From left to right: Deputy Prosecutor James Stewart, ICC President Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, H.E. Alfonso María Dastis, Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and Registrar Herman von Hebel at the seat of the Court in The Hague © ICC-CPI Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation visits the ICC Today, 30 January 2017, Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, H.E. Alfonso María Dastis, visited the seat of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands. The Minister met with ICC President Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, Deputy Prosecutor James Stewart and Registrar Herman von Hebel. During the meeting, the Minister expressed the commitment of Spain towards the ICC and reaffirmed Spain’s support and cooperation in the framework of the Rome Statute. The ICC President thanked the Minister for Spain’s strong support and briefed him on the current work of the Court, underlining that 2016 had been a very productive year with three judgements involving seven accused and several landmark developments such as the first conviction for destruction of cultural property. She expressed the Court’s strong commitment to tackle challenges related to efficiency and effectiveness as well as the universality of the Rome Statute, emphasising that the active support of all States Parties is essential in this regard. Spain became a State Party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court on 24 October 2000 when it ratified the treaty.    

On 27 January 2017, Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, President of the International Criminal Court (ICC) participated as the guest speaker in a solemn ceremony marking the opening of the European Court of Human Rights’ judicial year in Strasbourg, France. In her speech, the President discussed the complementarities and convergences between international criminal justice and human rights law, elaborating on concrete examples of these interactions. “This solemn hearing provides us with a unique opportunity to engage in a dialogue to strengthen our mutual understanding and commitment to justice,” said ICC President Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi. “Notwithstanding the differences between our courts, we share a common purpose: promoting the well-being of all by fostering the rule of law,” she emphasised. “Like us, you defend the same hard core of fundamental rights and, in particular, the right to life,” said Guido Raimondi, President of the European Court of Human Rights during the opening ceremony. “Like us, you accept the idea that it is necessary to create an international order based on human rights,” he added. Every year, the judicial year of the European Court of Human Rights is opened with a solemn hearing attended by numerous eminent figures from the European judicial community and with a seminar organised for the occasion. The European Court of Human Rights is an international court ruling on individual or State applications alleging violations of the civil and political rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights. The ICC is a permanent, international criminal court established by the Rome Statute, a treaty to which 124 States are parties, to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community, namely war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Statement by ICC President, Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi at opening of European Court of Human Rights’ judicial year, 27 January 2017: “Complementarities and convergences between international criminal justice and human rights law”    

By Roy Lie A Tjam. The Business Club, affiliated to The Hague Philharmonic Orchestra or Residentie Orkest, held its first meeting for 2017 on Friday 6 January following a sublime concert that featured the Dutch diva, Karin Bloemen. Karin, who is arguably the diva of the Netherlands, is sometimes an exuberant and extroverted soul whereas sometimes she’s subdued and as delicate as a flower bud on the first day of spring. Karin Bloemen’s New Year’s concert, Sander Teepen conductor, Karim Bloemen song. In doing her number on stage, she rendered the following songs: ‘Both Sides now’ by Joni Mitchell, ‘Het Dorp’ by Jean Ferrat, ‘Playfull Pizzicato’ by Benjamin Britten, ‘Hungarian Dance no. 6’ by Johanne Brahms, and ‘Don’t stop me now’ by Freddie Mercury – to mention a few. Despite her long career as a famous singer and comedian, it was for the first time that she performed with the Residentie Orkest – a unique highlight that began the new year for her. After the concert, an Italian who attended the concert remarked, ‘I was completely ignorant of Karin Bloemen. I can confidently tell you now; she is gorgeous and definitely equals Barbara Streisand.’ Sponsors are as indispensable to the Residentie Orkest as in any other trade. The Business Circle of the Residentie Orkest presents unexpected experiences and connections. It is a network comprising executives, directors, and major shareholders of medium-to-large enterprises who meet regularly at concerts and events of the Residentie Orkest.

The attractive artistic context and the extensive network administrators, politicians, expats, diplomats, and policymakers have business relationships with the orchestra – something that makes the environment conducive for networking.

By Roy Lie A Tjam. The annual African Ambassadors’ Dinner was held the headquarters of Rabobank in Utrecht on December 15, 2016. The event was co organized by the NABC, with several Ambassadors in attendance. Prior to the dinner, attendees engaged in a full day of networking with the Dutch private sector. The packed programme featured an Ambassadors’ matchmaking session and a strong line-up of guest speakers. They included Juriaan Ruys from LandLife; Mette Gongrijp from MFA, Mamadou Touré from Ubuntu Capital, Maarten van Herpen from Philips, and Coert Beerman from Rabobank. A highlight of the day was when participants chose the winner of the 2016 Doing Business in Africa award, which went to Bosbouwbedrijf FORM International. NABC director Irene Visser presented the award to Paul Cave, the company’s CEO. FORM International is engaged in sustainable forestry in Ghana and Tanzania. In northern Ghana, the company manages 20 thousand hectares of land which has had to recover from deforestation. A reforestation project is now underway, implementing teak and various indigenous materials. H.E. Jean Pierre Karabaranga, Ambassador of Rwanda to the Netherlands, thanked the organizers for putting together such an excellent programme. The famous dinner was followed by a cocktail reception.

On the picture Andrew van Esch (director The Hague International Network) Mr Han ten Broeke, Dutch MP for VVD (Liberal Conservatives), Mr Nikola Dimitrov, Distinguished Fellow at The Hague Institute for Global Justice (former Ambassador for FYRM Macedonia), Dr Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Dutch Member of the European Parliament for D66 (Social Liberals).   By Roy Lie A Tjam. The Hague International Network (THIN) concurrently held its first meeting for 2017 on Friday 20 January with the investiture of the President of the USA Mr. Donald John Trump. The attendees of the event were able to follow the investiture ceremony live on gigantic screens.

This event that was intended to analyse the investiture was graced by the presence of many illustrious individuals. Some Ambassadors and Diplomats joined the unique gathering in addition to members of the international community. After watching the ceremony, a panel of experts unpacked the proceedings.

Among them were:

• Andrew van Esh (Director at THIN)
• Han ten Broeke, the Dutch MP for VVD and spokesperson on Foreign Affairs. Over and above that, he also chairs the standing parliamentary commission for the Defence
• Chris van Voorden, Director at Innovation Quarters who is also responsible for foreign investments
• Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Dutch Member of the European Parliament for D66 who is also a specialist on environmental issues and climate change, and
• Nikola Dimitrov, Distinguished Fellow of The Hague Institute for Global Security as well as a former Ambassador of Macedonia in Washington and the Netherlands.

The panel commented on the ceremony and foretold what the Trump administration will mean for Europe and the Netherlands in particular. The fabulous THIN meeting and screening took place at Brasserie Mondano of the World Trade Centre in The Hague.

Photography by the Word Trade Center, The Hague.  

Japanese delegation unveils artwork donation to International Criminal Court H.E. Hiroshi Inomata, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Netherlands, Ms. Naoko Saiki, Director-General, International Legal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, ICC President and Ms Fatou Bensouda, ICC Prosecutor unveiling the artwork (left); the “Peace and Justice Bell”(right) ©ICC-CPI On 23-24 January 2017, Ms. Naoko Saiki, Director-General, International Legal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, visited the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands, and met with ICC President Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, and ICC Registrar Herman von Hebel. On 24 January, Ms. Naoko Saiki and H.E. Hiroshi Inomata, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Netherlands unveiled a new artwork donation to the ICC. The artwork, the “Peace and Justice Bell”, has been modelled on the Hiroshima Peace Bell, which was cast in 1967 by the late Mr Masahiko Katori (1899-1988), a renowned bronze artist and bell-caster in Japan. The Hiroshima Peace Bell has since served as a symbol of peace, rung once a year at the annual Peace Memorial Ceremony of Hiroshima. Ms. Saiki stated in her remarks at the ceremony that the donation of this artwork symbolizes Japan’s longstanding pursuit of peace and, at the same time, its dedication to upholding the Court’s resolution to guarantee lasting respect for and the enforcement of international justice. The “Peace and Justice Bell” thus epitomizes the goals, values and principles represented by the Court. Expressing the Court’s gratitude to the government of Japan for the donation, the ICC President said: “This thoughtful gift reminds us that the two ideals of peace and justice are interrelated and must go hand in hand. I am confident that the Peace and Justice Bell, placed at the Court’s Permanent Premises, will serve as an inspiration for reflection and commitment to the goals of the Rome Statute.” Since the move to its new permanent premises in December 2015, the ICC received artwork donations from the Governments of Slovenia, Tunisia, Korea and Liechtenstein, representing their cultural heritage as well as reflecting the mandate of the Court.

On the picture His Excellency J. S. Mukul, Ambassador of India. By Liudmyla Palamar. Women Economic Forum (WEF) will take place in the World Forum in The Hague on the 27th and 28th of January 2017. The program of the international conference, aiming to foster empowering conversations and connections among women, will include a range of prominent speeches, professional workshops and networking events. Women Economic Forum takes place on a regular basis in different cities around the world. The conference in the Netherlands will be followed by multiple events in the USA, Canada, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cyprus and more than ten other countries. Being focused on mutually beneficial knowledge exchange, learning and networking Women Economic Forum creates an avenue for women to expand their professional and business connections.

  The program of the WEF in The Hague includes the speeches of H.E. Alphonsus Stoelinga, Ambassador of Netherlands to India, H.E. J. S. Mukul, Ambassador of India to Netherlands, H.E. Dr. Momar Diop, Ambassador of Senegal to Netherlands, H.E. Jean Pierre Karabaranga, Ambassador of Rwanda to Netherlands, H.E. Judge Sanji Monageng,Vice-President, International Criminal Court, H.E. Judge Joyce Aluoch, First Vice-President, International Criminal Court and other prominent members of the diplomatic community. During the 2-day conference participants will also have an opportunity to attend a broad range of workshops and parallels on diverse topics such as “EU – Creating Environment for Sustainable & Inclusive Growth,” “The Future for Youth,” “Social Media and Youth,” etc. Among other side events, a workshop titled “The Happy Me” will be organized by the author of the book “Life Outside Your Comfort Zone” Marwa Saleh. The professional trainer from Dale Ca

rnegie Corporation, will give an engaging training, designed “to help people start removing their limiting beliefs.”   Information: More information about the Women Economic Forum (WEF) can be found on the official website of the event: www.wef.org.in More information about “The Happy Me” workshop can be found on http://www.wef.org.in/marwa-saleh/

Monday, 16 January 2017, Brussels: HM the VII King of the Belgians received the IX President of Malta, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca for an afternoon meeting concerning Belgian-Maltese relations as well as the state of the European Union as Malta assumed the rotating presidency of the council from 1 January 2017.  The meeting between King Philippus and President Coleiro Preca took place at the centrally located Royal Palace of Brussels.  Later in the evening President Coleiro Preca partook at the inaugural reception, and subsequent concert to open the Maltese EU presidency. In her remarks to attending EU authorities, EU permanent representatives, ambassadors and officials of the EU and Belgium, President Coleiro Preca called for European unity as well as a common ground in dealing with the refugee crisis in spite of its unpopularity in many countries.  The Centre for Fine Arts BOZAR in Brussels was the venue for the prestigious opening attended likewise by Malta’s Prime Minister Dr Joseph Muscat, and co-hosted by the Maltese Permanent Representative to the EU, HE Ambassador Marlene Bonnici and bilateral ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and NATO, HE Ray Azzopardi.    Programme for the Maltese Presidency of the EU Council: https://www.eu2017.mt/Documents/Maltese%20Priorities/EU2017MT%20-%20Presidency%20Priorities%20(EN).pdf https://www.facebook.com/EU2017MT   Photography by the Belgian Royal Household.