By Roy Lie A Tjam.
The year 2015 has been a busy one for the Embassy of Georgia in the Netherlands. Events have included National Day, the Embassy Art Exhibition, and most recently the Netherlands Georgia Business Forum at the Hilton on 24 November 2015.
The Business Forum was a joint effort which brought together various stakeholders: the EU-Georgia Business Council, Georgian Embassy to the Netherlands, PUM Netherlands senior experts, CBI, Netherlands Council for Trade Promotion (NCH), and EUROCHAMBRES.
A sizeable contingent of Georgian business leaders also made the voyage to The Hague in order to support the Forum.
The welcome remarks were given by H.E. Ambassador
Zviad Chumburidze, from the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and EU-Georgia Business Council. Other speakers included Mr.
Gigi Gigiadze, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia; Mr.
Carel Richter, Head of International Business, MFA the Netherlands; and Mr.
Johannes (Jos) Douma, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Netherlands to Georgia. Mr.
David Lee, President of Magticom, moderated the event.
Several interesting presentations were given on the investment climate and opportunities in Georgia, followed by a lively Q&A session. The event concluded with a B2B Platform, EU-Georgia Business Council Expo and economic photo exhibition, and a networking lunch offered by NVG Georgia.
Georgia offers Dutch investors a variety of opportunities to invest in the country’s fast-growing sectors – these include agribusiness, hydro power, manufacturing, logistics and tourism. Investors will benefit from a liberal tax system, liberal trade regime, access to a customs-free market of 900 million people (EURASIA), excellent banking system, good energy supply, competitively priced labor force and a DCFTA with the EU.
By means of anti corruption legislation, effective law enforcement and free access to online registration, the Georgian economy promotes transparency and reduces bureaucracy.
The country has also won the UN Public Service Award, the most prestigious international recognition of excellence in public service.
Such an achievement puts Georgia in good stead internationally.
The Ambassador of Georgia to the Netherlands, H.E. Mr.
Konstantine Surguladze, and his team are to be commended for the efforts they made in putting together the highly successful event.
In the afternoon teenagers were joining the activity to put together a Spaceship HEART popup playground made from the stools constructed by the younger once in the morning. In the second day the young age group was learning how to create spheres from the same modular system while the teenagers completed the Spaceship HEART structure. In the third day the teenagers were guiding the general public visiting the gallery during White Night Tirana.
In the presence of Albanian minister of culture Mrs. Mirela Kumbaro, the Major of Tirana Mr. Erion Veliaj and the Netherlands Ambassador Mrs. Dewi van de Weerd the teenagers were handing the Spaceship HEART popup space and furnishing to shelters for vulnerable children.
Roma are the most poor and marginalized ethnic group in Albania. 33.9% of Roma population in Albania is under 14 years old while the average years of school attendance are 5.6 years for males and 5.3 years for females. Inclusion of young Roma children’s in education and health system can decrease marginalization and vulnerability for future generations.
Collective Paper Aesthetics is a cultural entrepreneurship and design studio based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. In collaboration with museums, science centers, cultural and educational organizations the studio is developing educational toys, hands-on furnishing and participatory pop-up spaces.
Followed by the recently arrived 
On 3rd December, a new contract was signed whereby Meet the Dutch will continue to provide this invaluable service to UNESCO-IHE students. Els Wallenburg and Joost Scholtsz have co-ordinated Meet the Dutch activities for six years and they have an urgent request: ”This year, we have many more students than Dutch people and families to host them. The commitment is for six or eighteen months (depending on the course the student is following) and the frequency of meeting and greeting depends on the student. Sometimes it will only be once a month or less, other times more frequently if the hosts are willing.”
To introduce potential hosts to the work of Meet the Dutch, an open evening has been arranged at Tuesday 12 January from 19.00 – 20.00 hours in the UNESCO-IHE building. For more information visit: 
