By Roy Lie A Tjam.   Under the auspices of H.E. Mr. Karim Ben Becher, Ambassador for Tunisia in The Hague, a fundraising event was held on Thursday 14 June 2015 in The Hague. The Foundation “Les Oiseaux bleus” was established to materially and morally help children with disabilities, physical and other, living in developing countries (notably El Kef in Tunisia). The foundation name Les Oiseaux Bleus was taken from a book by the Belgian writer Maurice Maeterlinck. In his welcome remarks, Ambassador Ben Becher expressed his gratitude vice­-a­vice Les Oiseaux Bleus board for the indefatigable support they rendered to the disabled in Tunisia over the years. The program included a market, a lottery, an auction, and live music. Attendees were given ample opportunity to walk about the market to purchase items, including lottery tickets.   For a photo-album on the Les Oiseaux Bleus Fundraising, please click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/72157654569082572     A musical performance followed by the renowned Soprano Christina Schönbach of the Royal Conservatoire, The Hague, accompanied by pianist Eva Szalai of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest. The performance started with “A Night in Tunisia” by Dizzy Gillespie followed by the story of “Dido & Aeneas” by baroque composer Henry Purcell. The performance was concluded with “Love Is like a Bird.”     The prize of the lottery, a round trip to Tunisia for two persons, went to the spouse of the Ambassador of Turkey. Donations will be made toward the Les Oiseaux bleus foundation.    

International community committed to stop violence against women Residence of Cyprus ambassador will be turned into B&B during 3rd World Conference of Women’s Shelters   11 June 2015 – Dutch MP Marith Rebel and the diplomatic community in The Hague met with NGOs at the premises of the Embassy of Cyprus yesterday, 10 June 2015 to reinvigorate the commitment of the international community to stop violence against women. Violence against women is a global problem. And therefore it is of the utmost importance that relief workers from development countries can be present at the 3rd World Conference of Women’s Shelters which will be held in The Hague from 3 to 6 November this year. At the initiative of the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus and with the contribution of the Dutch Foreign Ministry and the Dutch Foundation of Women’s Shelters, the conference’s project organization, the international community in The Hague met to be briefed about the upcoming 3rd World Conference and on how to support the project financially and practically.  Over a 1,000 relief workers from all over the world have already expressed the intention to register for the conference of which 500 have already registered definitely. Unfortunately it is still uncertain for a large group whether they can really attend the conference due to a lack of financial resources. The international community in The Hague wants to change this. During the meeting various initiatives were born to offer financial and practical help to the relief workers. For example, the Cypriot ambassador and his wife are ready to offer Bed & Breakfast accommodation during the conference for relief workers from Cyprus. Other initiatives announced were: People will cook for each other in exchange for money which will then be donated, there will be an art auction and participants to the conference can be “adopted”. 3rd World Conference of Women’s Shelters The 3rd World Conference of Women’s Shelters is organized by the Dutch Foundation of Women’s Shelters on request from the Global Network of Women’s Shelters (GNWS). The conference will be held in The Hague from 3 – 6 November 2015 and will be supported by sponsors, the Dutch government and the Municipality of The Hague. The most important goal of this conference is to offer a platform to women’s shelters and other partners in order to learn from one another and to exchange experiences. This exchange is meant to contribute to a systematic approach to eliminate violence against women and children.    

  By Martin Kammandel.   New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Murray McCully appointed Ambassador David Taylor to succeed Ambassador Vangelis Vitalis as Head of Mission of New Zealand to the EU and NATO as well as non-resident ambassador accredited to the Kingdom of Sweden. Economically, the EU is New Zealand’s third largest trading partner; the country hopes to negotiate a trade agreement with the EU.  Before his appointment to Brussels, Ambassador Taylor served as chief of missions of New Zealand to Indonesia and ASEAN until December 2014. Ambassador Vangelis Vitalis is due to depart Brussels on 30 June 2015. His appointed successor Ambassador Taylor is yet to present his credentials before the EU and NATO     Deputy Chief of Mission is Ambassador Paula Wilson who also serves as ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, Bulgaria and Romania. Ambassador Taylor has already presented his credentials to His Majesty The King of Sweden on 5 June 2015, one day before the realm’s national day. He was accompanied by the officer normally in charge of liaising with Sweden, Second Secretary Ms Renée Heal.  For more information:  Sweden’s Royal House: http://www.kungahuset.se/kungafamiljen/aktuellahandelser/aktuellt/hogtidligaaudienserpakungligaslottet.5.6b3f01514d8a67974b4fe.html New Zealand Embassy in Belgium and Mission to the EU: http://www.nzembassy.com/belgium/relationship-between-new-zealand-and-belgium/new-zealand-and-the-european-union Pictures to Embassy of New Zealand in Belgium (www.facebook.com/nzembassybelgium?fref=ts)    

  By Duke Michael of Mecklenburg and Baron Henri Estramant.   Wednesday, 29 April 2015, Brussels: At the British Residence of the bilateral mission to the Kingdom of Belgium, HE Ambassador Alison Rose, hosted a reception to celebrate Her Britannic Majesty’s birthday.  The reception in Brussels was honoured with the attendance of Their Royal Highnesses Prince Laurent and her spouse Princess Claire of Belgium. The first King of the Belgians, Leopold I, was a maternal uncle to Queen Victoria; he belonged to the House Saxe-Coburg and Gotha as did Victoria’s consort, Prince Albert. Both houses have now forfeited the name Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and au lieu the “House Windsor” reigns in the UK since 1917, whereas the “House of Belgium” (Belgique/België) reigns in Belgium since 1946. US American ambassador to Belgium, Mrs Denise Campbell Bauer was also in attendance as were many other bilateral ambassadors.  Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland fêtes her birthday twice in the UK, one on her actual birthday on 21 April and then upon her official (public) birthday celebration on a Saturday in June with the Trooping the Colour Parade since 1748. The monarch’s actual birthday is usually private nevertheless is marked by gun salutes in central London at noon, that is, 41 gun salutes in Hyde Park, 21 salutes in Windsor Great Park and 62 salutes from the Tower of London.  The official celebration is marked with the Sovereign’s Parade or Trooping the Colour Parade. Queen Elizabeth II is then joined by other members of the Royal Family for the parade moving from Buckingham Palace, The Mall and the Horseguards’s Parade.  In other realms wherein Queen Elizabeth II is monarch her birthday is observed in other dates. For instance, Canada marks the Sovereign’s birthday  on “Victoria Day”, last Monday before 25 May, thereby honouring Queen Victoria who was born on 24 May 1819. In New Zealand it is observed the first Monday in June. The second Monday in June is the day for observance in Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and other realms.  For more information Birthday bash in Brussels (Bottachi Guido) https://www.flickr.com/photos/bottacchiguido/17397732042/in/photostream/lightbox/ The British Royal House: www.royal.gov.uk/HMTheQueen/TheQueensbirthdays.aspx Trooping the Colour: www.royal.gov.uk/RoyalEventsandCeremonies/TroopingtheColour/TroopingtheColour.aspx http://www.trooping-the-colour.co.uk/ British Embassy to Belgium: www.gov.uk/government/world/organisations/british-embassy-Brussels Ambassador Alison Rose: www.gov.uk/government/people/alison-rose    

 By Joseph Dailey.   On Wednesday the 27th of May, the Embassy of Peru sponsored a special exhibition of the artist Titus Bovenberg’s collection entitled “Siete años Peruanos.” Held at the Gallery Patries Van Dorst, the exhibition consisted of artwork inspired by the artist’s time spent in Peru. However, this was no ordinary exhibition. Initially only visiting Peru to catch a glimpse of the fabled pink river dolphins, Mr. Bovenberg’s trip became so much more. During his time spent in Peru, Mr. Bovenberg was inspired by the Peruvian people and sought to help them in any way he could. Not only adopting twelve Peruvian children, Mr. Bovenberg also managed to help set up a children’s aid project in the old Inca capital of Cusco, providing food, medical attention, and an education to five hundred children in the region. In order to sustain this venture, Mr. Bovenberg helped start two local hotels and four local restaurants.   For a photo-album on 7 Anos Peruanos …..y despues! please click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/72157653809691948     To provide further assistance to the people of Peru, Mr. Bovenberg also spoke of the Abrazos Foundation he founded, which works to alleviate some of the difficulties families with autistic children face, raising awareness and acceptance for the children in addition to helping them take part in a normal daily life. A third altruistic venture Mr. Bovenberg supports goes by the name of Amantani, which is a boarding school high in the mountains of the Andes providing room and board to local school children who previously had to walk up to six hours just to attend class.     Mr. Bovenberg’s art was vibrant and compelling, serving as an intriguing reflection of the rich culture and experiences he had whilst in Cusco, Peru. Adventurous, talented, and altruistic, Mr. Bovenberg’s presentation and artwork were truly a sight to see, inspiring many who attended. At the conclusion of the presentation, he gave a special thanks to H.E. Mr. Carlos Andres Herrera Rodríguez, Ambassador of Peru, and his wife, Veronique Miclea, for sponsoring the event, as well as a special thanks to Patries van Dorst and her husband Carel Reisch for hosting the event in their gallery and house.   Mr. Bovenberg has pledged 10% of all profits to one of the three aforementioned charities. For questions, inquiries, or information regarding the purchase of one of the paintings, he can be reached at: titusbovenberg@gmail.com