Honorable Ankie Broekers-Knol with the Italian  Ambassador and  mayors from Norcia, Subiaco and Cassino passing  the Peace Torch of St. Benedict. By Catherine Dailey. As we look forward to the second weekend of September, when “National Monument Day” is observed throughout the Netherlands and more than four thousand monuments will be open to the public, it is a fitting time to reflect upon Europe’s common cultural heritage with respect to St. Benedict, the “heavenly patron saint of the whole of Europe.” Pope Paul VI, on October 24, 1964, in his Apostolic Letter Pacis Nuntius proclaimed him as the principal patron of Europe and noted that “he inspired in the peoples of Europe that loving care of order and justice that forms the foundation of true society.” In this light, such a reflection is particularly fitting today. It should also be recalled that Pacis Nuntius was proclaimed on the occasion of the reconsecration of the Cathedral Basilica of Montecassino, following the tremendous destruction done to the Abbey at Montecassino, in 1944 and the Herculean task required to reconstruct it.

St. Benedict of Nurcia (ca. 480-ca 547), is the father of “western monasticism” and the author of the “The Rule,” a simple set of guidelines ordering how monks should live. He founded the Abbey at Montecassino and the Order of St. Benedict (OSB). Even though St. Benedict did not formerly establish the order as such, he is honored by the Benedictines as their as the founder and guide under the motto “Ora Et Labora” (“pray and work”).

This past spring, in a splendid ceremony held at the Church of Our Saviour in The Hague, on Friday, March 11, 2016, the “St. Benedict Torch of Peace” was brought to The Hague by the Embassy of Italy, under the patronage of the European Parliament, and on behalf of the towns of the three medieval towns of Cassino, Norcia and Subiaco. The unique event marked the first time that the Torch has visited the Netherlands since Pope Paul VI’s proclamation in 1964. For readers of Italian, the Apostolic Letter Pacis Nuntius can be accessed on webpages of the official website of the Holy See. A digital version of an English translation was published, on Zenit, on July 11, 2012, the date that Europe remembers her patron Saint. The evening program began with a Solemn Mass, concelebrated by H.E. Bishop of Rotterdam Monseigneur Johannes H.J. van den Hende and the Apostolic Nuncio H. E. Aldo Cavalli. Liturgical songs were performed by the choir accompanied by an orchestra from the towns of Norcia and Subiaco. Following the Mass, a short introduction was given by the Ambassador of Italy and the evening concluded with a 100 piece orchestra performing a concert of the Cantica de Santo Benedicto by the Dutch composer, Jacob de Haan, who was also present. In addition to the Ambassador; mayors from Norcia, Subiaco and Cassino were present, in a visible and symbolic gesture of unity, to pass the Peace Torch of St. Benedict before a large assembly of diplomats, senior state functionaries, public officials, members of the clergy, academics and other specially invited guests. Today, Norcia, the birthplace of St. Benedict, is the start of the 300 km “Cammino di San Benedetto”, the Umbrian cultural route along medieval towns and villages, which is becoming increasingly popular with tourists seeking cultural “slow tourism” experiences. The town is also linked the international “cittaslow” network, a concept for tourism development which originated in 1999 in the Chianti region of Italy. The Cammino di San Benedetto is popular with walkers, cyclists and hikers and the autumn months are an especially good time to visit. Tourists visiting Rome can also easily make arrangements for a day trip to visit the Abbey of Montecassino known as the “lighthouse of western civilization.” Visit the official website of the Montecassino Abbey for more information to assist you with planing your visit. Holy See: http://www.vatican.va Embassy of Italy: http://www.amblaja.esteri.it/Ambasciata_LAja Montecassino Abbey http://abbaziamontecassino.org Cammino di Benedetto (Italian) http://www.camminodibenedetto.it Cittaslow International Network http://www.cittaslow.org Open Monumenten Dag (September 10 and 11, 2016) http://www.openmonumentendag.nl Pictures by Jan van der Loos.      

On the picture the Mayor of Wassenaar, Mr Jan Hoekema, Ambassador Timothy Broas and Mr Willem Post. The Raadhuis Pauw, in Wassenaar, was the venue for a “Pauwlezing” on Wednesday evening. Mayor Jan Hoekema welcomed some fifty guests attending the presentation, before introducing his special guest, former USA Ambassador Mr. Timothy Broas. President Obama appointed Mr. Broas to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands; a position which he held from March 19, 2014 to February 12, 2016. He is a strong supporter of the Democratic Party and has worked on many past Democratic Presidential Campaigns. With just 60 days remaining until the November 8 presidential election; he briefly briefly to the Netherlands and agreed to generously share some of his impressions, of the current election cycle. Mr. Willem Post, a widely recognized Dutch political commentator and expert “on all things American,” was also invited to share his views. He briefly mentioned the release of his latest book, “De Spiegel van Amerika” (The Mirror of America). Post, a man of many hats, is associated with the Clingendael Institute as an expert on American politics and foreign policy and has written numerous articles for Dutch newspapers and journals. He has also maintains a close relationship with the city of The Hague and represents the municipality in various capacities.

Former Ambassador Broas, diplomatically predicted that, “the polls will continue to tighten” in an unusually “ugly campaign” adding that one of Clinton’s strengths is that she is “good on national security.” Post, seemed strongly influenced by the Clinton Camp and described Trump, as a marketeer who “plays with figures” and a “Winner with capital letters’; adding that even “his name (Trump) is a marketing slogan.” As a Republican Presidential Candidate, Trump has earned the confidence and trust of unprecedented numbers of voters—many of whom will be voting for the first time in an election, which pundits on both sides of the political spectrum are describing as the most important elections in a lifetime. Both speakers were troubled by the unprecedented level of polarization in the U.S. which, when combined with the deep anger felt by voters across the political spectrum, make the outcome of the elections impossible to predict. Broas, who attended the 2016 July Democratic National Convention, remarked that “the Sanders people were a threat every day” adding that the Clinton people were constantly trying to appease them in order to avoid a “sit-in”or “stand off.” Trump and Sanders supporters were described as anti-globalists. The former ambassador mentioned that, while serving as the U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands, he had worked to support the Transatlatic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) and TTP negotiations with the European Union. Trump’s temperment and alleged “flip flopping” with respect to NATO was also raised by Post, who even suggested that Trump seeks to abolish or “drop out” of the alliance.  The Right Side Broadcasting Network (RSBN.tv) livestreams all of the Trump-Pence campaign events and speeches and posts them on YouTube, where viewers can listen to Trump’s own words. His September 7 “Peace through Strength” on the campaign’s vision for U.S. defense policy in the near future, is likely to be of particular interest. The evening program, concluded with a short question and answer period, followed by a traditional Dutch borrel—being light reception accompanied by snacks.                                                                                                                                              

By Professor Andre Nijhof and Nika Salvetti (PhD candidate). In February 2016 a new index was launched: The Access to Seeds index. It is another example of a movement that started in 2004 with the development of the Access to Medicine Index. Instead of just “naming and shaming” an index creates a platform for collective dialogue surrounding issues in a certain sector and independently ranks the performance of the main players. This proves to be an effective way to counter a race to the bottom that is apparent in so many international value chains and transforms it into a competition towards good practices. The first Access to Medicine Index was published in 2008 and ranks the world’s 20 largest research-based pharmaceutical companies according to their efforts to improve access to medicine in 107 low- to middle-income countries. Every two years a new index is published and this has become very influential in the pharmaceutical industry. Can the Access to Seeds index do the same for the agro food sector in developing countries? The future will unwrap the answer, but we are convinced that these indices are signs of a new phase in the area of sustainable development that has important implications for international diplomacy. Over the past 10 years more and more organizations – both public and private – developed sustainability ambitions and implement this in their way of working. That’s an important step to be able to contribute to the Global Goals set by the United Nations. However, the next step is how to create sustainable markets. This next step is crucial because, at present, many markets still drive unsustainable practices. As long as that is the status quo, corporate social responsibility initiatives can result in some good practices but will never grow from the margins to the mainstream. This will require the development of sustainable markets. What is needed to transform our current markets into markets that stimulate and reward sustainable products and services? Based on economic theory we know that markets can function if two conditions are met: Freedom of Choice and Full Transparency. But whose choice are we referring to? Economic theory refers to the customer of projects and services. But what about products for beneficiaries without purchasing power? And what about costs for society without a price tag attached to it? In the sustainability era, ‘the customer is king’ can no longer prevail in sustainable markets. And how can we create Transparency so that other stakeholders – next to and sometimes together with engaged customers – can stand up for these effects on society? That’s where more and more mechanisms are initiated to stimulate sustainable markets. Transparency International, the National Contact Points of the OECD, True Value and True Price measurements and the initiation of indices like the Access to Seeds index seem to be first line answers. This development has important implications for international diplomacy. How can international it ensure freedom of choice and transparency? For example by making local information available so it can be used in these indexes and adequately informing all parties about these issues. But most of all, by understanding these issues do not only relate to national interests. They are first of all embedded in a common interest to protect our planet and create fair living conditions for all its citizens. The more international diplomats voice this common interest, the more chance we have on reaching the Sustainable Global Goals. ———————————– About the authors: Prof Dr André Nijhof is full professor in Sustainable Business and Stewardship and is visiting professor at Chang Gung University in Taiwan and the University for Peace in Costa Rica. Nika Salvetti is a PhD candidate and practitioner in the field of CSR, Sustainability, Social Responsibility where she worked on in different developing countries such as Bangladesh, Uganda, Guatemala, as well as in Costa Rica, the overall Balkans and Middle East.   About Nyenrode Business Universiteit Nyenrode Business Universiteit is the only private university in the Netherlands, founded for and by business. Nyenrode pillars of Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Stewardship are reflected in all of their programs which include undergraduate and graduate degrees in management, business, finance and accounting. Nyenrode is a proud partner of Diplomat Magazine. Together, we have developed the Nyenrode – Diplomat Magazine Award which recognizes the talents from the diplomat network in the Netherlands and worldwide by providing them with exclusive scholarships for the programs Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Master (MSc) in Management, full-time International MBA and part-time Executive MBA. For more information visit www.nyenrodemasters.nl/diplomat and sign up for a personal consultation.  

  By Prof. Sanmaya Rath. After the successful implementation of Digital India and Make in India campaigns, Government of India has made a nationwide launching parade of multiple skills programme called “Skill India Mission”, a saga in the academic world for all Indians by blood and taste. Now let’s analyse the nuts and bolts of Skill Development Mission by GoI which is illustrated below: About It? The primary aim is to create a framework of training, skill upliftment &employment opportunities for more than 500 million youth of India by 2020. Many schemes like PMKVY, DDU-GKY are also supposed to attain this objective. These training programmes would not only fulfil the domestic labour demand but also the global manpower requirements of countries like Japan ,the USA, China, Germany, Russia and rest of West Asia. Initially companies like IL&FS, CCD, and Centurion University have come forward to channelize the naxalites into main stream of society which is a notable success in the history of skill development. In the ages to come India will be witnessing many corporate biggies taking up skills as a CSR initiative in the industry. Key Features The whole focus is to create the employment avenues and scope of entrepreneurship in various trades like gems & jewellery, automobile, banking, retail sales, tailoring, sewing machine operation and so on. Rural India Skill is another milestone of this programme which emphasizes on domain & non domain training Rewind It has now become a priority of the nation & is quite different from the past ones. It is in fact a three tier system where the central & state governments and PIAs, SSCs, NCVT, NSDC etc. have joined hands for stability and better jobs than traditional jobs. Skill India as Trend The main concept is to enhance confidence, improve productivityof the youth through up skilling, new skilling and reskilling so that they get blue-collar jobs in order to get a better life& respect in the society. To Sum Up But the main challenges of its 2.0 version are as follows: It is quite pathetic that 2.3% of the Indian workers haveavailed the skill benefits, in comparison to 68% in UK and 52% in the US. Hence more dropped out candidates need to be channelized &mobilized. Skilling is deemed to be the final destination for those dropped outs that couldn’t succeed in traditional academics. Hence we need to create jobs across the universe instead sticking too local requirements only. The hardest task is sourcing & creating a pool of competent, knowledgeable and certified- Trainers who are ahead of time and know the sentiments of the policy, people & press .Again the target group to whom training is to be imparted is unaware about the SWOT analysis of the industry as well as future growth prospects. Photograhpy by Rinkan Das ————————— About the author: Prof. Sanmaya Rath, Training Head, Black Panther Guards & Services Pvt.Ltd, Bhubaneswar