On the picture Sheikh Rashid bin Khalifa bin Hamad Al Khalifa.Royal Bridges, a fine arts movement founded by Bahrain’s most prominent artist, Sheikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Honorary President of Bahrain Arts Society and Managing Director Henri Estramant (moreover Diplomatic Adviser for Diplomat Magazine) is due to host its first global functions at the end of November 2016.
More precisely, the opening of an international exhibition entitled “Convergence” is to be held for VIPs on 29 November 2016 at the Ritz-Carlton Dubai International Financial Center, followed the next day by a charity gala wherein the participating artists and patrons are auctioning one selected artwork for an international charity.
Henri Estramant.
Convergence brings together for the first time in history of art, an exceptional mélange of royal, princely and noble artists from around the world celebrating and displaying contemporary art in Dubai, UAE. Itself featuring a plethora of paintings, sculptures, jewellery designs as well as musical performances listed as UNESCO intangible world heritage.
Fostering a culture of giving and philanthropy, the movement will host a gala dinner whose auction proceeds shall be donated to the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP).
The auction thereto is to be managed by Christie’s, which isfêting 250 years of existence as an auction house.
In addition to our artists, several patrons of the arts are donating objets d’art as Sovereign Guests/Friends of Royal Bridges to benefit the UNWFP.
These special guests are members of sovereign houses worldwide and include HM Queen Mother Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuckof Bhutan and her daughter HRH Princess Eeuphelma Choden Wangchuckof Bhutan (Bhutanese Court Textiles), HRH Princess Tatiana of Greece and Denmark (traditional Greek artisanship), HRH Princess Norodom Veasna Diva of Cambodia (Court artefacts), and HRH Princess Tessy of Luxembourg and Nassau (haute couture dress donated by designer Marcin Lobacz).
For additional information:Royal Bridges: http://royalbridges.org/home/
with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ladies Association, Malaysia (PERWAKILAN) & ASEAN Ladies Circle (ALC), The Hague
On Saturday 15th October 2016 Mrs Linda Zin, spouse of Malaysian Ambassador together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ladies Association, Malaysia (PERWAKILAN) & ASEAN Ladies Circle (ALC), The Hague took the initiative to organize a morning of Zumba dance and a talk by Dr. Dirulba Nasrin, spouse of Bangladesh Ambassador, an Epidemiologist and a full time faculty member at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.For additional pictures, please open the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157674613573110Dr Dilruba Nasrin.Dr. Dirulba gave an enlightening and inspirational talk to the participants and reminded them on the importance of paying extra attention of the risk factors and what they can do to minimise the risks of breast cancer.All the 20 participants were later took to sweat out in a 90-min Zumba session, led by an energetic instructor Mrs Maria del Mar Bravo from Venezuela. The event was concluded by a hearty lunch and a demonstration of cold-pressed fruit juice making by Mrs Linda Zin.This event was voluntarily organised with no intention of raising any fund. The associations felt that it is important to spread the message of awareness of breast cancer and also to inspire their members to live a healthy lifestyle.This is in the true spirit of PINK October campaign that suggests, “hope is living with courage and confidence, not fear”.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) learnt with sadness about the passing of Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago (Philippines) on 29 September 2016.
Senator Defensor-Santiago was elected for a nine-year term as an ICC judge by the Assembly of States Parties in December 2011, but did not assume her functions at the Court. On 4 June 2014, she submitted her resignation for personal reasons.
The Court presents its sincere condolences to the family and friends of Senator Defensor-Santiago in this time of sorrow.
On the picture Júlia dos Santos Baptista and the Ambassador of Brazil.The Hague – artist Júlia dos Santos Baptista builds cultural bridge with duo exhibitionAt the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University Kortenaerkade 12 in The Hague and under the A9 viaduct exit Amstelveen until the end of November will be an exhibition of well-known Dutch-Brazilian artist Júlia dos Santos Baptista.The A9 Open Air Keizer Karel Gallery exhibits a selection of Júlia’s Exhibition Where Art Meets Science at the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University which has been designed in collaboration with Dr. Lee Pegler.The opening lecture was attended by the ambassador of Brazil in the Netherlands His Excellency Mr. Piragibe dos Santos Tarragô, Dean Rector of the ISS Professor Doctor Inge Hutter, teachers and students, including many Brazilians of master’s and doctoral degrees among other lovers of the arts and sciences.The internationally inspired work of Júlia dos Santos Baptista is recognized in The Netherlands as well as abroad for its appeal to people with various cultural backgrounds. For that reason Dr. Lee Pegler of the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University of Rotterdam, which is based in The Hague, approached Júlia to collaborate and jointly design and organize an interlinked exhibition on some paintings from her Medusa Collection with a lecture on Lee’s international socio-economic research work.The exhibition depicts the relationship between in particular Brazil and The Netherlands from the perspective of the arts and the social sciences. ‘A great honor’, said Júlia dos Santos Baptista, because the institute is doing pioneering research on value chains and their socio-economic importance, international trade relations and multi-cultural communities are a reflection of them. But there is also a cultural impact, and the Medusa Collection is seen as a good and inspiring example. She continues: ‘Amstelveen is internationally oriented, and many of its inhabitants build intercultural bridges on a daily basis. My idea was to present my work, as a local artist, at two exhibitions at the same time in two Dutch, yet internationally oriented, cities: The Hague and Amstelveen, and to thus spread it’s message of insipration at unveristy level as well as street level alike. I therefore woul like to invite art and science lovers to visit both exhibitions, in house in The Hague and outside on the street in Amstelveen, both of which will remain on display until the end of November.’For more information about the work of Júlia dos Santos Baptista or for registering for new art courses please contact:julia@juliadossantosbaptista.com
Dutch Minister-President Mark Rutte and HRH Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands – Picture by Rijksvoorlichtingdienst – RVD.Thursday, 13 October 2016, Mauritshuis, The Hague: Chairman of StartupDelta, HRH Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands(Constantijn van Oranje) held a tête-à-tête with the Dutch Minister-President and Minister of General Affairs, Mark Rutte to discuss governmental support to buttress up the scheme aiming at making The Netherlands a major international hub for startups and technology in Europe, matching Silicon Valley in California, USA. As a whole StartupDelta is an initiative born out the chief innovation centres within the Kingdom of the Netherlands with the backing of the ministries of Economic Affairs and Education Culture and Science as well as the startup community at large. In fact, the governmental budget for 2017 includes funds to be made available for the development of established startups. Likewise it foresees the simplification of red tape at national and EU levels in order to make The Netherlands and the EU common market as a whole, an auspicious area for quality innovations, new technologies and investments. Former European Commissioner for Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, is one of the leaders and co-founders of the project currently revolutionising the startup eco-system in The Netherlands. For further information:StartupDelta: https://www.startupdelta.org
President of the Assembly regrets withdrawal of any State Party from the Rome Statute and reaffirms the Court’s fight against impunity
On 21 October 2016, the Government of the Republic of South Africa deposited its instrument of withdrawal from the Rome Statute (“Statute”), the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court (“ICC”), with the Secretary General of the United Nations. The decision comes in the wake of the withdrawal process recently initiated by Burundi.
In this regard, the President of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Mr. Sidiki Kaba, indicated: “Although withdrawing from a treaty is a sovereign act, I regret these decisions and invite South Africa and Burundi to reconsider their positions.” “I urge them to work together with other States in the fight against impunity, which often causes massive violations of human rights,” he added.
The President of the Assembly is concerned that this disturbing signal would open the way to other African States withdrawing from the Rome Statute, thus weakening the only permanent international criminal court in charge of prosecuting the most serious crimes that shock the conscience of humanity, namely genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes of aggression.
For Mr. Kaba, the international community must remain united to face the enormous challenge of preventing the commission of such crimes, prosecuting the alleged perpetrators, whoever they are and wherever they are, to ensure peace, stability and security of our States.
Mr. Sidiki Kaba reiterates that the International Criminal Court needs the strong support of the international community and the cooperation of States to ensure its effectiveness and strengthen its credibility. In concluding, he calls upon all States parties to remain active members and other States to ratify the Rome Statute in order to ensure the right to universal justice to all victims of mass crimes.
The beautiful ones are not yet born.By John Dunkelgrün.At the Victor Laurentius Gallery in the main square of the New Babylon Shopping Center, you’ll find a small but remarkable exposition: “Broadening Horizons: Perspectives on Departure” by the artistic couple Anna Kurtycz and RUDEK.The exposition was opened by Ms. Mette Gonggrijp, Director of the Sub-Saharan Africa desk at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs., who emphasised the importance of art as a medium of communication.Anna Kurtycz (Mexico 1970) is a master woodcutter who has ventured successfully into engraving, photography, video installations and street art. She likes scenes from daily life, especially how people interact in crowds. RUDEK (The Netherlands 1975) is an artist who likes to focus on the individuals in a crowd. The tension between the individual and the masses is where their common work touches.RUDEK is a diplomat in the Dutch Foreign Service and the couple has spent seven years in Africa, in Ghana and Benin. In both places Anna set up her studio, not just to work herself, but to interact with local population (children and adults) with whom she organised art classes and art activities. She also participated with her studio several times in Ghana’s main street Art Festival. In all the cases the interaction with local population was a great source of inspiration, not just for her, but for everyone around her. The work they made in Africa was directed by social issues, women, the tension between races, corruption and migration. It is this last issue that was the start of the current exposition, looking at migration not from the outside in seeing victims, but from the inside out. They look at individuals, strong people who gathered the courage and had the strength to leave a place without future in search for a new world, where they could live and bring up a family in peace and security.You will find portraits of strong women, the imaginary wall these migrants have to scale and a busy port. Anna discovered that, during the migration of ancient Aztecs from Aztlán (Northwest of Mexico) to Tenochtitlan (Todays Mexico City), they were confronted to a similar situation that migrants face today while going to USA. She used the same iconography of Aztec codex to describe today’s problem. Plus que ça change …Don’t miss this exposition UNTIL NOVEMBER 4th. Open weekdays from 10.00 ~ 19.00, Saturday 10.00 to 18.00, Sunday 10.00 to 17.00.
On the picture Judge Olga Herrera Carbuccia. Photography by Kim Vermaat.
On October 21, 2016, Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “the Court”) approved and ordered to start the implementation of a plan submitted by the Trust Fund for Victims (“TFV”) for symbolic collective reparations for the victims in relation with the case of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo.
Mr Lubanga was found guilty of the war crimes of the enlistment and conscription of children under the age of 15 in Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The TFV was ordered to file a report every three months.
The Chamber agreed with the TFV that the implementation of symbolic reparations “paves the way for the social acceptance of reparations awards in the affected communities”. The Chamber will issue its decision on collective reparations programmes, which are not of symbolic nature, in due course.
Trial Chamber II, composed of Judges Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, Presiding Judge, Olga Herrera Carbuccia, and Péter Kovács, considered the views presented by the different participants during the hearings conducted on 11 and 13 October 2016, carefully studied the TFV filing of 19 September 2016, and concurred with the TFV that the proposed symbolic reparations project “provide for an enabling environment to develop and implement service-based collective reparations awards” and “creates a safe environment for victims to come forward and voluntarily participate in the service-based collective awards without undue fear for their safety or reputation”.
The Chamber also expressed its wishes to turn the TFV’s attention to study the possibility of expanding its project beyond the five proposed localities referred to in paragraph 39 of its 19 September 2016 Filing, in order to cover, to the extent possible, the Ituri region.
On the picture H.E. Ambassador Mpeo Limpho Mahase-Moiloa.By the Mission of the Kingdom of Lesotho in Brussels, accredited to EU, OPCW, ACP Group and the Benelux countries.
Castle of Wittenburg, Wassenaar, Tuesday, 4 October 2016: The Lesotho Mission seized the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the kingdom’s independence as an opportunity to share the history, developments, investment opportunities, tourism attraction features as well as challenges that the Government of His Majesty King Letsie III, is committed to tackling for the betterment of the Basotho, with more than fifty associations of the Netherlands business community, dignitaries from embassies and governmental institutions.
History
The Basotho is a nation founded by Paramount Chief Moshoeshoe I, in the 19th Century. The Great King with a legacy of being a charismatic leader and a true diplomat of his time.
He spared the lives of the Cannibals who had eaten his grandfather.
He would send a herd of well-fed cattle to his attackers after defeating them in the many battles he fought. This he did to create peaceful relations with his neighbors.
He sought protection from the British resulting in Lesotho bearing a Protectorate Status as opposed to being a Colony.
The Distinct and Unique Features of This Beautiful Kingdom in the Sky
It is one of the three enclaved states in the world.
It has the highest low point above sea-level, 1400m.
Thabana-Ntlenyana, 3,482m elevation is the highest point in Lesotho and highest mountain in Southern Africa.
Although not a large producer of diamonds by volume, it is characterized by large stones (more than 100 carats) of very high colour quality.
Spiral Aloe – is endemic to Lesotho. It has strikingly a symmetrical five pointed spiral growth habit and alleged to have some medicinal functions.
Maletsunyane Fall and Abseil – as stated in the Guinness World Records, is the longest commercially operated single drop abseil in the world. Whereas the Fall itself (192m) is the longest horsetail type of Fall in Southern Africa.
It is one of the countries in Africa that hosts ski areas and resorts – The AfriSki.
It hosts Africa’s toughest motor-sport event “The Roof of Africa Rally”.
For additional pictures, please open the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157674179755201Jan Hak, Chairman NAFTC, H.E. Mpeo Mahase-Moiloa Ambassador of Lesotho to the EU and the Benelux, Frans Engering, SANEC Chairman, Mark Agterdenbosch, SANEC General Manager.People Focused Development: With its small economy, Lesotho attaches great importance, amongst others; to its education and health systems. The recent UNESCO Report on Global Partnership for Girls and Women’s Education stated that the adult literacy rate in Lesotho is above Sub-Saharan average as 95% of women are literate compared to 83% of men. A great effort is also highly visible in the health sector, especially the Primary health Care. Under the Millennium Challenge Account, founded by the Government of the United States of America; Lesotho recently rehabilitated old clinics and constructed new ones bringing a total number of clinics to 150 country-wide. The services offered at all these centres are free. Lesotho therefore, promises investors a young trainable and healthy labour force.
In 1966 when Lesotho became independent, it had only a kilometer long tarred road. Today, all its ten districts are accessible by tarred roads and most of the township villages are tarred. Almost all the remote areas are accessible by gravel roads. Here, it should be pointed out that one of the distinct features alluded to, earlier; of being a highest low point above sea-level, makes Lesotho vulnerable to massive land degradation which reverses its gains as far as development of road infrastructure is concerned.
Another people oriented major development is in the water and energy sectors. The number of households’ supply of clean water and sanitation services grows by big margins yearly. The supply of energy especially the renewable energy is also growing steadily. Lesotho is grateful to its main development partners in this area; the European Union through the European Development Fund (EDF).
Lesotho has a commendable record of promoting gender equality in all its national programmes aimed at sustainable human and economic development. For instance two of the three arms of the Royal Government; namely, the National Assembly and the Judiciary are headed by women.
Frans Engering, SANEC Chairman, H.E. Ambassador Mpeo Mahase Moiloa and Jan Hak, Chairman NAFTC.Economic Factors and Incentives for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
Lesotho’s major economic sectors comprise manufacturing, mining, agriculture, tourism and services, with chief exports in textiles, diamonds, water, wool and mohair. With the sole intention of creating an investment friendly setting, Lesotho’s Seventh Parliament (2007-2012) focused mainly on Economic Development Oriented Laws. These amongst others included the repealing and, or amending of the following Acts:
The Land Act – to improve the Land Tenure system focusing both on women and investors’ rights.
Married Persons Equality Act – Generally aimed at removing the minority status of married women with the aim of affording them a full participation in economic development.
The Companies Act – to shorten both process and period of registration of companies and to enhance the legal status of women by giving them the right to be Directors of Companies.
In the same era, all the offices rendering company registration services were brought under one roof “The-One-Stop-Shop”, to facilitate this process.
Financial Act – This was also amended to create tax incentives for investors.
Lesotho welcomes FDI in Renewable Energy, Tourism Infrastructure and Agriculture. This would influence a much needed growth of the private sector as well as addressing the problem of youth unemployment. In the same breadth, Lesotho calls for international support for the current challenge of food insecurity resulting mainly from the direct effects of climate change.
The Memorandum of Understanding was also signed at the event as part of the mutually accepted need to set up a Netherlands-Lesotho, Agricultural, Food and Technology Platform with the location in Lesotho.
In conclusion the Mission would like thank the sponsorship and organisation of a reception held on 4th October 2016 at the Castle of Wittenburg in Wassenaar, The Netherlands, to mark this Golden Jubilee of Independence. In particular, the Hak Partners in collaboration with Southern African Netherlands Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SANEC). It also joins Mr Hak in thanking the following companies for responding positively to his call to join hands with him to the fruition of the event; Netherlands Agro, Food and Technology Centre (NAFTC), VanDrie Group, Tradin Organic, Metropolitan Food Security, QuaTerNes B.V., Three4Life, Ridder HortiMax, Ploeger OxboGroup and Geerlofs.
Another big appreciation goes to Lesotho’s development partners for the continued support rendered as it struggles to give a true meaning to the word – Independence.KHOTSO, PULA, NALA / (PEACE, RAIN AND PROSPERITY)For more information:
Lesotho’s Monarchy and Parliament: http://www.parliament.ls/king/index.html
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations: http://www.foreign.gov.ls/home/contacts.php
Netherlands Agro, Food & Technology Centre (NAFTC): http://www.naftc.nl/aboutnaftc/
——————–
Photography by NAFTC-Africa (http://www.naftc.nl/aboutnaftc/)
On the picture Honourable Lu Hsiu-lien.
Tuesday, 18 October 2016, Brussels-Luxembourg: The first female Vice-President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), The Honourable Lu Hsiu-lien, Founding President of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women (Taiwan, 2008), was hosted at the European Parliament by MEPs of all the political persuasions during a warm dinner, which was preceded by an allocution of the former Vice-President on her geo-political insights about the Far East.
MEP Hans van Baalen.
Ms Lu Hsiu-lien (呂秀蓮) served as ROC’s Vice-President between 20 May 2000 and 20 May 2008; being the first and only woman hitherto to have held the office. She is also the very first elected deputy chief of state to take up a Westernised forename, namely “Annette”.
The President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party (ALDE Party), MEP Hans van Baalen (The Netherlands) also addressed the audience after the speech of Ms Lu to highlight the fact that the ROC is still often excluded from international organisations and meetings, and warned of the perils in the world order of denying recognition to the ROC and its leadership.
Baron Henri Estramant and the Honourable Lu Hsiu-lien.Photography by Director Cheng Yuan-ching, Press Division – Taipei Representative Office in the European Union and Belgium. Baron Henri Estramant and Vice-President Lu Hsiu-lien at the European Parliament headquarters at Brussels.
The event was concluded by a hearty lunch and a demonstration of cold-pressed fruit juice making by Mrs Linda Zin.
This event was voluntarily organised with no intention of raising any fund. The associations felt that it is important to spread the message of awareness of breast cancer and also to inspire their members to live a healthy lifestyle.This is in the true spirit of PINK October campaign that suggests, “hope is living with courage and confidence, not fear”.
The internationally inspired work of Júlia dos Santos Baptista is recognized in The Netherlands as well as abroad for its appeal to people with various cultural backgrounds. For that reason Dr. Lee Pegler of the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University of Rotterdam, which is based in The Hague, approached Júlia to collaborate and jointly design and organize an interlinked exhibition on some paintings from her Medusa Collection with a lecture on Lee’s international socio-economic research work.
The exhibition depicts the relationship between in particular Brazil and The Netherlands from the perspective of the arts and the social sciences. ‘A great honor’, said Júlia dos Santos Baptista, because the institute is doing pioneering research on value chains and their socio-economic importance, international trade relations and multi-cultural communities are a reflection of them. But there is also a cultural impact, and the Medusa Collection is seen as a good and inspiring example.
She continues: ‘Amstelveen is internationally oriented, and many of its inhabitants build intercultural bridges on a daily basis. My idea was to present my work, as a local artist, at two exhibitions at the same time in two Dutch, yet internationally oriented, cities: The Hague and Amstelveen, and to thus spread it’s message of insipration at unveristy level as well as street level alike.
I therefore woul like to invite art and science lovers to visit both exhibitions, in house in The Hague and outside on the street in Amstelveen, both of which will remain on display until the end of November.’
For more information about the work of Júlia dos Santos Baptista or for registering for new art courses please contact:
julia@juliadossantosbaptista.com
The exposition was opened by Ms. Mette Gonggrijp, Director of the Sub-Saharan Africa desk at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs., who emphasised the importance of art as a medium of communication.
Anna Kurtycz (Mexico 1970) is a master woodcutter who has ventured successfully into engraving, photography, video installations and street art. She likes scenes from daily life, especially how people interact in crowds. RUDEK (The Netherlands 1975) is an artist who likes to focus on the individuals in a crowd. The tension between the individual and the masses is where their common work touches.
RUDEK is a diplomat in the Dutch Foreign Service and the couple has spent seven years in Africa, in Ghana and Benin. In both places Anna set up her studio, not just to work herself, but to interact with local population (children and adults) with whom she organised art classes and art activities. She also participated with her studio several times in Ghana’s main street Art Festival. In all the cases the interaction with local population was a great source of inspiration, not just for her, but for everyone around her.
The work they made in Africa was directed by social issues, women, the tension between races, corruption and migration. It is this last issue that was the start of the current exposition, looking at migration not from the outside in seeing victims, but from the inside out. They look at individuals, strong people who gathered the courage and had the strength to leave a place without future in search for a new world, where they could live and bring up a family in peace and security.
You will find portraits of strong women, the imaginary wall these migrants have to scale and a busy port. Anna discovered that, during the migration of ancient Aztecs from Aztlán (Northwest of Mexico) to Tenochtitlan (Todays Mexico City), they were confronted to a similar situation that migrants face today while going to USA. She used the same iconography of Aztec codex to describe today’s problem. Plus que ça change …
Don’t miss this exposition UNTIL NOVEMBER 4th. Open weekdays from 10.00 ~ 19.00, Saturday 10.00 to 18.00, Sunday 10.00 to 17.00.
