By Joanne T Brooks, Chargé d’affaires, Embassy of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Brussels (accredited to the Benelux countries, the EU, the OPCW, the ACP, Spain, France, Switzerland and the Holy See) In today’s fast changing globalised world small states face significant challenges in order to achieve their foreign policy objectives. Small states generally lack the visibility in the foreign public and struggle to put themselves on the radar of international attention. Like medium size and large states, they must also overcome a plethora of issues, many of which are multidimensional and exogenous, and beyond the capacity of any one state to overcome on its own. As a result the practice of modern diplomacy by small states must be innovative, active and strategic. Embassies of small states must overcome challenges relating to human and financial resource capacity, multiple accreditations both bilateral and multilateral in nature, as well as immigration, consular and diaspora engagement on a daily basis. In order to be successful, small states must therefore take a strategic approach to selective engagement. In this regard, they must prioritise those issues inextricably linked with domestic policy and developmental goals, for example issues relating to trade, investment, security and climate change. For example, Trinidad and Tobago quickly responded to the internationalisation of the work of specialised/expert Ministries by installing International Relations Divisions in key Ministries with sectors relating to trade, international cooperation and global governance. Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs remains central to foreign policy formulation, coordination and information dissemination, collaboration between key Ministries enable small states to deal with issues in a more holistic which combines policy and technical expertise. Small States must also project their voices and values in the global arena through support for multilateral institutions  and regional organisations. An example of this is the important role Trinidad and Tobago played in the establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC) through one of the organisation’s founding fathers H.E. Arthur Robinson, former Prime Minister and later President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. As a testament to his contribution to the establishment of the ICC, the main courtroom is named in his honour.

More recently, Trinidad and Tobago also played a significant role in the establishment of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), a multilateral Treaty that regulates the international trade in conventional weapons. Participation in regional and international fora also provides opportunities to build alliances around thematic priority issues, as recently seen at the annual conference of parties (COP) 21 in Paris, where small states and their global partners created new norms of a legally binding global agreement on climate and proposals for adaptation and mitigation. New forms of engagement such as public diplomacy are modern tools in the arsenal of small states. Country branding, which is the cornerstone of public diplomacy could be effectively used in furtherance of foreign policy goals. Malta, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Norway are all examples where effective niche branding has been used to influence international public opinion and allow the country to punch above the weight of their relative small size. The shrinkage of space and the onset of a multitude of social media portals, together with the rapid speed with which news is transmitted and events unfold, have also created a space for virtual diplomacy to permeate the world of diplomatic relations. Using social media, small states are able to communicate with active civil society and Diaspora communities in countries where there is no formal representation. Information dissemination has become not only easier but takes place at a rapid speed. This reality levels the playing field and allows small states to respond to global issues with the same alacrity as medium and large states. In this regard states can no longer afford chose their officers in the traditional way, but instead must seek to employ candidates with various skills sets including those from the private sector and civil society organisations. It is instructive that many senior diplomats easily transition into the private sector at some stage in their careers but inflows from the private sector into the diplomatic corps are still rare. It may be timely for recruitment practices to be adjusted in order to capture not only those candidates steeped in academic theory but those who possess the skill set needed for the modern diplomat. Communication has and will always be the cornerstone of diplomacy both written and verbal. However, the modern diplomat must also possess networking skills, take a creative approach to problem solving, and be able to strategically network, lobby, influence and negotiate. For small states active, multi faceted engagement is the key. There is no doubt that the current international environment has presented many challenges for small states as they seek a broader understanding of the specificities of the obstacles they encounter. However, in a globalised, multipolar, interconnected world there are also unique opportunities based on evolving modern diplomatic practices where the challenge of small size can be overcome in order to achieve a more effective diplomatic engagement.  —————— Photography by Curtis Chase.    

On the picture, Mr  Fritz Holzwarth with students at the UNESCO-IHE. By Fritz Holzwarth, Rector a.i. UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education. Access to clean water and sanitation is an issue of human dignity and it extends the choices available to poor families around the world. Food security and livelihoods depend on water access, with drought for example desiccating crops and increasing hunger and malnutrition. The availability of clean water can influence whether or not children attend school, especially girls. Tragically, inadequate water supply also contributes to the death, through the spread of disease, of millions of people every year. Indeed, when in September 2015, UN member states and interested stakeholders created a new international development agenda for 2015-2030, one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was dedicated purely to achieving ‘access to water and sanitation for all’ by 2030 (Goal 6).[1] While there have been many successes over the years, we still face many water challenges around the world, with actual water scarcity high on the list. According to a UN World Water Development Report, ‘’By 2050, at least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of fresh water.’’ As the world’s largest international education facility for water professionals, the UNESCO-IHE Institute based here in the Netherlands, is uniquely placed to make a contribution to these challenges. Our expertise enables us to be at the forefront of adaptive, innovative solutions to water related problems. Contributing the UNESCO-IHE expertise to global water scarcity? While reducing water consumption and water loss through leakage reduction are obvious solutions to the challenge of diminishing water supply, waste water reuse and desalination will also be required to meet fresh water demands in many arid parts of the world in the future. . One, out of many technological solutions which have garnered hope in recent years, is for ‘desalination’. This process removes salt from both seawater and “brackish” water. It can also be used to treat wastewater (sewage) to make it available for different users. A membrane based process, Reverse Osmosis is the most common process used today, whereby water is forced through thin-film composite polyamide membranes, filtering out salt and other impurities. With rainfall becoming less predictable and droughts more common, as a likely consequence of climate change, a growing number of countries are looking to desalination to increase their water supply. In many places such as the Middle East, China, India, Spain, Chile and the Caribbean, there are few alternatives. However, there remains a number of barriers to fully capitalize on the desalination solution, the principal one being the energy required, making it currently prohibitive for many developing countries. While recent developments in energy recovery technology have significantly reduced the energy consumption for seawater desalination, further reduction in energy consumption is envisaged thorough research and innovation. As one of UNESCO-IHE’s goals is to, “Develop innovation, provide new knowledge, and promote the uptake of technologies and policies’’, it is uniquely placed to substantively contribute to efforts to render desalination a credible option. An example is with our participation in the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 supported MIDES (MIcrobial DESalination) project. Launched earlier this year and due to run until 2020, MIDES is developing the world’s largest demonstrator of an innovative and low-energy technology for drinking water production. It uses Microbial Desalination Cells (MDC), a new technology which simultaneously treats wastewater as well as generating enough bioelectricity to achieve desalination, as a pre-treatment step for Reverse Osmosis (RO). As well as reducing running and manufacturing cost, the project will improve desalination rates, reduce equipment degradation and ultimately propose an economically feasible plan to scale up. Demonstration sites are currently planned for Chile, Spain and Tunisia. Tapping into the wider enabling environment Water scarcity is driven by a variety of social phenomena such as population growth and urbanisation. Where water is actually available, barriers to access can come from poor infrastructure or poor governance. In some cases, solutions to problems can themselves create unexpected consequences, such as with the push for biofuels to fight fossil fuel induced climate change, which requires 1,000 – 4,000 litres of water to produce just one litre of biofuel. As the SDG 6 targets make clear, by referring to the need for integrated water resources management, international cooperation and capacity-building support, solutions to water problems are rarely purely technical in nature. That is why projects such as MIDES seek to integrate implementation solutions along the entire water value chain. It is also why the UNESCO-IHE cross disciplinary approach complements technical expertise with skills to optimise the wider enabling context; whether it be policies for protection of water-related ecosystems, raising environmental awareness with decision-makers or local community participation. We know that for solutions to be truly life changing for our ultimate beneficiaries, they must also prompt behavioural and mind-set change. We are proud at UNESCO-IHE to witness the exciting ways in which sustainable and equitable water solutions emerge from necessary cross disciplinary and trans-border collaborations. www.unesco-ihe.org [1] More information about the SDGs available here: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/summit/ ———- Photography by Hans de Lijser. 

By Barend ter Haar. A popular pastime of Dutchmen is to compare their country with other countries. We know that we are not among the leading countries in Europe and the world. We have grudgingly accepted that we are not a member of the G20, but we are eagerly looking for signs that we are not just one of the many small countries, but a country that in many respects can compete with the larger ones. That is why the Dutch public is so interested in reports on the place of the Netherlands on European and global rankings. We are proud that we have the best health care of Europe[1], that we are number two at the World Press Freedom Index and number five on the Human Development Index. We also like to know that all thirteen Dutch universities are counted among the 200 best universities of the world, that Wageningen University is considered to be the world ´s best[2] in the field of agriculture and that the Netherlands is the world’s second largest exporter of agricultural products, after the USA. However, there is a downside to this good news and to the intensive use we make of our land, water and air. This downside is reflected in rankings that make us ashamed. In an overview of the state of conservation of habitats in the European Union, published by the European Environment Agency in the State of nature in the EU, the Netherlands is on the bottom of the list[3]. Only 3.8% of our natural habitats is in a good shape. In 96.2% of the cases the situation is unfavourable. In a few of these cases (9.6%) the status is improving, but in 26.9 % the trend is further decline [4]. These figures are baffling and evoke the question: is the Netherlands destroying its nature for short term profit? And what if other countries follow our example? Should we worry? In Half-Earth, Our Planet’s Fight for Life the American biologist Edward Wilson argues that we should worry. We should worry, not because we know what will happen, but because we do not know what will happen if we continue to destroy our natural habitat, eradicating wild plants and animals at about 1000 times the usual rate. The last time the world experienced a mass extinction, it took the world ten million years to recover. [1] http://www.healthpowerhouse.com/en/news/euro-health-consumer-index-2015/ [2] http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2016/agriculture-forestry#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search= [3] See Figure 3.1 in Balans van de Leefomgeving 2016, p.59. [4] State of nature in the EU – Annexes p. 25

Ms Sigrid Kaag, a top Dutch diplomat working for the United Nations, will receive the Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize 2016. The Carnegie Foundation, which owns and manages the Peace Palace, has awarded this peace prize to Ms. Kaag for her successful efforts in accomplishing sensitive and dangerous missions in the Middle-East. From October 2013 until September 2014, Sigrid Kaag successfully led the OPCW-UN joint mission on the elimination of Syrian chemical weapons. This unprecedented mission along with Ms. Kaag’s leadership, dedication and courage helped secure the peaceful removal and destruction of Syria’s declared chemical weapons. Currently, Ms. Kaag serves as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Coordinator for Lebanon, where she oversees the work of the UN family in Lebanon as well as leads on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701, aiming to achieve a permanent ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel. Her engagement ranges from conflict prevention and diplomacy to strategic leadership on humanitarian, development and security issues. Sigrid Kaag is a top diplomat and has a distinguished long-term record of service at the United Nations. The Board of the Carnegie Foundation lauds her dedication and personal approach. She is held in particularly high esteem for her ability to bring unity. Chairman of the Foundation, Mr. Bernard Bot, commented her remarkable talent in bringing parties together and to consensus, adding that “Ms. Kaag doesn’t think in problems, but encourages parties to act”. Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize The Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize is awarded by the Board of the Carnegie Foundation every two years to a person or an institution furthering the cause of international peace, “in whatever way, by word or deed in the form of international action, in literature, or the arts”. The Prize is named after Dutch banker Johan Wateler. A hundred years ago, Wateler followed up the example of Alfred Nobel and drew up a testament allocating capital for the establishment of a Peace Prize. The award consists of 35,000 EUR in prize money. The Peace Prize was awarded for the first time in 1931. Prizes in previous years have been awarded to UN diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi (2014) and War Child (2012). Award ceremony The award will be presented to Sigrid Kaag by the chairman of the Carnegie Foundation on 16 November in the Great Hall of Justice of the Peace Palace in The Hague. On the same day the Carnegie Foundation and the Erasmus Centre for Strategic Philanthropy will hold a learning event on peace philanthropy at the Peace Palace to mark the 100-year anniversary of Wateler’s testament.    

By Jhr. Alexander W. Beelaerts van Blokland, Justice (Judge) in the (Dutch) Court of Appeal and honorary Special Advisor International Affairs, appointed by the Mayor and Aldermen of The Hague For some decades criminals are no longer only simple thiefs and burglars, but people who run international organizations and work with high tech. If police organizations want to attack those people and organizations, they have to be international and have to work with high tech as well. That is why in 1992 in the Treaty of Maastricht (in The Netherlands) the EU countries of that time decided to create EUROPOL: the European Police Office, to be based in The Hague. In 1999 the organization was operational and since 2011 EUROPOL has a newly built office on the Eisenhowerlaan, close to other international organizations. EUROJUST –the organization of European Public Prosecutors that works close together with EUROPOL- is building a new office in that area as well. In the 21st century new kinds of crimes appeared and of course EUROPOL wants to attack them. In 2013 EUROPOL started a new centre: the European Cybercrime Centre (‘EC3’) to strengthen the law enforcement response to cybercrime in the European Union and to help protect European citizens, businesses and governmemts. This year, 2016, EUROPOL started no less than three new activities: In January 2016 the European Counter Terrorism Centre (‘ECTC’), that will be an enhanced central information hub by which the Member States can increase information sharing and operational coordination. In February 2016 the European Migrant Smuggling Centre (‘EMSC’), that will proactivily support EU Member States in dismantling criminal networks involved in organised migrant smuggling. In July 2016 the International Property Crime Coordinated Coalition (‘IPC3’), to act against infringements of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), a widespread and ever-increasing phenomenon wordwide, in which in 2013 no less than 338 billion euro were involved, the equivalent of the GPD of Austria or the combined GPD of Ireland and the Czech Republic. The City of The Hague is proud that such extremely important new organizations against very serious modern crimes all are based in our international city of peace an justice. a.beelaerts@planet.nl    

On the picture Mr Manolis Arvanitis. The city of peace, justice and security, is in constant evolution; new organisations, new diplomats and new services regularly popping up in The Hague. Some of these new things are already part of our system and in the last few years have become mandatory for every embassy or diplomat that has moved into town. The indispensable Diplomatic Card or ‘free tax card’, as few refer to it, has been offering tax return services to diplomats in the Netherlands for several years already and more and more diplomats are finding their own ways to obtain this precious card. “This is logical, because we are taking a lot of work off their shoulders”, says General Manager Mr Manolis Arvanitis. Arvanitis is working for the company almost five years now and he sees a lot of changes since the beginning. “We offer the FUEL and the VAT service in the Netherlands. This means that Diplomats and other eligible can fuel up with a multiband card at any gas station – and this is an unique service – in the Netherlands, without paying for the VAT and excises on the spot. The VAT service offers a VAT card that allows eligible persons to shop VAT free on the spot in all connected shops”. With this service the paperwork for getting the VAT and/or excises reimbursed is no longer needed. “In the beginning the people were reluctant and careful in using the card. I can imagine this, because everything that is new, needs time to prove itself”, Arvanitis continues, “But the service shows how easy it can be done” “When a retailer is not connected to the network of DCC, it is easy to get your VAT reimbursed. Send the VAT included invoice to us and we will pay you the VAT amount back within 48 hours after approval of your privilege”. It was also Diplomatic Card who has taken care of the privilege for BO status which was wrongly reduced to one year. Arvanitis: “After long and intensive discussions with the tax administration, we could prove that the BO status was 10 years instead of one year. We are very happy that we could give this service to our clients, resulting a positive feedback regarding our intervention in this case. Therefore all privileged persons could receive back their excise which they did not receive for several months”. Diplomatic Card is working closely with Diplomat Magazine, sponsoring the monthly Meet & Greet’s events at Carlton Ambassador Hotel and the Ceremonies of Merit for departing Ambassador’s, also other diplomatic events thru the year. “We are involve in the Diplomatic life in the Hague”, says Manolis Arvanitis, “this is the only way we can hear and learn better what is going on for the Diplomats; what shops they would like to have in the network, what problems regarding VAT reimbursements they are facing etc.”. —– Mr Manolis Arvanitis, General Manager of Diplomatic Card. Photography by Kim Vermaart.      

  As a school that does not pre-select students for the challenging International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, American School of The Hague (ASH) supports all students with the capabilities, commitment and drive in their desire to undertake the IB Diploma. As with each year, it takes passion, planning and hard work on behalf of both the students and their teachers, to deliver excellent results – this year was no exception. As in previous years, the graduates of the 2015-2016 school year delivered a laudable 94% pass rate on their IB exams (51/54) with all students achieving above the required 24 points. The global average score for the IB Diploma was 30 points and the ASH students achieved an average score of 35 points, 5 points above the global average. It is extremely rewarding to see that 22% of the ASH students achieved 40 points or higher; 43% achieved 36 points or higher and a superb 92% achieved in excess of the global average of 30 points. In that light, we are also very honored to share the results of the students who undertook the exams for the Advanced Placement (AP) program. In May 2016, ASH administered 225 exams to 83 AP students. With the same philosophy used for the IB program, ASH does not pre-select students for inclusion in the AP program but rather encourages students to challenge themselves in one or more areas of interest in Grades 11 and/or 12 to give them a realistic taste of the expectations of university work. Thus, students this year sat anywhere from 1 to as many as 6 exams with an average of nearly 3 exams per student. The average global AP score was 2.84 out of 5 but the average score for ASH students per AP exam was 3.72 out of 5. Globally, 58% of students received a passing grade of 3 or higher but when we talk about ASH students, we can proudly say that 84% received a passing grade of 3 or higher. Moreover, only 13.3% of students received the highest mark of 5 out of 5 on AP exams globally. At ASH, an impressive 32% of students received a 5 on one or more exams.

By Duke Michael of Mecklenburg. A new diplomatic group for the City of Peace and Justice: the Young Diplomats’ Club The Hague! Founded by Thomas John Aciaarb, Attaché to the Secretary General of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH); Lucas Otero Peterka, Cultural Attaché at the Embassy of Peru; and Michael Mecklenburg, the YDCTH took off in style in August 2016. The Young Diplomats’ Club strives to provide an informal platform to members of the Corps Diplomatique, the Dutch Ministries and the International Organisations in The Hague. Thomas John ACIArb notes that “Our program will be designed to connect the many young diplomats, including their families, in an informal way to establish strong — personal, but of course, also professional — networks and ties.” Lucas Otero Peterka adds “So far, The Hague has been missing such a platform, which is well known in capitals and international cities around the world. It is the pleasure for us to bring the idea to The Hague for the benefit of the wider Diplomatic Community”. Michael Mecklenburg highlights that the membership is open and free, adding that “The Young Diplomats’ Club can easily be reached [Facebook, email [ydcthehague@gmail.com]. Or just become part of our mailing list accessible from our http://ydcthehague.jimdo.com/”. Diplomat Magazine congratulates the Young Diplomats’ Club The Hague and will continue to keep the Diplomatic Community posted on their events.  

Pictured Florian Volz and Timo Schmidt. By Duke Michael of Mecklenburg. In June, two students started a long journey, the Refugee Road, at the Peace Palace in The Hague. After two-and-a-half months of cycling they finished successfully in Lesvos in Greece. These two men are Florian Volz and Timo Schmidt. Both are students of the BA International Studies at Leiden University. The road of people fleeing their homes contains not only the Balkan Route, but leads also through Central and Western Europe to The Hague. It includes about 3500 km, which have now been captured on camera by Florian and Timo in about 80 gigabits of film material. Their aim is to make a road documentary about this journey with all its hardship and difficulties, but also hope, telling the stories of the daily refugee reality. Through this, they hope to bring forth more information into the European Migration Crisis discussion. However, the post-production of this documentary now needs sufficient funding. Diplomat Magazine sees this project of these two young journalists as a significant vivid contribution to the discussion around the migration crisis, which also is present among Diplomats and international organisations. Furthermore, we express our gratitude towards and thank these two keen young journalists for their dedication. More information about Refugee Roads can be found at: https://diplomatmagazine.eu/2016/06/05/cycling-the-refugee-road/ the introductory article www.refugeeroads.com where you can re-visit every step of their bicycle tour along the Balkan Route https://cinecrowd.com/nl/refugee-roads where you can watch the teaser and contribute to the realisation of Refugee Roads. If you are interested, questions and feedback are welcome just as much as highly appreciated -and needed – donations to their crowdfunding campaign.