Pictured H.E. Bruce Koloane Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa. By Roy Lie A Tjam. Freedom Day (27th April) is a national public holiday in South Africa that serves to celebrate the country’s first democratic post-Apartheid elections, held in 1994. In fact, it celebrates South Africa’s unique constitution and democratic freedom, guaranteeing all those within the South African border freedom from the hatred and oppression that ruled the past. Freedom, it is precisely for this reason that H.E. Bruce Koloane Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa in the Netherlands invited fellow Ambassadors, dignitaries and many others to the Marriott Hotel in The Hague on the 29th April 2016, to celebrate Freedom Day. For additional Kim Vermaat’s pictures please open the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157665662277944

The turnout was huge and Ambassador Koloane particularly highlighted the presence of the MFA Director of Protocol and ICC prosecutor. Moreover, he thanked the Netherlands for standing by South-Africa during the challenging years of the apartheid and the positive relationship between South-Africa and the Netherlands. This is demonstrated by Dutch investments in South Africa.

From a political viewpoint, Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s visit to South-Africa in November 2015 and the visit of South-Africa’s Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Netherlands also in 2015. A MOU has been signed which resulted in visits at Ministerial level. The evening’s program featured: live music by Modern Jazz Association, dance by choreographer Kirvan Fortuin and poetry by Dianna Ferrus, a South African writer, poet and storyteller. In conclusion, an excellent South-African buffet followed which enriched the celebrations. Inauguration of a South African Art Exhibition On the heels of the Freedom Day celebrations, the South Africa Embassy and Gallery Patries van Dorst jointly organized a three weeks long art exhibition to exhibit South African Art.The inauguration of the exhibition was held at Gallery Patries van Dorst Landgoed De Wittenburg, on a bright Sunday afternoon on May the 1st 2016 by H.E. Bruce Koloane Ambassador of South-Africa.

The Ambassador bid a special welcome to the South-African ICJ  Justice Bakone Moloto and Madam Pauline Burmann of Thani Mnyle Foundation of Amsterdam which promotes the exchange of art and culture between Africa and the Netherlands. The foundation offers three scholarships per annum to individuals from South Africa and other African countries. Ambassador Koloane spoke about how he first met Mr. Carel Reisch of Gallery Patries van Dorst. He also reflected upon the outstanding cooperation between the Netherlands and South-Africa. The Netherlands has been one of the most vigorous anti-apartheid movements in the world. Next speaker was Madam Patries van Dorst (proprietor of the gallery) she thanked all those who attended. The signing of an agreement between the Netherlands and South Africa on science and art will lead to several exchanges between the two countries in the coming years. An impressive list of established and young emerging South African artists are exhibiting: Adriaan de Villiers, Esther Mahlangu, Fortune Dlamini, Francois du Plessis, Gavin Rain, Heidi Sincuba, Ira van der Merwe, Jon Eiselin, Lehlogonolo Mashaba, Marlene Dumas, Mbongeni Buthelezi, Mia Chaplin, Mongezi Ncaphayi, Ruan Hoffmann, Samson Mnisi, Sara-J  and Thema Khumalo.

The staff of the Embassy of South-Africa, Ms.Namhla Neliswa Gigaba, Mr Lindsay Louis and others should not be forgotten as their tremendous efforts resulted in the fantastic art exhibition. Admission to the art show is by appointment. The exhibition will close on May 20th, 2016.

On the picture Herman van Rompuy. Herman van Rompuy receives Comenius Prize in presence of V4 Ambassadors April 6, 2016 10:38 AM On Saturday 2 April, the V4 countries – Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland – commemorated the birthday of the Czech philospher Jan Amos Comenius (1592-1670) in Naarden. Together with representatives of the municipality of Gooise Meren, the Ambassadors of Visegrad countries laid a wreath at the statue before the Great Church (Grote Kerk). Comenius, who is buried in Naarden, lived on the territory of all V4 countries and marks a cultural heritage the four countries share.

The memory of Comenius was further honoured in the Great Church, where musicians from the V4 countries played music pieces from Comenius’ time. Hungary was represented by the Revesz Trio. The young Etiene Revesz jr. (violin) Margit-Marees Revesz (cello) and Esther Revesz (piano) played the piece ‘Lakoldalmas’ by Leo Weiner. The Comenius Prize 2016 was awarded to Herman Achille, Count Van Rompuy. The former President of the European Council and former Prime Minister of Belgium received the award from Ms Albertine van Vliet-Kuiper, Mayor of Gooise Meren.

The Comenius Prize has been awarded since 2011, to pay a tribute to a person or organization dedicated to training, education, science and culture in a society that is becoming increasingly international. Geert Mak (2015), Louise Fresco (2014), Paul Schnabel (2013) and Robbert Dijkgraaf (2012) previously received the Comenius Prize. Jury Chairman Mr Gottfried Leibbrandt praised Van Rompuy for his conviction that the world’s problems can only be solved with a global approach and a key role for Europe. “In your work and life, you consistently emphasized values and respect. This saturates your vision on Europe, a continent of values, wherein, in your opinion, common values supersede our important economic interests.”  The ceremony in the Great Church was concluded with a reception, where the 600 guests were served wine and traditional pastries from the four Central European Countries. Photos by Embassy of Hungary, Lindblom Public Relations and Lidia Lewczuk  

Ceremony honors victims of WWII 10 May 1940 bombing on site of the ICC’s new permanent premises. Today, 4 May 2016, a ceremony was held at the site of the new premises of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands, to mark the May 1940 bombings of the Dutch military barracks formerly located at the site. The ceremony included remarks from ICC Registrar Herman von Hebel, Brig Gen G.W. van Keulen, and the Mayor of The Hague, Mr Jozias van Aartsen, and the unveiling of a plaque in honor of those who lost their lives during the attack. For the unveiling, a cortege proceeded from the ICC’s main entrance towards the plaque, where they were met by a military brass band. Military officers revealed the plaque, which memorializes 66 Dutch military personnel and 110 cavalry horses killed in the 10 May 1940 attacks. Brig Gen Van Keulen and Mayor Van Aartsen then laid wreaths in their honor. The text on the plaque reads: “On May 1940 at approximately 04:00, the German Airforce bombarded the Alexander barracks. This took the lives of 3 corporals and 63 cavalry officers”. During the ceremony, ICC Registrar Von Hebel remarked that “This memorial… will always be a symbol of the historical grounds on which the Court now stands”. After outlining the events of May 1940, Brig Gen Van Keulen noted that, “once the Alexander Barracks were demolished, all reminders that the barracks had been bombed had vanished. Thanks to cooperation with the International Criminal Court, this memorial to the victims is now in place, freely accessible to all, at any time”. Mayor Van Aartsen expressed his appreciation to the ICC for its role in realizing the memorial. “Now a tangible memorial, approachable by everyone, is here to mark the events on 10 May 1940”. He added: “War is more than the design and implementation of a strategy or tactical operation. It is human suffering.” Historical background On 10 May 1940, the German armed forces launched a massive attack on the Netherlands. Its key objective was to capture the Queen and government in The Hague in one blow. Up until then, the country had remained neutral but as the bombs began to fall, it was drawn into World War II. The Alexander barracks (‘Alexanderkazerne’) was hit by an air raid, which killed 66 members of the military and wounded many others. Many horses also died, and a book by Loe de Jong describes the scene: “Screaming horses – a horrible memory – lay wounded in the ruins of the stalls. A vet was putting them to sleep; around a hundred were victims of the German bombardment”. This initial German attack on The Hague did not succeed, partly due to strong Dutch resistance. But it was the start of what is known in Dutch as the meidagen or May days. After five days of heavy fighting, on 15 May 1940, the Netherlands surrendered. During the war, the Alexander barracks were used by the German army for its own troops. Germany’s central administration of the occupied Netherlands was based in The Hague, and the Alexander barracks was incorporated into a coastal defence system known as the “Atlantic Wall”. Bunkers and other remnants of this system still exist in the Benoordenhout area.

OPCW Founding Celebrated with First OPCW Day Conference: Chemical Safety and Security in a Technologically Evolving World   The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) celebrated its nineteenth anniversary today, by commemorating for the first time, the International Day for the Foundation of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, or OPCW Day.  The centrepiece of the celebration is the conference, Chemical Safety and Security in a Technologically Evolving World, taking place at OPCW Headquarters in The Hague from today until mid-day Wednesday, 4 May. The Director-General of the OPCW, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, opened the conference declaring, “Now more than at any other time in our existence, one thing is clear: our future successes will be very different from those of our past. Going forward, we will be called on to do more than just destroy chemical weapons. We must prevent such weapons from ever again re-emerging in any form.” He expressed his hope that the exchanges among participants, which include over 200 experts, officials, practitioners, scientists, educators and students, “form the basis of future collaborations that will help us meet new and emerging challenges with imagination and vigour.” Also highlighting the importance of working together to tackle future challenges, the Secretary General of the United Nations, H.E. Ban Ki-moon, commended the OPCW, through a special message of appreciation, “. . . For its tireless efforts to foster international cooperation both for disarmament and in facilitating the use of chemistry for the betterment of humanity. Science and technology continue to evolve rapidly. Identifying future challenges and opportunities for chemical disarmament must be a priority.” Opening ceremony and keynote speakers included political and intellectual luminaries such as H.E Eduardo Ibarrola Nicolin, Chairperson of the Conference of States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention; H.E. Renee Jones-Bos, Secretary-General, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands; H. E. Jozias van Aartsen, Mayor of The Hague; H.E. Carlos Foradori, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Foreign Relations and Worship, Argentina; Dr Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary, Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization; Prof Vernon Gibson, Chief Science Advisor to the UK Ministry of Defense; and Prof Martin Karplus from Harvard University, 2013 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. From today until Wednesday, 4 May, participants will explore what technological innovation, and chemical safety and security issues mean for the vision and objectives of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Three thematic tracks are offered including: chemical safety and security, technology foresight, and future scenarios. OPCW Day includes: an Exhibition featuring companies in the field of CBRNE-related equipment or products, developers of emerging and enabling technologies with chemical applications, and the designated laboratories of the OPCW; an interactive poster contest, photo exhibitions and film projections, including the premiere of the next film in the OPCW’s FIRES film documentary series, Combustion Man.

By Roy Lie A Tjam. A delegation of the Bangladesh University of Fashion and Technology (BUFT) paid a visit to the Netherlands. The objective of the visit was to meet with BUFT partners in the Netherlands. The delegation met with representatives from Nyenrode University (Breukelen), Saxion University Enschede and the Amsterdam Fashion Institute. BUFT strives to establish itself as a “Centre of Excellence” to produce technically competent human resources for the readymade garments, apparel and allied sectors at home and abroad with a specific emphasis on innovation and creativity.

After the Netherlands the delegation will visit the Niederrhein University Germany and subsequently return to Bangladesh. The delegation consisted of the following members: Mr. Muzaffar U Siddique Founder Chairman, Board of Trustees, BUFT; Mr. Tipu Munshi Managing Director of SIMCO Group, Hon. Member of Parliament and Founder and Member, Board of Trustees, BUFT; Mr. Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin Founder Member, Board of Trustee, BUFT; and Senior Vice President, Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industry. Prof. Dr. Engr. Ayub Nabi Khan Pro Vice Chancellor, BUFT In his welcome remarks, H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Belal Ambassador thanked the Dutch institutions, especially Minister Lilianne Plumen for her never failing support for Bangladesh. BUFT is a new university, established four years ago. The delegates expressed their appreciation for the excellent cooperation with the Netherlands. Ambassador Belal also paused for a moment to remember the innocent individuals who lost their lives due to terrorism. Mr. Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, briefly touched on the actions taken after the collapse of the Rana Plaza complex, he specifically applauded the Hon. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for closely and personally monitoring the plight of the victims and their loved ones. Due to the terrible tragedy, certain labor laws have now been changed and there are more changes in the pipeline. There is a zero tolerance for companies who don’t comply with the new regulations. Mr. Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin further hinted at the establishment of a special fund for those working in the textile industry. Ten million dollars is expected to be contributed annually towards this scheme. Other speakers included: Mr. Han Bekke Modint, Ms Annette Weijerman Neth.Exp.Agency, Mr Herman Snelder MDF, and Prof. Dr. Engr. Ayub Nabi Khan BUFT, Mr. Tipu Munshi MP, a NUFFIC representative along with some other speakers. Furthermore, Mr. Herman Snelder after his bi-annual evaluation visit to BUFT in Dhaka, reported positively to sponsor NUFFIC regarding the developments at BUFT. Mr.  Muzaffar U Siddique indicated the long awaited BUFT campus well be inaugurated by the end of 2016, bringing to an end the need to use rented facilities. Developments at BUFT are looking very promising, Kudos from all sides to Ambassador Belal for hosting the event at Bangladesh House and for his infatigable promotion of Bangladesh.