On the picture Ambassador Victoria Bataclan posing with the students.   Brussels, 10 August 2015. — Some 40 Japanese, Korean and Belgian international politics students visited the Embassy last August 7 as part of the activities of the European Summer Academy of Otzenhausen (Germany) to learn more about the Philippines’ engagement with the European Union. As requested by the students’ professors, Ambassador Victoria S. Bataclan delivered a presentation/briefing on the “Regional Integration and Cooperation – the EU and Asia in 2015,” specifically outlining the Philippine involvement in EU programmes and other ASEAN and international organization issues followed by a discussion of issues confronting the Philippines and the EU, the ASEAN and the international organizations. Ambassador Bataclan announced that the Philippines is now a net creditor of the International Monetary Fund and has received very favorable ratings from all credit rating institutions.  

The delegation, led by Prof. Sebastian Zeitzmann of the European Academy of Otzenhausen, was composed of 18 Japanese master’s students in German and European studies with focus on politics, economics, culture, arts and languages from the University of Tokyo; 10 Korean master’s students in politics and international students; and 12 Belgian undergraduate students from the Ghent University. Prof. Dr. Yuichi Morii of the University of Tokyo, Prof. Thomas Kalinowski of Seoul, Ms. Lisa Fetzer of the European Academy and Dr. Wolfgang Pape of the European Commission accompanied the group. Prof. Zeitzmann confided that the visit of the participants of the European Spring Academy in May 2014 to Brussels Philippine Embassy left a lasting imprint because of “genuinely warm” reception which the participants then received from Ambassador Bataclan and her team. Thus, they decided that the European Summer Academy 2015 also experience the hospitality of the Philippine Embassy in Brussels. The European Summer Academy 2015 runs from 02 to 12 August 2015 and is a collaborative venture of the European Academy of Otzenhausen (EAO), the ASKO Europa-Stiftung (AES) of Saarbrücken, the University of Tokyo, the Ewha Womans University in Seoul, the Centre International de Formation Européene (CIFE) in Nice, the Europa-Institut of Saarland University, and the University of Ghent in Belgium. The programme includes visits to the ASKO-Europa Foundation, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the European Parliament, and the European Commission.   For more information:  Mission of the Philippines to the EU, Belgium and Luxembourg: http://philembassy.be/ Europa-Institut of Saarland University: www.europainstitut.de/ European Academy of Otzenhausen: www.citizensforeurope.eu/organisation/european-academy-otzenhausen ————– Text and photographs by Embassy of the Philippines to the EU, Belgium and Luxembourg (www.facebook.com/philippineembassy.brussels)  

                  On the picture H. E. Vladimir Norov Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan  to the Kingdom of Belgium and to the Kingdom of Netherlands. Tashkent July 29-30, 2015. An international roundtable discussion entitled “Bolstering the role and importance of civil society institutions in democratic renewal and modernization of the country: the experience of Uzbekistan and international practice” was organized by the National Association of Nongovernmental and Nonprofit Organizations (NNOs) of Uzbekistan, the Independent Institute for Monitoring the Formation of Civil Society and the Public Fund under the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as their foreign partners the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the Office of OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan. The forum was attended by members of the Senate and the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, the deputies of Jokargy Kenes of Karakalpakstan, Kengashes (Councils) of People’s Deputies of the regions and the city of Tashkent, experts and scholars of educational, research and public organizations, representatives of international and foreign organizations accredited in Uzbekistan, international experts in the field of civil society organizations from Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, South Korea, India, Turkey and other countries, as well as journalists. The event’s agenda included a detailed deliberation on Uzbekistan’s experience in supporting the advancement of civil society institutions and NNOs in the country, the measures spearheaded to boost their role and importance in nation-building and public affairs, elaboration and implementation of legislation, the crucial state programs designed to shore up socio-political, socio-economic and human development. The forum participants stressed the effectiveness of the five principles making up the Uzbek Model of Development and the Strategy “From a strong state to a strong civil society” well-known around the world. It was emphasized during the roundtable discussion that a framework for regulating the activities of NNOs, comprising more than 200 legislative acts and meeting the latest democratic requirements and international standards, has been created in Uzbekistan on the basis of the Constitution. As part of measures to secure the independent development of civil society institutions, bolster their role and place in nation-building, provide for a balance of interests in the society, safeguard democratic values, human rights, freedoms and legitimate interests, the laws “On Social Associations in the Republic of Uzbekistan”, “On Labor Unions, Rights and Guarantees of Their Activity”, “On Nongovernmental Nonprofit Organizations”, “On Public Funds”, “On Guarantees of Activity of Nongovernmental Nonprofit Organizations” and a number of other acts of legislation have been passed in Uzbekistan in this area. From year to year the contribution of NNOs to implementation of major state social and economic programs, including the program “Year of attention and care for the senior generation”, the program of job creation and providing employment for population, the program for further strengthening of reproductive health, maternal health, children and teenagers in Uzbekistan for 2014-2018, the program of action for the protection of environment of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2013-2017 and others. Leaders and activists of NNOs are members of more than 40 permanent national inter-ministerial committees, councils, working groups, which created in accordance with the acts of the President, the Government and the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan. Since 2013, the Cabinet of Ministers with the active participation of NNOs on annual basis developed and implemented joint plans and programs for the development of civil society institutions. In 2013, in the framework of joint events, measures taken to improve the information and organizational activities of NNOs, in 2014 the events aimed at improving their social and socio-economic activity, in 2015 Complex plan of activities of the Cabinet of Ministers aimed at strengthening social partnership between the government and NNOs. In general, measures to improve the institutional and legal framework of activities of civil society, which implemented in the country, reflected both in quantitative and qualitative indicators of development. If in 1991 only 95 NNOs functioned in the country, by 2000 their number has increased to 2585, from 2000 to 2010 the number of NNOs has increased more than 2 times and reached the level of 5431. Over the past four years, a similar increase recorded and as of January 1, 2015, the number of NNOs in Uzbekistan has reached a point of 8190.