big number of diplomatic missions residing there or being accredited in parallel from neighbouring countries, a clear manifestation of diplomatic importance in tandem with the political and economic importance of the host country, the Netherlands.
The Treaty of Lisbon, which entered into force on 1 December 2009, has introduced a novelty aiming at ensuring the continuity and coherence of the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP). In this light, the European External Action Service (EEAS) has been created along the model of a classical Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by the High Representative/Vice President of the European Commission to serve the goals of the CFSP/CSDP and to enhance their visibility and effectiveness. Former Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini is the HRVP since 2014.
The EEAS is currently composed by 139 EU Delegations including those that are accredited to International Organisations and Agencies. For reasons pertaining to the organisational and budgetary circumstances prevailing at the time of the creation of the EEAS, no EU Delegation has been established in The Hague to represent the EU to the resident International Organisations. However, as important diplomatic and other international developments unfolded there, the need for an enhanced EU presence has become more than apparent.
Relevant action to face this lacuna had been repeatedly voiced by EU Member States that missed the support of the EEAS as in other capitals around the world, the Secretariats and Administration of the International Organisations (especially those to which the EU is making significant voluntary contributions), by non-EU states that requested more interaction and last but not least by Academia and think-tanks. An example in point are the two publications by the esteemed Clingendael Institute, the second one bearing the creative title: “The cavalry has arrived”.
Visit of the High representative/ Vice president federica Mogherini to the OPCW. In the picture with Director General Ambassador Ahmet Uzumcu,
At some point and responding to the requirements of the OPCW due to the Syrian crisis, the EEAS hierarchy has decided in 2013 to start deploying an EU official (the undersigned) on a regular basis and by decision of HRVP Mogherini since 2015 on a permanent basis to follow and report on developments, to interact with the OPCW, EU and non-EU stakeholders and to prepare the basis for the opening of an appropriate permanent delegation whenever the budgetary and other circumstances will allow it.
The level of ambition is to incrementally extend the cooperation to the Courts which the EU is generously supporting. The results of the enhanced presence have been very encouraging from the beginning. The level of cooperation with all stakeholders has reached new standards, in particular with OPCW during the critical period of the Syrian chemical weapons removal and destruction and beyond.
The visibility of the EU relevant policies and action has become more tangible to non-EU diplomatic missions and the flow of information has been significantly reinforced. The EU Representative now participates in the rich programme of all mainstream diplomatic or state activities. The endeavour has been generously supported by the Dutch Authorities, including the Gemeenten and in particular the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which merits a loud expression of appreciation. The endeavour has the backing of the HRVP, who did not miss any opportunity to participate in important events in The Hague and to promote the visibility and supportive role of the EU.
The work of the EU Representative to the OPCW is definitely complicated considering that the size of the task is simply enormous, especially in recent months where some interaction has started with other international or regional entities. Several positive steps can be recorded such as the fact that the EU Representative now has an office, collocated with the European Commission and the European Parliament in the famous Huis van Europa situated in Korte Vijverberg 6, near the Binnenhof.
The EU Representative has also been granted Privileges and Immunities according to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Diplomatic accreditation with the organisations will be pursued. Of course the ultimate goal is the opening of a full-fledged EU Delegation whenever the circumstances will allow it. Only then the EU MS states, the International Organisations, the diplomatic community in The Hague and the EEAS itself will be able to take full advantage of the EU potential and interaction to the benefit of international peace, security and cooperation.”
“Dimitris Iliopoulos is Principal Advisor at the Disarmament, Non-proliferation and Arms export control Division (SEC POL 1) of the European External Action Service (EEAS). Before joining the EEAS he has served as Greek diplomat in ex-Yugoslavia, Turkey, Geneva (UN) and as Greek Ambassador to the UAE, Albania, Brussels (Deputy Permanent Representative to the EU). He was appointed as Head of the Geneva Liaison Office of the Council of the EU in 2008 and Deputy Head of the EU Delegation (UN) in Geneva (heading the disarmament section) in 2011. Since his return to the EEAS HQs in Brussels in 2012 he has dealt with various disarmament issues (notably Chemical weapons, the Syrian CW operation, etc) and since May 2015 he is the EU Representative to the Organisation of Chemical Weapons, while following the work of the other International Organisations in The Hague as well.”
By Barend ter Haar.Russia and the West are confronted with the same fundamental challenges: a relative decline of their geo-political position, global threats that require more international cooperation and internal pressures to withdraw from that.Because the countries of the West, Russia and Japan were the first to industrialize, they reached a level of development that gave them an enormous advantage on other countries and provided them with the opportunity to extend their power over the rest of the world. This period is now coming to an end. The countries of the South are catching up and the relative position of the countries of the North is declining. The USSR used to be one of the two global superpowers. The Russian Federation remains very important, but not necessarily more important than China, India or Brazil. Even the relative power of the United States is declining. The relative position of the countries of Western Europe is in continuous decline. Take for example the Netherlands. Between 1945 and 1975 it lost more than 97% of its territory. In 1962 it was one of the founding members of the G10, the group of ten most important Western industrialized countries, but in 1999 it did not receive an invitation to become a member of the global group of twenty countries, the G20.The war in Syria gives the impression that the world is still basically an anarchy. However, a comparison with the situation a century ago makes clear that it is an exception to the global trend in the direction of a rule-based global order. The wobbly international order that is slowly developing might to a large extent be an accidental result of globalisation rather than the consequence of a common vision of countries, but that makes it no less real. As technological and economical developments proceed, countries have no choice but to accept a growing acquis of rules, encompassing inter alia communication, international finance, trade, scientific standards, public health and environmental protection. Possibly the toughest challenge for both most Western countries and Russia is to engage in intensive international cooperation to deal with global challenges, while an important part of their population wants to go in opposite direction. What the movements that seek refuge in isolation have in common is that they blame “foreigners” for everything that goes wrong and therefore want to have as little as possible to do with the outside world. Typical examples are the Dutch referendum against an association agreement with Ukraine, the Brexit referendum in the United Kingdom and the rise of Donald Trump in the United States.Although blaming the outside world for everything that goes wrong is not a very fruitful long-term strategy, governments are tempted to sing to the tune of these groups, as they comprise a sizable part of the electorate. Both Russia and the West are tempted to seek refuge in antagonistic isolation instead of constructive engagement to adapt to a changing world order. However, in the longer run the only alternative for cooperation is self-mutilation.
By Liu Po-liang, Commissioner, Criminal Investigation Bureau, Republic of China (Taiwan).Growing internationalization underlines the urgent need for Taiwan’s involvement in the global fight against transnational crime.The 2016 InterNations Expat Insider survey of more than 14,000 expatriates globally ranked Taiwan as the best destination in the world. About 34 percent of expats in Taiwan are extremely satisfied with their work environment, more than double the average ratio worldwide. With a population of 23 million, Taiwan is a major transportation hub and an important economic and trade center in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2014, it was listed second among the top-10 safest countries of the world. However, in order to sustain a high level of public security at a time when cybercrime and terrorism continue to spread, it is imperative for Taiwan to participate in Interpol and work together with law enforcement agencies worldwide.Taiwan’s absence in Interpol affects global security.Taiwan became a member of Interpol in 1961 under the name the Republic of China, but was forced to withdraw in 1984 due to political factors. More than 30 years have passed since then, and at present only Taiwan and North Korea are excluded from the organization. However, Taiwan is vastly different from North Korea. The fact that Taiwan enjoys reciprocal visa waiver privileges with more than 100 other countries around the world indicates that the ROC passport might attract the attention of those engaged in transnational crime. Taiwan’s exclusion from Interpol—in effect denying it timely access to key intelligence as well as preventing it from participating in seminars and training workshops—creates a major loophole in the global security and counterterrorism network.Taiwan requires Interpol assistance, while Interpol requires Taiwan to ensure a comprehensive security network.Taiwan is ready and willing to participate in global police endeavors in fighting crime. Since 2009, Taiwan police agencies have collaborated with counterparts overseas to resolve 235 cases and arrest more than 12,000 suspects involved in organized fraud as well as transnational trafficking of drugs and persons, including children. Although Taiwan police have spared no effort in combating transnational crime, their requests for Interpol assistance have met with little support, as reflected in the fact that a response was received in only 27 of 90 enquiries made in the first nine months of 2016. In a world shaped by globalization, an international security network that does not include Taiwan inevitably leads to higher law enforcement costs for all parties concerned. For example, only after Taiwan police had solved a US$2.2-million ATM heist perpetrated in the country by 22 foreign nationals in July 2016, did they realize that European nations were highly interested in the case when Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau was invited to discuss it at a special meeting convened by the European Police Office. However, Taiwan police were unable to promptly share information they had uncovered on more suspects in the upper echelons of the crime ring; nor were they able to gain access to intelligence they needed. As crime is no longer subject to geographical constraints, Taiwan’s exclusion from Interpol creates a major loophole in the prevention of international crime, becoming a cause of concern for countries worldwide.Politics should not override public security; we urge you to support Taiwan’s participation in Interpol as an observer.Taiwan’s police, as part of the global police community, have the obligation, responsibility, willingness, and capability to participate in Interpol and work jointly with other police forces around the world.So as to avoid sensitive political issues, Taiwan is willing to attend the Interpol General Assembly as an observer. Although participation in this annual event would not lead to direct and prompt exchanges of intelligence with member countries, or access to their crime databases, Taiwan’s attendance at various meetings and events would facilitate interaction and compensate for the current lack of intelligence exchanges. This could serve as an initial step to meet basic needs for transnational law enforcement cooperation, without touching on political issues.Fighting crime is the police’s mission and responsibility. As police officers, we should transcend geographical, ethnic, and political differences, so that the global police community can work in concert to ensure social justice. We urge you to speak up for Taiwan at relevant occasions and support its participation in Interpol.
By Roy Lie A Tjam.
It was on a pleasant autumn morning of early October 2016 when I had the pleasure to conduct a causerie with H.E. Ambassador I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja under whose leadership the Embassy of Indonesia in The Hague has been since early 2016. As his name indicates, this father of two and husband to Rusdijana Puja, is of Royal descent.
Ambassador Wesaka Puja aspires to register and take stock of all pieces of Indonesian arts in the Netherlands. Thereafter, the data collected will be used for issuing a handbook in order to preserve the whole collection for posterity – a truly noble objective. Ambassador Wesaka Puja hopes to see this aspiration, towards which he has already made great strides becoming a reality during his stint in The Hague. This much awaited handbook is already well in the pipeline. The project is funded by the Indonesian Embassy and external patrons. Over and above this burning desire, he envisages sharing Indonesian arts with the world, particularly the Netherlands.
Ambassador Wesaka Puja has had a similar experience when he was his country’s envoy in Vienne (Austria) between 2010 and 2013. Upon discovering that the Völken Kunde Museum in Vienna had a great number of artworks from his native island of Bali professionally stored away in their basement and that the public had no access to the works unless with permission of the authorities, Ambassador Wesaka Puja got all of them registered. This resulted in two handsome volumes; one entitled Balinese Art in Transition and the other Maluku: Sharing Cultural Memory – a process which he played an instrumental role in. It must have been gratifying to Ambassador Wesaka Puja to find those humongous works of art.
It is understandable why the Embassy of Indonesia in The Hague possesses such a sizeable collection of arts. The entrance of the Embassy is adorned by a picturesque statue of 13th century. Queen Gayatri Rajapatni of East Java
It is known of Queen Gayatri Rajapatni that she established a Hindu kingdom in east Java, regardless of being a Buddhist. After her abdication, she retreated into a Buddhist monastery. She was so phenomenal and vigorous that got a Dutch scholar to write about her.
Indonesia is made up of over 17000 islands and slightly over 600 of them are inhabited. All produce various types of art, of which an enormous amount ended up right here in the Netherlands. Currently, there are thousands of Indonesian pieces of art in the Netherlands’ musea.
The musea and prominent locations where Indonesian arts can be found include:
The Indonesian room at Paleis Noordeinde, which is the working office of H.M King Willem-Alexander. When the Indonesian President visited the Netherlands a few months ago, King Willem-Alexander proudly showed him this room containing sculptures and ceramic wares
The National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden
Museum Nusantara in Delft that closed in 2013 due to a substantial decline in foot traffic. All the Indonesian works of art that were available in this museum have been packed and are ready to be dispatched to Indonesia. Museum Nusantara was founded as an educational institution to train Dutch civil servants for the colony in order to give the prospective civil servants an idea of their future environment. Officials and alumni in Indonesia sent objects from all over the country. These were primarily utensils and samples of crafts. Later on, art objects from individuals and collectors were also donated to Museum Nusantara.
Museum Bronbeek in Arnhem.
Ambassador Wesaka Puja is evidently an aesthete with a passion for both visual arts and performing arts. However, he modestly refers to himself as a layman with only an avid interest in arts. ‘Just as sport is able to unite people from all walks of life, the art of dance is also capable of uniting,’ he asserted. It is because of this that he has recently made a personal contribution to a Gamelan Concert that was held in Amsterdam and featured the Balinese mask-dance. ‘Dancing is rendering to God,’ he continued.
A huge Bali Hindu temple Pairi Daiza in Paradiso Park in Belgium. Mask dance.
Tari Topeng dance
Pasar Raya Fair, edition 2017, it is envisaged to dedicate part of this event to the Keris the Indonesian Royal dagger. Participation will be open to exhibitors from Indonesia, The 2016 edition focused on wajang dolls. There are a few Royal Kris in Vienna which at some point may have to be returned to their rightful owners in Indonesia.
These are the upcoming and past events for 2016:
Jazz festival 13 – 14 October
Indonesian Week 07 – 10 November at Markthal, Rotterdam
Film festival 17 – 20 November at Wolff Catharijn Bioskoop, in Utrecht
It was an enormous pleasure meeting the cordial personality of H.E. Ambassador I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja. We wish him the best of luck with his great undertakings.
Activities of the Ibero-American Institute of The Hague for Peace, Human Rights and International Justice (IIH) in 2017By Hector Olasolo Alonso.
The activities of the Ibero-American Institute of The Hague for Peace, Human Rights and International Justice in 2017 will be as follows:
The I Polyphonic Day on International Justice will take place on Wednesday June 7, 2017 from 11h00 to 19h30 in the auditorium of The Hague University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands). There will be three round-table discussions with speakers from Sub-saharian Africa, Arabic countries, China, Ibero-America and Russia on the following topics: a) “Pros and Cons of the election of the Permanent Court of Arbitrage as a forum to develop arbitrage between interventionists and states”; (b) “the relation between the concepts of sovereignty and responsibility to protect” and (c) “ the relation between national jurisdictions and international criminal jurisdictions in light of the concepts of sovereignty and the responsibility to protect”. The I Polyphonic Day is organized in partnership with The Hague Peace and Justice Project of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands, The Hague University for Applied Sciences, the Chinese Initiative on International Law (CIIL) and the Center of International and Comparative Law of the Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia). No previous registration is required to attend this event.
The IV Seminar of Ibero-American Thinking on International Justice will take place in The Hague from June 5-9, 2017. The IV Ibero-American Seminar will consist of the following activities:
Visits to the International Court of Justice, Permanent Court of Arbitration, International Criminal Court, International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, as well as presentations from other international organizations with headquarters in The Hague.
I Polyphonic Day of International Justice (in English), June 7, 2017 from 11h00 to 19h30 in the auditorium of The Hague University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands).
Hague Talks Session on Victims of International Crimes (in English), organized by the Municipality of The Hague and the Academic Coalition of The Hague on Wednesday June 7, 2017 from 20h00 to 21h30 at the Humanity House of the Municipality of The Hague.
Round-table Discussions with Ibero-American speakers on International Justice Issues (in Spanish and Portuguese), Tuesday June 6, 2017 from 16h00 to 19h00, and Wednesday June 7, 2017 from 8h30 to 11h00 in the Speakers´ Corner of The Hague University of Applied Sciences(in Spanish and Portuguese).
Presentations on June 8 and 9, 2017 by Members of the Interdisciplinary Research Network on Ibero-American Epistemological Perspective of Justice, Coordinated by the Ibero-American Institute of The Hague (in Spanish and Portuguese). The presentation will address issues concerning international justice from different branches of humanities and social sciences (anthropology, economy, international law, international relations, national law, philosophy, political science, psychology, science and technology and theology). Presentations will take place from 8h00 to 20h00 on June 8, 2017, and from 8h00 to 13h00 on June 9, 2017, in the Speakers´ Corner of The Hague University of Applied Sciences.
Except for the I Polyphonic Day and Hague Talks Session, Registration is needed to participate in the other activities of the IV Seminar of Ibero-American Thinking on International Justice (open until May 15, 2017). For more information or to register for the event contact: inscripcionesIIH@gmail.com. You can also visit:
http://www.iberoamericaninstituteofthehague.org/es/actividades/seminario-de-pensamiento-iberoamericano ; and
http://www.iberoamericaninstituteofthehague.org/es/actividades/dia-polifonico-de-la-justicia-internacional
The III Annual Meeting of the Interdisciplinary Research Network on Ibero-American Epistemological Perspective of Justice will take place Friday, June 9 from 14h30 to 19h00 in The Hague University of Applied Sciences. Participation requires prior invitation.
The V ICC Moot Court in Spanish (2017) has the following key dates: (i) publishing of answers to explanatory questions on December 5, 2016 (ii) registration period will be open until April 3, 2017; (iii) deadline for briefs from the Prosecution, Legal Representatives of the Victims and the Defense (until April 12 2012); and (iv) audiences in The Hague, including the final in Courtroom I of the International Criminal Court Chamber (from May 29 to June 2, 2017). To register or request more information, please contact:cpiconcursoiih@gmail.com. The public announcement for the V Edition of the ICC Moot Court in Spanish, the case, the rules of procedure and other relevant documents can be found in following link:
VII Ibero-American Week of International Justice will take place in The Hague (The Netherlands) from May 29 until June 9, 2017. The VII Ibero-American Week of International Justice includes among other activities the ones referred to above in 1 to 4. For more information on the VII Ibero-American Week of International Justice contact: info@iberoamericaninstituteofthehague.org , or visit the IIH web page:
The VI edition (2017) of the Blattmann, Odio Benito and Steiner Essay Competition on International Criminal Law. Essays should deal with topics related to international criminal justice. They should have between 8,000 and 10,000 words. The deadline for the submission of articles will be June 30, 2017. The winner of the essay competition will be invited to present his/her essay at the VIII Ibero-American Week of International Justice (June 2018). Costs of travel and lodging in The Hague will be covered by the organizers of the Essay Competition. Upon the decision of the international jury, finalists’ essays may be published in the VI Volume of ANIDIP. For more information on the essay competition contact: iih.certamensayos@gmail.com. The Public Announcement of the VI Edition of the Essay Competition (2017) can be downloaded from the IIH Web site:
The IV Edition of the Internship Program for undergraduate students (2017) at the International Legal Clinic organized by the University of El Rosario (Colombia) and the IIH. Applications are welcome on an ongoing basis. For more information about this program that takes place in Bogota and The Hague, please contact info@iberoamericaninstituteofthehague.org, or visit the IIH Web Site:
The III Edition of the Research Program for university professors, PhD candidates and post-graduate students at the International Legal Clinic (2017). Applications are welcome on an ongoing basis. For more information about this program that takes place in Bogota and The Hague, please contact info@iberoamericaninstituteofthehague.org, o visit the IIH Web Site:
Volume IV (2016) of the Ibero-American Journal of International Criminal Law (Anuario Iberoameriano de Derecho Internacional Penal – ANIDIP) is available for download:
Finally, we have uploaded a number of conferences from previous editions of the Ibero-American Week of International Justice to the IIH website, that can be used for teaching purposes:
By Jhr. Alexander W. Beelaerts van Blokland LL.M.
On September 29th 2016 the well known British human rights organisation REDRESS opened a new office in The Hague.
REDRESS was founded in the United Kingdom in 1992 by Keith Carmichael, a British survivor of torture. He was detained without charge and tortured for 857 days in the 1980’s. When he was released, he decided to establish REDRESS to work to eradicate the practice of torture, prosecute torturers and ensure that survivors of torture obtain reparation for all the harm they suffered. This remains REDRESS’ focus till today.
REDRESS is a non-governmental organisation (NGO). The Hague, as the epicentre for international justice work, is a natural fit for REDRESS, and builds on REDRESS’ long experience of collaborating with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and other international justice institutions on issues such as victim participations and reparation in criminal trials. ‘As an internationally focussed organisation it is important for REDRESS to have a base in a city as The Hague and a country like The Netherlands that best exemplifies that outlook’, as REDRESS wrote in a press release. Juergen Schurr, Head Law and Policy at REDRESS: ‘We are delighted by the warm welcome and have been amazed by the degree of professional extensive support and encouragement we have received from the City of The Hague and its partners. It underscores to us that we have made a great decision to join to the vibrant international community in The Hague’.
REDRESS has ambitious plans to extend its collaborations with organisations worldwide to address the scourge of torture. Their presence in The Hague will help to strenghten ties with ICC, NGO partners, court officials and the diplomatic, legal and academic community in The Hague. It will also help extend their work with the European Union’s Network of Contact Points on Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes, whose Secretariat is also based in The Hague.
The City of The Hague extends a warm welcome to REDRESS !
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About the author:Jhr. Alexander W. Beelaerts van Blokland LL.M. , Justice (Judge) in the (Dutch) Court of Appeal and honorary Special Advisor International Affairs, appointed by the Mayor and Aldermen of The Haguea.beelaerts@planet.nl
If you ever saw her, even just once, you would never forget this elegant lady in great silky broader dresses; she often uses roses in her shiny black hair or patterned into the designs of her clothes. With the serenity of a master, she enters the stage and sings and plays like an angel; and of course, after all that you may be led to believe a famous artist is visiting The Hague.
Of course this is all true but the lady on the stage beside the Ambassador of Bangladesh, is in fact his wife, Dr Dilruba Nasrin, an epidemiologist and a medical doctor involved in teaching and scientific research in Asia and Africa, as a faculty at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the United States.
Since 2006, Dr Nasrin has been coordinating an epidemiological study of the diarrhoeal disease burden in Asia and Africa, in coordination with the University of Maryland, and supported by the Bill and Belinda Gates Foundation. She frequently travels to the United States but also to Mali, Kenya, Gambia, Mozambique, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, she has been working for children health throughout her professional life.
Her work has been published extensively since 1999 in international medical reviews, mainly concerning the use and resistance of antibiotics, children pulmonary diseases and the diarrhoeal epidemic; the microorganism, spread, treatment and immunological response.
Dr Nasrin’s passionate career and her duty beside her husband are more than a little demanding; H.E. Sheik Mohammed Belal said: “She is an amazing woman and I consider myself extremely lucky to have her on my side.”
What are your long-term goals?
I guess, I can summarize my short-term, long-term or my life-time goal into one word and it is “happiness”. I like to spread happiness around me within my limited capacity. I know happiness is not something ready-made; one has to work hard to achieve it. I have quite a few passions, so I try to balance my time between my family and my passions. But if you ask me if I can single out my main passion, it would be working with children. Being a researcher in child health, most of my professional life I worked with children, a major part of my work part is devoted to children in developing countries.
At work in Bamako,. Mali.
I grew up in Bangladesh, therefore I am aware of the challenges that a child may face in developing countries to enjoy the basic childhood needs. I believe that every child should have the opportunity to grow up healthy. In order to see that happen I have been engaged in programs to improve the health and wellbeing of children. I believe a multi-sector partnership approach that includes health, education and social services that could make a difference.
How do you combine your professional career with being the spouse of an ambassador?
It is not easy to maintain a full time job while being a spouse with lot of ceremonial demands. But you can do that as long as you are passionate about them. I learnt to combine many different roles early on in life, I had my daughter in the midst of tough study in medical school. Then I started my PhD in Epidemiology with my 8 month old son. If there is a challenge I don’t like to complain, instead I like to take it on board. I continued my study, my profession, and my family life without compromising the best care for my children.
Dr Nasrin, hospital in Bamako, Mali. Photographer Adama Mamby Keita.
Currently, I am a full-time research professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. I am fortunate that I could manage remote work arrangements for my job, but I still have to travel frequently to Africa, Asia and USA, but being wife of an Ambassador is not less than a full time job! I stand by my husband to organize all the national events, participate in the other diplomatic events in the Netherlands, and also be an active member of Ambassador’s Spouse Association.
If my time permits, I also participate in the events organized by the International Women Club, The Hague. I try to organize my calendar long ahead to help me doing all those jobs. On the top of everything I do, I am a proud mother of two beautiful children, who are studying in the USA. I am a passionate Mother when it comes to anything related to my children.
What events do you organise or participate in with the diaspora or the diplomatic community?
I take part in organizing all the Bangladesh national events including International Mothers Language Day, National Day, Bengali New Year Day, Children’s Day and Victory Day. In every event I always make sure that there is a part devoted to the children. The reason is our children, who are growing up abroad, may not have the environment to practice our mother tongue and culture. I try to inspire our mother tongue at home, so that our children will continue our heritage. In every country we lived in I engaged myself in children’s forum for language, music and dance. We invite other countries to participate in our programs as I believe in the concept of universal community.
Dr Dilruba Nasrin.
Would you please elaborate on what you mean by universal community?
In this globalised world any violation of rights in one part of the world is bound to be felt in another part. As a working health activist, when I visit developing countries I could almost see it with my eyes how deprivation in one part of the world is hampering peace and development in other parts of the world. Had the developed world invested enough for more vigorous researches in diseases, which mostly affect the developing world, like diarrohea, malaria, typhoid, etc, we could have saved thousands, if not millions, of lives. This realisation made me convinced to work for a universal community where we will work as a member of this globalised world.
How advanced are your investigations?
My current study is vaccine impact on diarrhoea in Africa, which started a year ago and it has two more years to go. This study represents an extension of our previous study named Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS). GEMS is the largest study of the diarrhoeal disease in children ever conducted in developing country settings. As you may know many different bacteria, viruses and other pathogens cause diarrhoeal disease. The objective of GEMS was to prioritize and target interventions to reduce the global burden of diarrhoeal diseases. Key findings from GEMS were published in the Lancet in May 2013.
The study identified only four out of ~40 pathogens that were responsible for the majority of diarrhoea cases. The leading pathogen of diarrhoea was rotavirus in young children. Vaccine against rotavirus recently rolled out in developing countries. Our ongoing study aims to assess the impact of a rotavirus vaccine introduction on the epidemiology of diarrhoea, and the adverse consequences of diarrhoea, like death and malnutrition in children.
I would like to hear your views on supporting your country with your husband and how your work will benefit Bangladesh and the developing world.
My husband considers his tenure in the Netherlands as a “water pilgrimage” and I strongly support his view. Bangladesh has many common aspects with the Netherlands, especially when it comes to water, as both are delta countries. My country progressed over the years and made a huge success with regards to women in education, lower infant and maternal mortality. However because of the geographical location of the country in between world’s three largest river systems (Ganges-Brahmaputra, Meghna), my country is still struggling with flooding every year.
The Netherlands made it possible to make their own country flood free for many years. There are many things to learn from the Netherlands, including preventing flood and natural disasters, land reclamation etc.
I hardly miss any opportunity to accompany my husband when he traverses this country, in search of clues for innovations and creativity that could be replicated in Bangladesh. I try to complement his effort, as he is trying to develop his Embassy as a virtual bridge for knowledge transfer between our two countries and businesses.
One aspect, I wish to emphasize though is how impressed I am with the academic quality and quantum of academic activities in the Netherlands. This is why, I wonder, at times, how we could best connect our educational institutions with that of the Netherlands. So, I am always there, along with my husband, to make this academic connectivity the best we can. I believe, of all the hats I wear, the one of an academic charm must be increased.
As we live in this beautiful country and among all these beautiful people, it is easy to forget that there are still far too many children, mostly in the developing world, who do not have access to the essential health services they need to merely survive. So, whenever, I get opportunity I try to engage in discussion with our friends to create awareness. Given the monumental advances that have been made in public health, most of these diseases are preventable and curable.
If we could do little bit more to give all children the chance they deserve. Let me quote Bono to conclude: “Where you live should not determine whether you live”. I wish I could do more but, at the end of the day, I am also a woman from developing world. This is not my excuse, but my resolve.
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Photography by Marian van Noort for Diplomat Magazine.
By Duke Michael of Mecklenburg.Get ready for the third edition: The Grand Tulipsball is coming again in 2017!After two successful balls in the first halves of 2015 and 2016, now the Tulipsball Committee announced the third edition of the only Dutch Ball in the Netherlands, besides the Austrian Wiener Ball. However, the 2017 edition will be again in a different city of the Netherlands. This time the Dutch capital Amsterdam was chosen to be the place for the Tulips festivities. The ball weekend starts on Friday 31st of March 2017 and closes on Sunday the 2nd of April 2017. As all Grand Ball Weekends it starts with the Eintanzen, the pre-party to get all your dancing steps fine-tuned. The word Eintanzen literally means warm-up-dancing. This introduction will be at the Koninklijke Industrieele Groote Club. Of course, the evening is also meant to get to know one another, as this ball is truly international.Furthermore, on Saturday until 14 o’clock the Dutch culture will be experienced by the traditional casual sightseeing tour by boat through the Amsterdam canals and a lunch at Café de Jaren, classic amongst Amsterdam’s cafés. Then it is already time to get slowly ready for the ball guests, as at 18 o’clock the ball evening starts at the Grand location, the Koepelkerk. A little less than an hour later, the Grand Tulipsball is finally opened by Clemens van Steijn, the head of the Ball Committee. Then the dinner starts after which the dance floor is opened and the guests can enjoy dancing. And of course the tulips will not be missing!On the last day, Sunday 2nd of April, the guests have the private opportunity to visit the Holy Mass at the Kruitberg Kerk. Later during the day, last but not least there is the Bubble Brunch at the Museum van Loon to reflect on the weekend and continue the conversations of the days before. During the brunch Clemens van Steijn will officially close the Grand Tulipsball weekend.
By Anton Lutter.On Wednesday 15 March 2017 new parliamentary elections will be held in The Netherlands. The formal election cycle begins earlier and is supervised by the Electoral Board. The day of formal entry of parties who are part of the elections is 19 December and the entry of candidates will take place on 30 January 2017. Prior to this, observers will notice the usual escalation in political tensions in parliament, due to members wanting to enhance the profiles of their parties and themselves. Campaigning will begin after the state opening of parliament with all its pomp and pageantry on 3 September. The debates in parliament about the the state budget (Rijksbegroting) will be more vigorous than usual, as political parties seek to differentiate themselves and carve out their own political space. The question of who will be the number one man or woman for each party in the elections will be decided at the parties’ respective national conferences. So far, the SP, D’66, CDA, Groen Links and VVD parties have already decided who their frontrunner (lijsttrekker) will be in the forthcoming elections; as yet, there has been no change in leadership. Governmening parties PVDA and VVD will soon make their own selections. In this series, I will profile the party leaders of the larger parties in order of their election.The first to be chosen as his party’s frontrunner is Gert-Jan Segers of the Christen Unie, a traditional Christian party with five seats in the lower house (Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal) and three seats in the upper house (Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal). Mr Segers, born in Lisse (province of Zuid-Holland) in 1969, studied politicology at Leiden University. He later earned a Master degree at the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University in Washington DC, specializing in Western-Islamic relations. Before entering parliament, Mr. Segers worked for the Evangelische Omroep, the evangelical televison and radio corporation, and from 2000 to 2007 was coordinator of a Christian organization in Egypt. Since 20 September 2012 he is a Tweede Kamerlid and since 10 November 2015 Chairman of the Christen Unie party in parliament. On 23 April he was selected by his party as frontrunner. Mr Segers is married with 3 children.Jesse Klaver of leftwing party Groen Links was elected on the same day. The Netherlands’ youngest political frontrunner, born in 1986, was elected uncontested. He has been a member of parliament since the 2010 elections, and Chair of his parliamentary group since 2015. CDA (Christen Democratisch Appel) parliamentary leader Sybrand van Haersa Buma comes from a distinguished family of public servants. He was elected leader of his part on 4 June. Mr. Buma was born in Workum (Province of Frisia) in 1965 and studied law at Groningen University. Since 2002 he has been a member of parliament and became the leader of the CDA group in 2010, which then consisted of 13 members. The CDA is an amalgamation of the CHU, ARP (both parties of a Protestant persuasion) and the KVP (the Catholic party). The CDA and its predecessors were continously in government until 1994. After heavy losses, the CDA subsequently became an opposition party, but recovered in 2002 to again become the largest party in parliament. At present, the CDA is in opposition. Mr van Haersma Buma, whose father and grandfather where both mayors, is married and has two children.Alexander Pechtold is the frontrunner of the D’66 liberal party. Selected on 14 September he is a long-serving member of parliament. He has been involved in politics since 1994; first as a city councillor and alderman in the city of Leiden (province Zuid-Holland) and later as Mayor of Wageningen (province Gelderland) from 2003. Two years later, he became Minister of Internal Affairs, a post he left after his party withdrew support for the government resulting in elections on 2 November 2006 at which D’66 lost heavily. He returned to parliament though, where he has remained. Mr Pechtold is known for his interest in art, having studied art history and archeology at Leiden University.The left wing Socialist Party (SP) has also chosen its current leader, Emile Roemer, as it frontrunner for the coming elections. Mr. Roemer – a teacher by profession – has been a member of parliament since 2006, and leader of the SP parliamentary group since 2010. As with Mr Pechtold, he began his political career as a city councillor in 1994. After the city council elections in 2002 he became alderman in Boxmeer (Province Noord-Brabant) before entering parliament. He was elected as his party frontrunner the 24 of June. The leader of largest opposition party in parliament, Geert Wilders, is the uncontested leader of his party. He has been in parliament since August 1998, with a short break from 2002 to 2004, as a member of the VVD (liberal) group. In 2006 he founded the Party for Freedom (PVV) and leads it today. He is well known for his anti-Islamic stance and role as producer of the film ‘Fitna’ in 2008. His direct way of debating has earned him accolades from sections of the public and media.In the next article, we will discuss some of the new and smaller parties, alongside the largest governing party led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the second governing party (PVDA) which has just started its leadership contest.
By H.E. Nourredine Ayadi, Ambassador of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria.
Algeria commemorates, at the beginning of this November, a particularly important date of its contemporary History. It is indeed the first of November 1954 that the Algerian people decided to take in hand its fate and to turn over the darkest page of its long history; that of 132 years of colonization and domination.
It is the day on which the Algerian people decided to make all sacrifices, including the ultimate sacrifice, the self-giving, in order to achieve its aspiration to freedom and dignity. Almost one million and a half martyrs was the price of this freedom. More than an armed uprising, the war of liberation that has begun that day was a real revolution against the colonial system, a revolution that shaped the personality of the Algerian people and forged its values and principles, which guided its moving forward. The notions of freedom, independence, self-determination of people and solidarity are immanent values for the Algerian people.
The solidarity that the fighting Algeria benefited from Brother countries, neighboring countries and friend countries is binding the independent Algeria. It is naturally that it constitutes the cornerstone of its foreign policy, mainly the African one. It is in this solidarity that there is good reason to draw out the foundations of the commitment of Algeria to support the striking people for their freedom and self-determination. It is also in this solidarity that one can draw out the foundations of Algeria’s contribution to the resolution of the conflicts, often wished and requested, in Africa and Sahel. It was the case in Eritrea, Guinea, Niger, Mauritania and more recently in Mali, where the implication of Algeria was concluded by the signature of the Agreement of peace and reconciliation of 2015.
To reach this result, Algeria had succeeded, under the impetus of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, to create a dynamic of peace, to establish a serious, methodical and well-made dialogue between the actors of the Malian crisis, and, especially, to involve in this process all the external actors and partners of Mali, mainly the neighboring countries as well as other States and international organizations.
And in this respect, I would like to invoke the eloquent testimony of Mr. Bert Koenders, the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, who declared during the dinner offered in his honor, on June 9th, 2016, by the Council of Arab Ambassadors in The Hague: “Two years ago, I celebrated Ramadhan every evening in Algeria with a good friend of mine, the Algerian Ambassador who is in this room. This was when I was working as the special representative for the Secretary General of the United Nations in Mali. And what I really enjoyed was the solidarity, the warmth and strength of people fasting together and of course at that time in Mali, Algeria was of the intelligence to organize also peace meeting during Ramadan. It created spirit of togetherness. Sitting together, the government and other forces, instead of fighting each other, talking about the northern part of Mali.”
What does appear, in fine, from this declaration and that I would like to highlight, is the full implication of Mr. Koenders and the Netherlands in the quest of peace and stability in Mali and in the Sahel Region. Mr. Koenders brought, thanks to his personal commitment and high qualities, a decisive contribution in the implementation and the deployment of the MINUSMA, and thus to the stabilization of the situation in Mali, in a particularly complex and difficult context. In this vein, the Netherlands supplied a significant assistance through military staff and logistics, mainly air assets, with the provision of helicopters, a contribution that was so precious for the realization of the objectives of United Nations. This commitment of Mr. Koenders and the Netherlands are clearly compatible with their consciousness that the peace and stability in this region have a direct impact on the Security of Europe, even in terms of migration, an issue that dominates the political debate today.
Algeria and the Netherlands decided to build on this friendly and sincere cooperation in favor of the peace in Mali and the Sahel region, in order to undertake a re-energization of the bilateral relations, which were moreover always good, since their establishment in 1604.
Within two years, Mr. Ramtane LAMAMRA, the Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, has paid two visits to The Hague, while Mr. Koenders, in his capacity as Minister of Foreign Affairs, has visited Algiers followed by the visits of Mrs Lilianne Ploumen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, and Mr. Henk KAMP, Minister of Economic Affairs. During this period, three cooperation agreements were signed in the sectors of agriculture, renewable energies and harbor activities. The bilateral cooperation took a new dimension and is diversifying more and more. The second Algerian-Dutch mixed-commission, held in The Hague, on March 9th, 2016, was an occasion for both parties to boost the bilateral cooperation, on the basis of an ambitious road map aiming at the consolidation of the economic and technological cooperation in diverse sectors in particular agriculture, industry, Water resources, harbour activities, energy …
The current challenge consists in the strengthening of these relations and expanding the commercial dynamism, while realizing a diversification and an extension of sectors concerned by this cooperation, dominated at present by hydrocarbons. In 2015, the Netherlands were the 5th customer of Algeria and its 12th supplier, with around 5 billion dollars of exchanges.
More than being a reliable supplier in energy products for Europe and the Netherlands, Algeria is also an important economic partner due to the dynamic potential of the Algerian market and the opportunities offered for investors and Dutch products. In the same time, Algeria works hardly to diversify its economy and finds in the Netherlands a partner of choice to develop its agriculture, hydraulic sector and transport network.
Algeria, which has gone through a tragic period and has lonely faced a wave of large-scale terrorism, did not wait for the last events to alert against the danger of terrorism and the security problems related to it. Algeria did not stop pleading to achieve a cooperation with good faith and a coordination of international efforts in the struggle against this transnational phenomenon.
Algeria who succeeded in curbing this phenomenon and in restoring peace and security in the country through the national reconciliation policy, initiated by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, has since undertaken the implementation of a scope of structural reforms that have deeply transformed the institutional and political landscape, and metamorphosed the economic and social situation of the country.
These structural reforms have enabled Algeria to reach all the Millennium Development Goals. According to the latest ranking of the UNDP, it is a country with a high human development index. It ranks 88th worldwide and 3rd in Africa.
The country looks nowadays as a pole of peace and stability and a real bastion against terrorism which threatens the region and the rest of the world. Algeria’s natural resources and the dynamism of its economy offer real potentialities of growth, development and investment.
For several countries, including the Netherlands, Algeria is definitely a reliable partner.
The musea and prominent locations where Indonesian arts can be found include:
The Indonesian room at Paleis Noordeinde, which is the working office of H.M King Willem-Alexander. When the Indonesian President visited the Netherlands a few months ago, King Willem-Alexander proudly showed him this room containing sculptures and ceramic wares
The National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden
Museum Nusantara in Delft that closed in 2013 due to a substantial decline in foot traffic. All the Indonesian works of art that were available in this museum have been packed and are ready to be dispatched to Indonesia. Museum Nusantara was founded as an educational institution to train Dutch civil servants for the colony in order to give the prospective civil servants an idea of their future environment. Officials and alumni in Indonesia sent objects from all over the country. These were primarily utensils and samples of crafts. Later on, art objects from individuals and collectors were also donated to Museum Nusantara.
Museum Bronbeek in Arnhem.
Ambassador Wesaka Puja is evidently an aesthete with a passion for both visual arts and performing arts. However, he modestly refers to himself as a layman with only an avid interest in arts. ‘Just as sport is able to unite people from all walks of life, the art of dance is also capable of uniting,’ he asserted. It is because of this that he has recently made a personal contribution to a Gamelan Concert that was held in Amsterdam and featured the Balinese mask-dance. ‘Dancing is rendering to God,’ he continued.
A huge Bali Hindu temple Pairi Daiza in Paradiso Park in Belgium. Mask dance.
Tari Topeng dance
Pasar Raya Fair, edition 2017, it is envisaged to dedicate part of this event to the Keris the Indonesian Royal dagger. Participation will be open to exhibitors from Indonesia, The 2016 edition focused on wajang dolls. There are a few Royal Kris in Vienna which at some point may have to be returned to their rightful owners in Indonesia.
These are the upcoming and past events for 2016:
Jazz festival 13 – 14 October
Indonesian Week 07 – 10 November at Markthal, Rotterdam
Film festival 17 – 20 November at Wolff Catharijn Bioskoop, in Utrecht
It was an enormous pleasure meeting the cordial personality of H.E. Ambassador I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja. We wish him the best of luck with his great undertakings.
I hardly miss any opportunity to accompany my husband when he traverses this country, in search of clues for innovations and creativity that could be replicated in Bangladesh. I try to complement his effort, as he is trying to develop his Embassy as a virtual bridge for knowledge transfer between our two countries and businesses.
One aspect, I wish to emphasize though is how impressed I am with the academic quality and quantum of academic activities in the Netherlands. This is why, I wonder, at times, how we could best connect our educational institutions with that of the Netherlands. So, I am always there, along with my husband, to make this academic connectivity the best we can. I believe, of all the hats I wear, the one of an academic charm must be increased.
As we live in this beautiful country and among all these beautiful people, it is easy to forget that there are still far too many children, mostly in the developing world, who do not have access to the essential health services they need to merely survive. So, whenever, I get opportunity I try to engage in discussion with our friends to create awareness. Given the monumental advances that have been made in public health, most of these diseases are preventable and curable.
If we could do little bit more to give all children the chance they deserve. Let me quote Bono to conclude: “Where you live should not determine whether you live”. I wish I could do more but, at the end of the day, I am also a woman from developing world. This is not my excuse, but my resolve.
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Photography by Marian van Noort for Diplomat Magazine.
Furthermore, on Saturday until 14 o’clock the Dutch culture will be experienced by the traditional casual sightseeing tour by boat through the Amsterdam canals and a lunch at Café de Jaren, classic amongst Amsterdam’s cafés.
Then it is already time to get slowly ready for the ball guests, as at 18 o’clock the ball evening starts at the Grand location, the Koepelkerk. A little less than an hour later, the Grand Tulipsball is finally opened by Clemens van Steijn, the head of the Ball Committee. Then the dinner starts after which the dance floor is opened and the guests can enjoy dancing. And of course the tulips will not be missing!
On the last day, Sunday 2nd of April, the guests have the private opportunity to visit the Holy Mass at the Kruitberg Kerk. Later during the day, last but not least there is the Bubble Brunch at the Museum van Loon to reflect on the weekend and continue the conversations of the days before. During the brunch Clemens van Steijn will officially close the Grand Tulipsball weekend.
