Geography made Bangladesh a virtual playground of world’s three of the largest river systems – Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM). It is located on an active sedimentary basin and the intricate network of alluvial rivers that carries an average quantity of 0.5–2.8 billion tons annual discharge and sediment load from the Himalayas.
More or less like the Netherlands, Bangladesh is also a floodplain. The altitude normally does not exceed 11 m above the sea level except in the hilly areas of Chittagong and Sylhet. About 80% of the total land area constitute floodplains while terraces and hills account for about 8% and 12% respectively.
To make it even more challenging than the Netherlands, Bangladesh houses 57 cross-boundary rivers, of which 54 are shared with India and the remaining three with Myanmar. Bangladesh is the common lower riparian of all these trans-boundary rivers. The combined discharge of water from the GBM rivers is second only to that of the river Amazon.
Defending against floods from such massive network of cross boundary rivers require a regional framework in the Himalayan basin area which is not there yet. Hopefully, countries in the Himalayan basin will, someday, take a page from the European networks of cooperation in the water sector to develop a basin wide framework for water cooperation.
As amazing as it may sound, some sources suggest that there were primitive flood defences in what is now the Netherlands as far back as 500BC. Windmills, for which the country is famous, have been helping to pump water off the land for more than half a millennium. Therefore, it is no wonder that the Netherlands, with almost half of her population living below the sea level, remained floodproof. They learned how to protect against flooding and developed a sophisticated system of almost 3,800 kilometres of flood defences, including earthen levees along the main rivers as well as sand dunes, coastal dikes and five major coastal protection works and storm surge barriers along the coast.
The first component is a primary sea defence system constructed as a system of closure works and Storm Surge Barriers in the tidal inlets. It is connected by a system of natural dunes and man-made sea dikes that are capable of withstanding 1 in 10,000 year flood events. Now they embarked on a plan to make more room for waters as a part of their Delta plan.
After years of workings, finally in 2014, we, in Bangladesh, have been able to conclude framework with the Netherlands for a holistic, long-term, vision- aptly called “Delta Plan 2100”. This long-term vision, combined with the use of scenarios as well as incorporating our own initiative for “Blue Economy” with that of the Netherlands “Blue Gold”, will hopefully put in place a plan to make Bangladesh as floodproof as possible.
More than flood proofing, what I would personally like to see in Bangladesh is the inculcation of the Dutch way of thinking where disaster avoidance generally takes precedence over disaster relief. To the credit of our thousands of innovative people, Bangladesh is globally known for its excellent post disaster management skill. But working to avoid disaster is completely different from working after a disaster.
This is what I long to learn as I continue this pilgrimage for the rest of my tenure! Hartelijk bedankt, nederlandse vrienden!
Water pilgrimage in the Netherlands
Photography by Antim.
By Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh to the Netherlands.
Sensing my absorbed meditating mood, my wife, on her arrival at the Schiphol Airport recently, threw out a religious challenge: “When did you become so religious?”
What sounds like a light-hearted query lead us to a formidable discussion on how I tend to see my tenure in the Netherlands as nothing short of a water pilgrimage. To make my point on how the Netherlands remained so dry amidst all these water, I offered her a romantic plot. Informing her that Schiphol Airport’s lowest point being 3.5 m below sea level, I would have been waiting on the shore of a river to grab her outreached hand from a colourful boat in Bangladesh. So we were on a joy ride, in a boat, if she were to arrive in Bangladesh, instead of the Netherlands.
When my first ever Ambassadorial assignment landed me in the Netherlands in March 2014, I think it also gave me an opportunity to do something immediate and practical about my old obsessions-how could we remain afloat in Bangladesh even if we go under water? What is the way out?
As I make my slow pilgrimage through the watery landscape of the Netherlands, a sense of awe and mystery seems to gather and grow. The process of my transformation came to a head with my discovery of water being at the front and centre of whatever they do here in the Netherlands. It is next to impossible leaving a gathering of even three to four professionals in the Netherlands without meeting a water expert
I came to believe that there is a sacredness in Dutch water. It was never a mark of weakness, but of power. Dutch showed the world how to keep one’s head above water even if forces of nature prove seemingly insurmountable. What was their weakness, the Dutch turned it into an overwhelming reservoir of expertise and resilience
When we talk about resilience, the world came to witness, the people of Bangladesh are no less endowed with their ability to bounce back.
Among its immediate neighbours, Bangladesh has the highest life expectancy (68.3 years), the lowest infant mortality rate (42 per 1000 live births) and one of the lowest maternal mortality ratios (194 per 100 000 live births). But it remained trapped to its geography.
Geography made Bangladesh a virtual playground of world’s three of the largest river systems – Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM). It is located on an active sedimentary basin and the intricate network of alluvial rivers that carries an average quantity of 0.5–2.8 billion tons annual discharge and sediment load from the Himalayas.
More or less like the Netherlands, Bangladesh is also a floodplain. The altitude normally does not exceed 11 m above the sea level except in the hilly areas of Chittagong and Sylhet. About 80% of the total land area constitute floodplains while terraces and hills account for about 8% and 12% respectively.
To make it even more challenging than the Netherlands, Bangladesh houses 57 cross-boundary rivers, of which 54 are shared with India and the remaining three with Myanmar. Bangladesh is the common lower riparian of all these trans-boundary rivers. The combined discharge of water from the GBM rivers is second only to that of the river Amazon.
Defending against floods from such massive network of cross boundary rivers require a regional framework in the Himalayan basin area which is not there yet. Hopefully, countries in the Himalayan basin will, someday, take a page from the European networks of cooperation in the water sector to develop a basin wide framework for water cooperation.
As amazing as it may sound, some sources suggest that there were primitive flood defences in what is now the Netherlands as far back as 500BC. Windmills, for which the country is famous, have been helping to pump water off the land for more than half a millennium. Therefore, it is no wonder that the Netherlands, with almost half of her population living below the sea level, remained floodproof. They learned how to protect against flooding and developed a sophisticated system of almost 3,800 kilometres of flood defences, including earthen levees along the main rivers as well as sand dunes, coastal dikes and five major coastal protection works and storm surge barriers along the coast.
The first component is a primary sea defence system constructed as a system of closure works and Storm Surge Barriers in the tidal inlets. It is connected by a system of natural dunes and man-made sea dikes that are capable of withstanding 1 in 10,000 year flood events. Now they embarked on a plan to make more room for waters as a part of their Delta plan.
After years of workings, finally in 2014, we, in Bangladesh, have been able to conclude framework with the Netherlands for a holistic, long-term, vision- aptly called “Delta Plan 2100”. This long-term vision, combined with the use of scenarios as well as incorporating our own initiative for “Blue Economy” with that of the Netherlands “Blue Gold”, will hopefully put in place a plan to make Bangladesh as floodproof as possible.
More than flood proofing, what I would personally like to see in Bangladesh is the inculcation of the Dutch way of thinking where disaster avoidance generally takes precedence over disaster relief. To the credit of our thousands of innovative people, Bangladesh is globally known for its excellent post disaster management skill. But working to avoid disaster is completely different from working after a disaster.
This is what I long to learn as I continue this pilgrimage for the rest of my tenure! Hartelijk bedankt, nederlandse vrienden!
Geography made Bangladesh a virtual playground of world’s three of the largest river systems – Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM). It is located on an active sedimentary basin and the intricate network of alluvial rivers that carries an average quantity of 0.5–2.8 billion tons annual discharge and sediment load from the Himalayas.
More or less like the Netherlands, Bangladesh is also a floodplain. The altitude normally does not exceed 11 m above the sea level except in the hilly areas of Chittagong and Sylhet. About 80% of the total land area constitute floodplains while terraces and hills account for about 8% and 12% respectively.
To make it even more challenging than the Netherlands, Bangladesh houses 57 cross-boundary rivers, of which 54 are shared with India and the remaining three with Myanmar. Bangladesh is the common lower riparian of all these trans-boundary rivers. The combined discharge of water from the GBM rivers is second only to that of the river Amazon.
Defending against floods from such massive network of cross boundary rivers require a regional framework in the Himalayan basin area which is not there yet. Hopefully, countries in the Himalayan basin will, someday, take a page from the European networks of cooperation in the water sector to develop a basin wide framework for water cooperation.
As amazing as it may sound, some sources suggest that there were primitive flood defences in what is now the Netherlands as far back as 500BC. Windmills, for which the country is famous, have been helping to pump water off the land for more than half a millennium. Therefore, it is no wonder that the Netherlands, with almost half of her population living below the sea level, remained floodproof. They learned how to protect against flooding and developed a sophisticated system of almost 3,800 kilometres of flood defences, including earthen levees along the main rivers as well as sand dunes, coastal dikes and five major coastal protection works and storm surge barriers along the coast.
The first component is a primary sea defence system constructed as a system of closure works and Storm Surge Barriers in the tidal inlets. It is connected by a system of natural dunes and man-made sea dikes that are capable of withstanding 1 in 10,000 year flood events. Now they embarked on a plan to make more room for waters as a part of their Delta plan.
After years of workings, finally in 2014, we, in Bangladesh, have been able to conclude framework with the Netherlands for a holistic, long-term, vision- aptly called “Delta Plan 2100”. This long-term vision, combined with the use of scenarios as well as incorporating our own initiative for “Blue Economy” with that of the Netherlands “Blue Gold”, will hopefully put in place a plan to make Bangladesh as floodproof as possible.
More than flood proofing, what I would personally like to see in Bangladesh is the inculcation of the Dutch way of thinking where disaster avoidance generally takes precedence over disaster relief. To the credit of our thousands of innovative people, Bangladesh is globally known for its excellent post disaster management skill. But working to avoid disaster is completely different from working after a disaster.
This is what I long to learn as I continue this pilgrimage for the rest of my tenure! Hartelijk bedankt, nederlandse vrienden!
Fighting mosquitoes with small drones
By Ruud van der Lem, Drone-Solutions.nl.
In many parts of the world, mosquitoes are responsible for a variety of illnesses for both humans and domestic animals, like Malaria, Chikungunya, Dog Heartworm, Dengue, Yellow Fever, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Rift Valley fever, Zika virus, St. Louis Encephalitis, LaCrosse, Encephalitis, Western Equine Encephalitis and the West Nile Virus. Many of them can be lethal as well.
Nearly 700 million people get a mosquito borne illness each year resulting in greater than one million deaths…
The first US project
Now the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District has initiated a project, to search for the mosquito breeding grounds, using drones, equipped with infra-red sensitive camera’s. These cameras can determine small shallow water pools from within varied rural areas.
Finding these pools quickly means the authorities can than treat the areas with larvicide in order to destroy both the eggs and the larves.
Domestic areas
Mosquitoes have a fly range from up to 3 miles, so this ring around domestic areas is sufficient enough to gain a large effect.
Project improvement
We would encourage more research on this subject, whereby special designed software, automatically fixes the date/time, coordinates and the size of the suspected pools. With the use of GPS/smartphone/mapping, the larve destroy team than can quickly treat the locations.
Conclusion
In the war against mosquitos, drones can really make the difference. A additional benefit is not only the additional employment in operating such a project, but also the people’s awareness towards the positive aspects of drones.
Drone-Solutions.nl is a specialist in providing solutions in remote sensing and cooperates with the security and drone industry.
Is America’s Dominance being threatened by East Asia?
By Mitesh D. Mistry – Diplomat Magazine’s Associate Editor in the United Kingdom
Since the 1920’s, America has evolved into the world’s largest economy. Their status as world economic leaders has enabled them to dictate the course of global economics. However with the rise and threat of other regional economies like that of East-Asia, home to the large economies of China and Japan; it is argued that American economic hegemony is declining and coming to an end.
The East Asian economy, consisting of China, South Korea, Japan and Hong-Kong, is one of the most thriving regional economies in the world. China’s economic rise, after their free-market reform in the late 70’s, had a huge impact on their long-term economic prosperity. It created more optimism over the last decade as China entered new markets such as mobile technology, with Huawei overtaking Sweden’s Ericsson to become the world’s largest telecoms equipment-maker. The quality of life improved significantly for median Chinese workers as they benefited from higher salaries, unlike American workers, due to China’s healthy economic growth. This meant more Chinese workers could afford to exchange their bicycles for vehicles, strengthening China’s car industry considerably; Chinese production increased greatly from 2 million cars to 18 million cars over the last decade overshadowing America’s automobile output of 11.6 million last year.
This decline in American automobile production can be attributed to the global recession, which the US had failed to fully recover from; something which President Obama acknowledges, “I do think that one of the challenges that we are going face in the US, at a time when we are still recovering from the financial crisis is, how do we respond to some of the challenges of globalisation? The fact of the matter is the US was such an enormously dominant economic power, we were such a large market, our industry, our technology, our manufacturing was so significant that we always met the rest of the world economically on our terms. And now because of the incredible rise of China and other countries, there is real competition.” The recession showed the first signs of economic power shifting favourably towards East-Asia, with particular focus on the Chinese and South Korean companies flourishing in the past five years, such as Huawei and Samsung respectively, due to particular development in science and technology.
However despite the outcome of the recent recession making China appear economically superior, America can still be considered a major force in the global economy; through the International Monetary Fund. With high voting powers within the IMF and global use of the dollar, America has spread its global economic dominance through the loans and conditions the IMF issue to crisis-hit economies. Furthermore, the East-Asian ‘bloc’ doesn’t have an alternative institution to rival and challenge this American influenced organisation. Although the Chiang Mai Initiative is the closest East-Asian rival to the IMF, it is based on the foreign reserves of the East-Asian economies. Surprisingly, China’s foreign reserves are in decline. Figures from the People’s Bank of China showed its reserves had slipped 0.6% to $3.18tn This means if an ‘Asian Monetary Fund’ was created to rival the IMF, China would have to consider whether or not to fund it if their foreign reserves were forecasted for continuous decline.
In spite of China’s economic success, rivaling that of America’s over the last decade, the continued global use of the dollar, which finances over half of the world’s trade, is a greater achievement for which global economic dominance can be measured; America’s global economic dominance is not at an end. Nevertheless if other East-Asian economies grow significantly and help push China to higher degrees of economic success and the use of its currency on a global scale, it could instigate a shift in global economic power to the East-Asian region and ignite a potential clash for future leadership of the global economy; between an American-led West and a China-led Asia.
“Water for Life” 2005-2015
Dushanbe, Tajikistan June 9 to 11, 2015
High Level International Conference on the implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life”, 2005-2015.
On 19 December 2014 the UNGA has adopted a resolution (A/RES/69/215) entitled “International Decade for Action, “Water for Life”, 2005-2015, and further efforts to achieve the sustainable development of water resources” calling upon member countries, UN system institutions, including the “UN-Water” and other organizations to comprehensively evaluate progress achieved in the implementation of the Decade and continue taking steps for achieving internationally agreed water-related goals, including those indicated in the outcome document of the Rio+20 Conference, entitled “The future we want”.
The resolution as the previous water related initiatives of Tajikistan has found wide support at the UN General Assembly and more than fifty UN Member States, including Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, China, Croatia, Cuba, Eritrea, Finland, Georgia, Haiti, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Pakistan, Paraguay, Philippines, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Senegal, Seychelles, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Venezuela, Yemen have become the co-sponsors of the resolution. The adoption of the resolution by consensus reaffirms the fact that water initiatives by Tajikistan are of global importance and are widely supported by the UN Member States.
The resolution implies the convening of the two important events: High-level interactive dialogue of the sixty-ninth session of the General Assembly in New York within the week after the World Water Day on 22 March, 2015; and the High Level International Conference on the implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life”, 2005-2015 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The Government of Tajikistan as the host of the latter event which is scheduled on 9-11 June, 2015 in Dushanbe, alongside with the “UN-Water” and other UN institutions, international and regional organizations has already started its preliminary work in order to facilitate the whole process.
Thus, aimed at successfully holding the Conference, as well as developing a comprehensive Programme of the Conference with the participation of all categories of water users and decision-makers the International Steering Committee of the Conference from among the representatives of the partner countries, international and regional institutions, river basin organizations, NGOs, the private sector and other stakeholders has been established. Moreover, within the National Organizing Committee under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan a Special working group (from all relevant ministries of Tajikistan) has been summoned to actively engage in organizational matters of the Conference.
The main goal of the Conference is a comprehensive discussion of the issues of implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life”, 2005-2015, which will later play a fundamental role in conducting comprehensive review of the implementation of the International Decade with bringing its results to the notice of wider international community.
As the international community approached the year 2015 it’s important to recall that on 23 December 2003 the UNGA at its 58th session adopted the resolution A/RES/58/217. In accordance with the resolution the period 2005–2015 was declared as the “International Decade for Action, “Water for Life” (www.un.org/waterforlifedecade), the main goals of which alongside with promotion of efforts to fulfil international commitments made on water and water-related issues by the year 2015 were also the development of plans for integrated water resource management and water-use efficiency in rendering assistance to the developing countries.
Today the need for a comprehensive assessment and review of the activities carried out during this period, identification of the impediments preventing countries from implementation of the Decade goals, as well as planning of the further activities for the post 2015 period become very critical. Therefore, conducting the High Level International Conference on the implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life”, 2005-2015 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan (June 9-11, 2015) in this particular year is considered as a timely and effective step towards raising the awareness of the international community about the water sector trends and mobilizing efforts of the governments, UN institutions, international and non-governmental organizations, as well as other parties at all levels involved in the water problems solution.
The Conference will gather together the representatives of the UN member countries’ governments, UN institutions, international and regional organizations, international financial institutions, business communities, non-governmental organizations, civil society, as well as scientists and experts. Invitations to the UN member countries, international and regional organizations and other partners will be sent on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the National Organizing Committee in due course.
For more information about the Conference, visit www.waterforlifeconf2015.org or contact the Secretariat of the Conference:
33 Sheroz str., Dushanbe 734001, Republic of Tajikistan
E-mail:info@waterforlifeconf2015.org;
Tel: (+992 37) 227 68 43
Fax: (+992 37) 227 68 4
Thus, aimed at successfully holding the Conference, as well as developing a comprehensive Programme of the Conference with the participation of all categories of water users and decision-makers the International Steering Committee of the Conference from among the representatives of the partner countries, international and regional institutions, river basin organizations, NGOs, the private sector and other stakeholders has been established. Moreover, within the National Organizing Committee under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan a Special working group (from all relevant ministries of Tajikistan) has been summoned to actively engage in organizational matters of the Conference.
The main goal of the Conference is a comprehensive discussion of the issues of implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life”, 2005-2015, which will later play a fundamental role in conducting comprehensive review of the implementation of the International Decade with bringing its results to the notice of wider international community.
As the international community approached the year 2015 it’s important to recall that on 23 December 2003 the UNGA at its 58th session adopted the resolution A/RES/58/217. In accordance with the resolution the period 2005–2015 was declared as the “International Decade for Action, “Water for Life” (www.un.org/waterforlifedecade), the main goals of which alongside with promotion of efforts to fulfil international commitments made on water and water-related issues by the year 2015 were also the development of plans for integrated water resource management and water-use efficiency in rendering assistance to the developing countries.
Today the need for a comprehensive assessment and review of the activities carried out during this period, identification of the impediments preventing countries from implementation of the Decade goals, as well as planning of the further activities for the post 2015 period become very critical. Therefore, conducting the High Level International Conference on the implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life”, 2005-2015 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan (June 9-11, 2015) in this particular year is considered as a timely and effective step towards raising the awareness of the international community about the water sector trends and mobilizing efforts of the governments, UN institutions, international and non-governmental organizations, as well as other parties at all levels involved in the water problems solution.
The Conference will gather together the representatives of the UN member countries’ governments, UN institutions, international and regional organizations, international financial institutions, business communities, non-governmental organizations, civil society, as well as scientists and experts. Invitations to the UN member countries, international and regional organizations and other partners will be sent on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the National Organizing Committee in due course.
For more information about the Conference, visit www.waterforlifeconf2015.org or contact the Secretariat of the Conference:
33 Sheroz str., Dushanbe 734001, Republic of Tajikistan
E-mail:info@waterforlifeconf2015.org;
Tel: (+992 37) 227 68 43
Fax: (+992 37) 227 68 4 Warm Farewell for Sri Lankan Ambassador Athauda, Certificate of Merit’s ceremony
By Catherine A. Dailey.
On Thursday, February 26, Ambassador Buddhi K. Athauda was awarded Diplomat Magazine’s Certificate of Merit, in recognition of his many contributions to the diplomatic community in The Hague. Among the large gathering of guests present for the ceremony and to bid him a warm farewell, were fourteen ambassadors, distinguished guests from near and afar and other private and government sector friends, who weathered a drizzly Dutch winter’s day in order to honor him.
Mr. Henry Ardvisson, of Diplomat Magazine, presented the award to Ambassador Athauda. A reception followed the afternoon program.
Open full photo-album of this magnificent event, click here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/72157651079520475/
The United States Ambassador to the Netherlands, H.E. Mr. Timothy Broas, on behalf of diplomatic community gave a speech, introducing the Sri Lankan Ambassador to the invited guests. Ambassador Broas appreciatively recalled how Ambassador Athauda was the first to extend a welcoming hand to him at one of the first receptions that he attended after he arrived in The Hague as a newly appointed ambassador.
He also briefly commented on Ambassador’s Athauda’s extensive experience in the private sector, specifically mentioning his senior management experience with Iridium LLC, pioneers in mobile satellite telecommunication technologies.
Ambassador Athauda was appointed by His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to the Court of then reigning monarch, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. He presented his credentials as Ambassador Extraordinary of the Plenipotentiary of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka on the 28th of June 2011.
He has held many prestigious positions in various multinational organizations while representing his country in the Netherlands.
Presently, the Ambassador is the Chairman of the Budget Committee of the Permanent Court of Arbitration for the years 2014 & 2015, having been unanimously elected by 115 fellow member states.
He also serves as Chairman, Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), elected unanimously as Chairperson of the year 2014, by member countries at the 25th Annual Meeting of Governing Council, proposed by the Secretary-General of The Hague Peace Conference on Private International Law (HccH) to Chair the newly formed Administrative Council to formulate a financial framework for The Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) for a one year period from October 2014.
Further, Ambassador Athauda was unanimously elected as Vice-chair of 18th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Chemical Weapons (OPCW) at the sessions held in December 2013.
Ambassador Athauda took the podium following Ambassador Broas’ introduction and was especially pleased to share a few words about the Diplomatic Council, a Global Think Tank founded by him and where he serves as President. The Council is a platform for both CEOs of companies and ambassadors to promote investment and market opportunities to make the world a better place for the benefit of all. It currently enjoys over 5,000 supporters in 16 countries.
Ambassador Athauda continues to promote bilateral relations in the realm of finance and trade between Sri Lanka and the Netherlands, which has resulted in significant increases in trade in the fields of agriculture, dairy products, information technology, healthcare and infrastructure.
In his closing remarks, Ambassador Athauda, smiling broadly, confided, that he “secretly collects friends” whom he considers “friends for life” and invited all guests present to continue networking with him wherever he may be found across the globe be it Sri Lanka, North America, Europe or beyond.
The United States Ambassador to the Netherlands, H.E. Mr. Timothy Broas, on behalf of diplomatic community gave a speech, introducing the Sri Lankan Ambassador to the invited guests. Ambassador Broas appreciatively recalled how Ambassador Athauda was the first to extend a welcoming hand to him at one of the first receptions that he attended after he arrived in The Hague as a newly appointed ambassador.
He also briefly commented on Ambassador’s Athauda’s extensive experience in the private sector, specifically mentioning his senior management experience with Iridium LLC, pioneers in mobile satellite telecommunication technologies.
Ambassador Athauda was appointed by His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to the Court of then reigning monarch, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. He presented his credentials as Ambassador Extraordinary of the Plenipotentiary of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka on the 28th of June 2011.
He has held many prestigious positions in various multinational organizations while representing his country in the Netherlands.
Presently, the Ambassador is the Chairman of the Budget Committee of the Permanent Court of Arbitration for the years 2014 & 2015, having been unanimously elected by 115 fellow member states.
He also serves as Chairman, Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), elected unanimously as Chairperson of the year 2014, by member countries at the 25th Annual Meeting of Governing Council, proposed by the Secretary-General of The Hague Peace Conference on Private International Law (HccH) to Chair the newly formed Administrative Council to formulate a financial framework for The Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) for a one year period from October 2014.
Further, Ambassador Athauda was unanimously elected as Vice-chair of 18th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Chemical Weapons (OPCW) at the sessions held in December 2013.
Ambassador Athauda took the podium following Ambassador Broas’ introduction and was especially pleased to share a few words about the Diplomatic Council, a Global Think Tank founded by him and where he serves as President. The Council is a platform for both CEOs of companies and ambassadors to promote investment and market opportunities to make the world a better place for the benefit of all. It currently enjoys over 5,000 supporters in 16 countries.
Ambassador Athauda continues to promote bilateral relations in the realm of finance and trade between Sri Lanka and the Netherlands, which has resulted in significant increases in trade in the fields of agriculture, dairy products, information technology, healthcare and infrastructure.
In his closing remarks, Ambassador Athauda, smiling broadly, confided, that he “secretly collects friends” whom he considers “friends for life” and invited all guests present to continue networking with him wherever he may be found across the globe be it Sri Lanka, North America, Europe or beyond.
Certificate of Merit – Ceremony of Merit- Farewell ceremony
Estonia Celebrates
By Roy Lie Tjam.
The Republic of Estonia, a proud member of the European Union. The Ambassador of Estonia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, H.E. Mr. Peep Jahilo and Mrs. Marika Jahilo, hosted reception to mark Estonia’s Independence Day.
For a full photo album, please click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/72157650687832618/
The venue was the Hilton Hotel in The Hague on 25th February 2015.The inclement weather could not stop the many guests from making their way to the Hilton Hotel to congratulate Ambassador Peep Jahilo on this special day.
It’s worth mentioning, the 2001 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest was won by Estonia. Subsequently, the 47th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, took place in Tallinn Estonia in May 2002 Ambassador Jahilo could look back on a successful National Day
The venue was the Hilton Hotel in The Hague on 25th February 2015.The inclement weather could not stop the many guests from making their way to the Hilton Hotel to congratulate Ambassador Peep Jahilo on this special day.
It’s worth mentioning, the 2001 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest was won by Estonia. Subsequently, the 47th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, took place in Tallinn Estonia in May 2002 Ambassador Jahilo could look back on a successful National Day
Kuwait celebrates
With a reception at the Hilton Hotel in The Hague, the Ambassador of the State of Kuwait, H.E. Mr. Hafiz bin Mohammed bin Salem Al Ajmi concluded the day-long celebrations together with the guest of honour, Kuwait’s Minister of Justice, and of Awqaf & Islamic Affairs, HE Mr Yaqoub Al-San’a.
Minister Yaqoub Al San’a paid a visit to The Hague after his participation at the Global Law Summit held in London. His delegation included Attorney-General Counsel Derar Al Asousi, First Solicitor-General Counsel Bader Al-Mous’ad, MOJ’s Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Zakariya Al Ansary, Advisor of Justice Minister’s Office Esam Al Osaimy, Director of Attorney-General’s Office Department, Head of National Assembly & Council of Ministers’ Affairs Isa Al Beshr and Department of International Relations’ translator Ali Al-Sa’gh.
The occasion was twofold, the 54th Kuwait National Day, which marks independence from Britain and the 24th Liberation Day, the end of Iraqi occupation celebrated each 25th of February. In The Hague all took place on Thursday February 26. There was a very large turnout of fellow Ambassadors, academics, friends and compatriots. Similar celebration took place at Kuwaiti Missions across the world and of course in Kuwait itself.
Text revision by Baron Henri Estramant.
In The Hague Kuwait’s Minister of Justice and his delegation visited on 26 February the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
The occasion was twofold, the 54th Kuwait National Day, which marks independence from Britain and the 24th Liberation Day, the end of Iraqi occupation celebrated each 25th of February. In The Hague all took place on Thursday February 26. There was a very large turnout of fellow Ambassadors, academics, friends and compatriots. Similar celebration took place at Kuwaiti Missions across the world and of course in Kuwait itself.
Text revision by Baron Henri Estramant. Saturday 28 March: Reopening of Panorama Mesdag
Saturday 28 March will see the reopening of the renovated Panorama Mesdag.
After a period of restoration and remodelling, the museum is ready to accommodate the growing number of visitors with expanded exhibition spaces and state-of-the art public amenities.The museum that houses the magical 1881 marine panorama is well-prepared for this year’s Mesdag Year.
New amenities
The revamp of Panorama Mesdag has created more temporary exhibition space.
The permanent collection has been reorganised to provide more information about the works and lives of Hendrik Willem Mesdag and his wife Sientje Mesdag-van Houten. Besides a cosy museum café and an a museum shop, the museum boasts new flexible (rental) spaces for talks and events
2015 Mesdag Year
This year, The Hague will be celebrating Mesdag’s 100-year-old cultural legacy. In the late 19th century, Mesdag put the city on the cultural map, both nationally and internationally. In addition to being a marine painter, Mesdag was an entrepreneur, collector, organiser, Mecenas, and an important source of inspiration for many painters from The Hague School. Since that time, Mesdag and the city of The Hague have been inextricably interwoven.
In 2015, several museums in The Hague will showcase the many faces of the city’s icon with a range of exhibitions, symposia and events. Panorama Mesdag, The Mesdag Collection, the Louis Couperus Museum, The Hague Municipal Archives, and Pulchri Studio have teamed up to make the Mesdag year a success. As of mid-February, you will find more information on www.mesdagjaar.nl.
Exhibition: The Mesdag Family Collection
To properly ring in the Mesdag Year, Panorama Mesdag will be hosting a temporary exhibition called “The Mesdag Family Collection. The exhibition, on display from Saturday 29 March through Sunday 4 October 2015, will feature – often very personal – works collected by Mesdag-van Houten from the private collections of their descendants. These include Mesdag’s extraordinary and never-before-exhibited portrait of his father, Klaas, as well as Sientje’s delightful painting of dog Nero.
For more information about the reopening, the Mesdag Year or the new exhibitions, please contact Helma Doorman or Marije Beckers on 070-3106665 or at info@panorama-mesdag.nl
Brilliant strategist Michiel de Ruyter commemorated by Hungary
On the picture, Ambassador of Hungary, H.E. Orsolya Szijjártó.
Commemoration liberation of 26 Hungarian ministers by Michiel de Ruyter in 1676. Last Friday, a ceremony was held at the Pathé Buithenhof in the Hague in the attendance of 350 people. For full photo-album click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/72157650965080022/ Frits de Ruyter de Wildt, the president of the heritage foundation Michiel de Ruyter, is also a 12th generation descendant of de Ruyter. He commented that 2015 recollects “De Ruyter-year” in 2007, which was the 400th birth anniversary of Admiral de Ruyter. Several exciting activities this year include the release of the film Michiel de Ruyter, the 350th anniversary of the Marine Corps, various commemorations at home and abroad, as well as the restoration of a family portrait. However, the annual Hungarian celebration is a recurring highlight. H.E. Ms. Orsolya Szijjártó, Ambassador of Hungary, encouraged the special collaboration between the embassy and the foundation. The situation in Europe during the Golden Age, filled with political and religious struggles, led to the imprisonment of the Hungarian ministers. Michiel de Ruyter was asked by the state to release them and successfully completed his mission.
Whereas the Netherlands commemorates de Ruyter for his role in the sovereignty of the state with his military successes as admiral, Hungary commemorates him as a liberator. In addition, the ambassador referred to today’s relevance of the act of Michiel de Ruyter in light of the recent atrocities committed in the name of religion and emphasized the importance of freedom of religion.
In line with the 350th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps, a musical interlude was provided by the Marine Band jazz quintet. This was a beautiful and appropriate contribution by the Royal Navy, who was represented in the audience by Brigadier Frank van Sprang.
On the picture, Ambassador H.E. Orsolya Szijjártó with her partner Mark and the chair of the Michiel de Ruyter Foundation Frits de Ruyter-de Wildt with his partner Marlies.
Then, (off-duty) Commander Jan Nuboer gave a lecture on “The life of Michiel before the movie”. He posed questions such as: Why did Johan de Witt (a key Dutch politician mid-17th century) argue that Michiel was the sole person who could succeed Maarten Tromp (Dutch officer and then admiral from 1607 to 1653)? Which developments introduced by Michiel qualified him for the highest office due to his experience? In response, the movie only upholds his successes. After another rendition by the Marine Band, the expectant audience watched the movie.Germany Permanent Representation to the OPCW
By Henry Arvidsson.
Styled in his native Bavaria’s national dress German Permanent Representative to the OPCW Ambassador Dr. Cristoph Israng received guests for a reception “to celebrate end of winter”.
In his address he pointed out the success of the OPCW in recent years and that he was very proud that his wife was wearing a Bavarian dirndl for the first time. The reception was also accompanied with the music of Hermann Huber world champion on the Styrian harmonica a beautifully crafted instrument that to the layman has the appearance of an accordion.
Special guest was the OPCW Director-General H.E. Mr Ahmet Üzümcü who like the rest of the present enjoyed the “gemütlichkeit und freundschaft” on a not so spring like Dutch afternoon.
Special guest was the OPCW Director-General H.E. Mr Ahmet Üzümcü who like the rest of the present enjoyed the “gemütlichkeit und freundschaft” on a not so spring like Dutch afternoon.