On the picture The King of the Netherlands and Montenegrin Ambassador Vladimir Radulović – Picture by Rotapool, Remko de WaalBy Baron Henri Estramant.Republic of Montenegro: H.E. Ambassador Vladimir Radulović presented his credentials to His Majesty The King of the Belgians on 1 December 2015, to His Majesty The King of the Netherlands on 9 December 2015 December and to His Royal Highness The Grand Duke of Luxembourg on 4 February 2016. He is head of mission to all three Benelux countries, and the OPCW.
Before his appointment to Brussels, Ambassador Radulović had been State Secretary for Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration since 2012. He has served as ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark (2004-2006) and to the Federal Republic of Germany (2008-2012)
http://www.mvpei.gov.me/en/sections/Missions/Embassies-and-consulates-of-Montenegro/belgiumFinnish Ambassador Katri Elina Viinika – Picture by Rotapool, Remko de Waal.Republic of Finland: H.E. Ambassador Katri Elina Viinikka presented credentials to His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands on 9 December 2016. This is her first ambassadorship; her mission is likewise accredited to the OPCW.
Previously she was Director Unit for UN and General Global Affairs, Political Department at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.
http://www.finlande.nl/public/default.aspx?culture=nl-NL&contentlan=14King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and DRC Ambassador Dominique Kilufya Kamfwa – Picture by Rotapool, Frank van Beek.Democratic Republic of Congo: H.E. Ambassador Dominique Kilufya Kamfwa was accredited on 9 December 2016 to the Kingdom of Belgium, on 20 January 2016 to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and is due to be accredited to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
In 2015 the DRC placed a full-time diplomat in The Hague in charge for the liaison with The Netherlands; this office is headed by Minister-Counsellor Thomas Pierre Nzeza Konko.http://www.ambardc.eu/The King of the Netherlands and Malian Ambassador Sékou Dit Gaoussou Cisse. Picture by Rotapool, Freek van den Bergh.Republic of Mali: H.E. Ambassador Sékou dit Gaoussou Cissé presented credentials to His Majesty The King of the Belgians on 12 November 2015, to His Majesty The King of the Netherlands on 6 January 2016.
The mission of Mali in Brussels covers a jurisdiction for all three Benelux countries, St. James’s Court (UK), Liechtenstein, the EU and the ACP Group.
http://www.amba-mali.beHaitian Ambassador Antonio Rodrigue. Picture by Rotapool, Freek van den Bergh.Republic of Haiti: H.E. Ambassador Antonio Rodrigue was accredited to Belgium on 9 December 2015, to The Netherlands on 6 January 2016. His mission covers the three Benelux countries and the EU and the OPCW.
Before taking up this ambassadorship he was head of mission of Haiti to The Bahamas.
King Willem-Alexander and Iraqi Ambassador Saywan Sabir Mustafa Barzani – Picture by Rotapool, Frank van Beek.Republic of Iraq: H.E. Ambassador Saywan bin Sabir bin Mustafa Barzani presented credentials to His Majesty The King of the Netherlands on 20 January 2016. He is also head of mission to the OPCW.
Previously he was ambassador to the Italian Republic and non-resident to Malta.
http://www.embassyofiraq.nl/
On the picture Ambassador Oda Helen Sletnes and President Tusk – Picture by EUBy Baron Henri Estramant.
Kingdom of Norway: HE Ambassador Oda Helen Sletnes presented her credentials to the EU (President of the European Council Donald Tusk) on 9 December 2015.
Previous to her appointment to the EU she served as President of the EFTA Surveillance Authority in Brussels from 1 July 2011 until 31 June 2015. One should notice that Ambassador Sletnes already served as Norwegian Chief of Mission to the EU between 2006 and 2011.
www.eu-norway.orgAmbassador Vincenzo Grassi (right) and Rudy Demotte – Picture by Italian Embassy to Belgium.Italian Republic: HE Ambassador Vincenzo Grassi presented his credentials as bilateral ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium on 1 December 2015.
Previously he served at the General Directorate of the National System of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation as head of the European University Institute in Florence as well as the coordinator of the Year of Italy in Latin America (2015-2016).
www.ambbruxelles.esteri.it/Ambasciata_BruxellesAmbassador Dillum Haymandoyal and president Donald Tusk- Picture by EURepublic of Mauritius: HE Ambassador Dillum Haymandoyal presented his credentials to His Majesty The King of the Belgians on 1 December 2015. The Mauritian mission is responsible for The Netherlands, Luxembourg, the EU and the OPCW.
Before his arrival to Brussels he was Head of the Multilateral Political Directorate, National Focal Point and Representative of the Hon. Prime Minister to the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), Representative to the Institute for Democracy and Electoral assistance (IDEA). The ambassadorial rank was bestowed upon him in 2011.
http://mfa.govmu.org/portal/sites/mfamission/brussels/index.htmDr. Mutrif Siddiq Ali.Republic of Sudan: HE Ambassador Dr. Mutrif Siddiq Ali presented credentials to Belgium on 12 December 2015. The Sudanese mission is further accredited to Luxembourg and the EU.
Previously he was the very first Sudanese ambassador to South Sudan, and before the latter function as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs.
Ambassador of Austria to Luxembourg, Gregor Schusterschitz – Picture by Dragan Tatic, MOFA.Republic of Austria: HE Ambassador Gregor Schusterschitz was accredited to Luxembourg in October 2015. Previously he was Deputy Chief of Mission at the Austrian Permanent Representation to the EU between 2014 and 2015.
www.bmeia.gv.at/botschaft/luxemburg/die-botschaft/der-botschafter.html
On the picture Dr Brett Mason Ambassador of Australia, Ms Mimi de Wit Director Corporate Banking Rabobank and Mr Gregor van Essen Managing Director, Holland Water Challenge.By Jan W. van der Loos.
Australia’s Ambassador to the Netherlands, His Excellency, Dr Brett Mason, hosted a special event at his residence in celebration of the “Dirk Hartog Year” (1616-2016) on the 28th of January. The Dutch mariner and navigator, Hartog, is remembered as having been among the first Europeans to explore the “unknown continent.”
Hartog was skipper of the Dutch trading vessel, the Eendracht, in the service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), when he first made landfall in Australia on October 25, 1616. The Eendracht was unintentionally exploring the country’s northwest coast, after it strayed off course from the newly adopted “Brouwer Route” during a storm.
Today, a monument marks the site where Hartog and his crew came ashore at Cape Inscription, which is now the most northerly point of Cape Inscription National Park on the northern point of the island that bears his name, in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area.For additional Kim Vermaat’s pictures on the Australian National Day, please click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157663619728970H.E. Ambassador Dr Brett Mason, Judge David Re Special Tribunal for Lebanon and Mr Peter Potman Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director Asia and Oceania Department.
Ambassador Mason presented an engaging account of Hartog’s adventures, which are of historic importance to both Australia and the Netherlands, to some fifty specially invited guests from the diplomatic, business and academic communities. The ambassador noted that a desire to establish business and trade relationships motivated Hartog’s early explorations for the VOC in the 17th Century and his speech emphasized the long and trusted relationship between both countries.
Many of his guests continue to be actively engaged in fostering and enhancing this important relationship between the two countries today.
In this picture you can see the performers from ODD Continent with: centre middle: Ms Indra McCormick – Counsellor at the Australian Embassy bottom left: Mr Malcolm Rock – Artistic Director ODD Continent bottom Centre: Ambassador Mason
Hartog left a record of his “discovery” on a flattened pewter plate, inscripted with the date, which was nailed to an oak post securely positioned on a cliff top overlooking the bay. The plate is the oldest European artifact to be found on the continent and is now on display in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Amateur historians may also be interested in viewing an electronic image of the plate, which can be accessed on the museum’s official website!
Guests also enjoyed a private viewing of a priceless collection of sea charts and maps of Hartog’s original 17th C. unexpected exploration of “t land van d’ Eendracht” meaning the “Country of Unity” to describe the previously uncharted territory which first placed Australia “on the map.”
A private viewing of a colorful aboriginal art exhibit, temporarily on loan from the Museum of contemporary Aboriginal art in Utrecht (AAMU) was also of particular interest to guests. During a tėte á tėte with other visitors; Mr. William Andreae, the former Dutch ambassador in Australia, and the chairman of the AAMU, Prof. dr. Dop Bär, engaged in a lively discussion about art and shared anecdotes and other details about those early explorations with some of the guests.
Mr Lewis Casey Australian Embassy Research and Administrative Officer, Mr Bob Reid International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia Office of the Prosecutor, Head of Operations, Ms Ann Sutherland International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia Prosecuting trial attorney and Ms Babette Vellinga Australian Embassy Personal Assistant to Ambassador Mason.
An array of the country’s gastronomic specialties and light refreshments were served to guests and, following the speech, guests enjoyed a musical program featuring musicians and singers performing traditional Australian songs. Ambassador Mason, together with support from his hospitable staff, organized an informative and entertaining program for everyone present.
For more information about the special events being planned by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Australia and the Consulate General in Sydney to commemorate the “Dirk Hartog Year,” readers are invited to visit the official “Dirk Hartog 2016” website. Embassy of Australia in the Netherlands: http://www.netherlands.embassy.gov.au/
On the picture Mimoza Ahmetaj (Kosovo), Denise Campbell Bauer (USA), President Herman Van Rompuy (EU), Matjaž Šinkovec (Slovenia), Herta Margarete and Sándor.
Thursday, 4 February 2016, Embassy of Slovenia, Brussels: A “Flame of Peace” awards ceremony was held in Brussels for first President of the European Council, Professor Count Herman Van Rompuy, US ambassador to Belgium, Denise Campbell Bauer as well as the Ambassador of Slovenia to Belgium, Luxembourg, the SPC of the EU, Matjaž Šinkovec, first Permanent Representative of Slovenia to NATO and former political dissident in Yugoslavia, and Kosovar Head of Mission to the EU, Belgium and Luxembourg, Mimoza Ahmetaj. For additional pictures on the Flame of Peace Awards in Brussels, please click here:https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157662172525144Henri Estramant, Sándor and Herta Margarete von Habsburg and German ambassador Rüdiger Lüdeking.
Archduchess Herta Margarete von Habsburg of Austria-Tuscany is the President of the “The Association for the Furtherance of Peace”, which awards the “Flame of Peace” to persons in positions of leadership who engage themselves in the process of global/local peace and humanitarian initiatives wherever and whenever possible. The association’s Vice-President is Archduke Sándor von Habsburg and international affairs adviser is Baron Henri Estramant.
“The Flame of Peace is a symbol for worldwide peace, a reminder of our duty to be active for peace in our thoughts, words and deeds”.
The award has been presented to several heads of state such as Lech Wałęsa (Poland), Atifete Jahjaga (Kosovo), Adolf Ogi (twice president of the Swiss Confederation) as well as a plethora ambassadors and leaders paladins of peace such as the General Director of the Peace Palace, Steven van Hoogstraten in The Hague, former Austrian Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs (1987-1995), Dr. Alois Mock, Advisor to the Global Panel Foundation or HRH Prince Laurent of Belgium, President of the Royal Institute for the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources and the Promotion of Clean Technology.
For further information:
Flame of Peace: www.flameofpeace.org/page.php?26https://www.facebook.com/FlameofPeace/?fref=tshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame_of_Peacehttps://diplomatmagazine.eu/2014/04/06/8613/Personal information about the President and Vice-President:
Genealogy: https://diplomatmagazine.eu/2014/03/29/royal-family-dmg-hague/
Royal House: http://granducato.org
By H.E. Ms. Vestine Nahimana, Ambassador of the Republic of Burundi to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
On the occasion of the lifting of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran which effect, we all know, economically and politically asphyxiated the country, the Embassy of the Republic of Burundi in The Hague welcomes this decision and congratulates the Iranian people for the patience and the endurance which they displayed throughout the period of the international sanctions.
The pain endured by the Iranian people is the same pain that Burundians are currently unjustly facing. Some countries, in particular, the European Union countries and the United States of America have unfortunately relied on false information, and a misreading of the political and security situation in Burundi to impose unjust economic sanctions against the people of Burundi. The purpose of these sanctions, we know, are likely to weaken the national economy and that of the entire economic community which Burundi is one of the state parties.
The Embassy of the Republic of Burundi in The Hague also deplores the violent attitude of the radical Burundi opposition which organizes and uses terrorist attacks as a means of political expression. These terrorist attacks include the throwing of grenades against civilians in public places and conducting sporadic attacks on police and Military personnel and installations. In the same context, the Burundi Embassy in The Hague strongly condemns the attitude of some foreign media and international organizations that through the propagation of false reports manipulate and incite national and international public opinion against Burundi and breeds hatred and violence among the people of Burundi.
One example among many of the hateful culture of lies intended to manipulate international public opinion against Burundi and incite violence among its people is the recent widely televised video of a despicably violent attack against some civilians somewhere in West Africa by the French television channel France 3, portraying it to be a video of alleged violations perpetrated against civilian opposition members in Burundi. Pursuing this campaign of hate and lies against Burundi, Amnesty International, recently released a flawed and unscientific report alleging that its reading and analysis of it satellite images recorded over Burundi established the presence of mass graves in a predominantly agricultural area where soil and sand can be found. Any objective, independent and fair minded human rights investigator would have verified the satellite images through a site visit rather than make conclusory findings that insult, ignore and abuses the agricultural activities of the Burundian people under unjustified international sanctions.
The choice and the date of their publication clearly shows that the NGO wanted to influence the deliberations of the African Heads of States who met in Addis Ababa during the 26th African Union Summit to endorse the decision to send an African protection and prevention force to Burundi without the consent of the government and people of Burundi.
Fortunately, African Head of States like the Members of the UN Security Council relying on credible information available to them, have come to agree with the Government of Burundi which is convinced that the solution to Burundi’s political problems cannot and will never be military nor will come from unjust economic sanctions.
Burundi welcomes the fact that the international community is beginning to discover that the source of the insecurity afflicting Burundi is Rwanda. Information available to the government of Burundi and credible information from some media (France 24) and investigative reports by some International Experts, including UN Experts have confirmed that Rwanda which is a neighboring country to Burundi recruits, trains and arms Burundian citizens including minors in the MAHAMA Refugees Camp in Rwanda and sends them into to the territory of Burundi to commit armed attacks against civilians, security and military targets..
We know that some countries and some components of the international community have suspended or even stopped economic cooperation in order to force the democratically elected institutions by the sovereign people of Burundi and validated by the national and sub-regional judicial powers to submit and hand over power to anti-democratic Burundian forces. On the basis of credible information pointing to unprovoked acts of hostility and destabilization sponsored by Rwanda and executed by the violent opposition as the direct causes of the violence in Burundi, the Burundi Embassy in The Hague urges the countries which suspended economic cooperation with Burundi to review their positions. The Burundian Government is willing to conduct an open dialogue with its economic partners on all issues relevant to their bilateral cooperation.
Finally the Embassy of the Republic of Burundi in The Hague informs the international community that the leitmotiv of the Government of Burundi is dialogue. In this regard, the Embassy of the Republic of Burundi informs the international community that the inter-Burundian dialogue is ongoing in all provinces of Burundi. The ongoing Inter-Burundi dialogue will be extended to the members of Burundian diaspora for them to participate in this inclusive dialogue. Through this inter-Burundian dialogue, the people of Burundi hope to find a definite solution to the recurrent political problems that arise at the eve every election held in Burundi.
On the picture Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, Dutch PM Mark Rutter and Neelie Kroes, StartupDelta.By Baron Henri Estramant.1-3 February 2016, Silicon Valley, California: Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Founder of StartupDelta and former EC Commissioner Neelie Kroes paid a business, informal visit to Silicon Valley to find synergies between the booming technological area and the business mentality and climate of The Netherlands. They were accompanied by Royal Dutch Ambassador to the USA, Henne Schuwer, who until the summer of 2015 was head of mission to Belgium. For additional pictures, click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157662259007813Royal Dutch Ambassador to the US, Henne Schuwer, PM Mark Rutte and Netherlands employees at Facebook.Several profitable business deals are ongoing such as Planet Lab which is currently working together with a Delft-based company for the development of satellite innovations. Planet Labs is also due to open an office in The Netherlands to step up the project. The top meetings included the Governor of California Jerry Brown, the CEO of Apple Tim Cook or the one of Uber, Travis Kalanick but likewise members of Facebook board of directors such as Ms Sheryl Sandberg and the Dutch employees at the latter firm. CEO Tim Cook explored its intention to increase the number of iOS developers heavily in The Netherlands.Google for its part is building at the moment a new data centre in The Netherlands, with its regal capital Amsterdam as one of the globally largest Internet hubs in the world. Itself Amsterdam and other Dutch cities such as Rotterdam, Utrecht or Groningen are deemed as hubs for startups and innovation. These Dutch innovators naturally seek contact and business opportunities with the top players in Silicon Valley, wherefore the visit of Premier Rutte to the innovation capital of the world and the city of San Francisco. Visit at TESLA.For more information:StartupDelta: http://startupdelta.org/Prime Minister Mark Rutte: www.government.nl/government/contents/members-of-cabinet/mark-rutteRoyal Dutch Embassy to the USA, HE Ambassador Henne Schuwer: http://www.the-netherlands.org/organization/embassy-washington-d.c/embassy-in-washington-d.c.html————-Pictures by ANP
Bemba case: Trial Chamber III to deliver its verdict on 21 March 2016 in open Court
Trial Chamber III of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued on February 2 an order scheduling the hearing to deliver the verdict in the case The Prosecutor v. Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo on Monday 21 March 2016, at 14:00 (The Hague local time), in open session. The Chamber is composed of Judges Sylvia Steiner (Brazil), presiding, Joyce Aluoch (Kenya) and Kuniko Ozaki (Japan).
The session will be transmitted live through the ICC website.
The verdict will be read out in public and will either acquit or convict the accused. The accused before the ICC is presumed innocent. While the Prosecution must prove the guilt of the accused, the Trial Chamber will convict the accused only if it is satisfied that the charges have been proven beyond reasonable doubt.
The three judges ensure the fairness of the trial and that the rights of both parties and of the victims are respected. In response to the verdict, the various parties will be able to appeal the decision before the ICC’s Appeals Chamber.
The trial in the Bemba case started on 22 November 2010 and the submission of evidence in the case was closed on 7 April 2014. Mr Bemba is allegedly criminally responsible, as a military commander, for two counts of crimes against humanity (murder and rape) and three counts of war crimes (murder, rape and pillaging) allegedly committed in the context of the situation in Central African Republic in 2002-2003.
Information:www.icc-cpi.int
The Buddha, A Life Story and a Source of Inspiration, exhibition at Museum Volkenkunde, Leiden. 12 February to 14 August 2016.
These days, more and more people are meditating. Yoga is hugely popular. We even have what might justifiably be called a ‘mindfulness industry’ in the West. There are some 500 Buddhist centres in the Netherlands alone.
THE BUDDHA, a new major exhibition focusing on one of the most inspiring figures in world history, will open at Museum Volkenkunde on 12 February. What makes the life story of this spiritual leader so intriguing? How do people perceive and experience Buddhism in the early 21st century? The exhibition explores these and other questions. Join us on a journey round the world of Buddhism, discover all kinds of interesting facts, and experience the unifying power of this global religion.
For many Dutch people, a Buddha statue evokes memories of travelling in Asia, where these statues and Buddhist temple complexes are a cultural highlight. To others, the Buddha might be a symbol of calm, a counterbalance to today’s complex, high-speed world. Huge numbers of us meditate. Every large Dutch town has a Buddhist centre. The exhibition reveals what different people hope to find in Buddhism.
Journey
The reports, impressive photographs and interviews in THE BUDDHA take visitors on a journey through the most important Buddhist regions on earth, where this religion was important long ago, and is often still vibrant today. We look at places of pilgrimage and the important festivals celebrated in different countries.
The journey takes us to Thailand, India, Indonesia, China, Myanmar, Japan, Tibet; from the ancient Chinese monasteries and the Buddha’s birthplace in Nepal, to Borobudur in Indonesia. And we will travel round our own country, too. Four brand-new documentaries profile Buddhists and Buddhism in the Netherlands today.
Unique objects
This is the first time that so many Buddha statues from the museum’s collection have been exhibited together. Discover the differences between the statues and the reasons behind them. The exhibition also includes a rare 35-metre Vessantara banner depicting scenes from one of the Buddha’s previous lives.
Combined with loans from institutions like the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, Musée Guimet in Paris, the Berlin Museum of Asian Art and the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore, these objects tell the Buddha’s life story. Marvel at the ancient stone Gandara reliefs from Pakistan and the impressive contact relic of the Buddha’s footprint from Thailand.
The exhibition will move to the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam, in September 2016.
Georgina Gomez granted Marie Curie fellowship for research on ‘Monetary spaces and hierarchies in Europe. Impact of complementary currencies.’
Dr Georgina Gómez has been successful in the application for a Marie Sklodowska Curie Individual Fellowship (IF-EF) with researcher Mr Manolis Tzouvelekas, an award of €177,599 for two years.
The research, entitled ‘Monetary spaces and hierarchies in Europe. Impact of complementary currencies’, seeks to measure and analyze the social and economic impact of selected Community Currencies in Europe and their potential role in alleviating the Greek crisis.
Manolis Tzouvelekas ISSManolis Tzouvelekas is an economist with a focus on public administration. He holds a European Masters Degree in Public Administration. He has been a PhD research in Social Finance at Panteion University since June 2013; his thesis is titled ‘Social & Monetary Innovation: Building cooperative structures for a sustainable and resilient economy in Greece’.
Georgina Gómezis Senior Lecturer at ISS. Her research interests centre on the variety of economic organizations, namely of money, markets and enterprises.
For information: www.iss.nl
ISS hosts an International colloquium on Global governance/politics, climate justice & agrarian/social justice: linkages and challenges on 4-5 February 2016.
The convergence of multiple crises: food, energy, environmental, climate change and finance – and its relationship to the rise of important global political economic players: BRICS countries and middle income countries (MICs) – has triggered profound agrarian and environmental transformations in the Global South and North.
Old issues requiring conventional international governance interventions have persisted. New issues requiring different types of governance instruments and principles have also emerged. The character of nation-states and popular claim-making from below by ordinary villagers and grassroots organizations have been transformed.
Global governance has been interpreted in various ways. The same set of international governance principles, e.g. ‘free, prior and informed consent’ (FPIC) can be invoked by fundamentally competing interests: by corporate interests or by poor villagers and their allies. All sectors and actors talk about ‘regulation’ and ‘transparency – but they interpret these in competing and even contradictory ways. Key state/non-state actors try to influence others, and/but in turn are themselves influenced by the process of these multi-actor/multi-level encounters.
Intersection of social justice and global governance/politics
How do we make sense of all these dynamics? What can academic researchers say that is useful to practitioners and activists – and vice versa?
Our interest lies mainly in the intersection of social justice and global governance/politics – in the era of climate change and the continuing global resource rush. That is, if one’s starting point is to seek social justice – partisan, partial and biased in favour of the marginalized social classes and groups in various societies of the world – amidst the changing patterns of social relations partly brought about by the changes in the international political economic and ecological terrain, then where do we locate questions of international or global governance (or politics)? What/which global governance principles, instruments, institutions, and actors can be mobilized to seek, defend, strengthen or extend social justice – and how? What are the contentious debates, and why does it matter for academics, practitioners and activists to take these seriously?.
For information: www.iss.nl
