HH Prince Pieter-Christiaan van Oranje-Nassau has been appointed Chairman of the newly-formed Advisory Board of international CSR and sustainability consultancy EMG. Members of the Advisory Board include prominent financier Gerrit Heyns and the former Danish Minister of the Environment Ida Auken, MP.
Drs Daan Elffers, Founder and CEO of EMG said: “We are delighted that, as we mark our 11th year, Prince Pieter-Christiaan has chosen to be Chairman of our newly formed Advisory Board, with the support of such high-caliber thought leaders as Gerrit Heyns and Ida Auken, MP.”
Prince Pieter-Christiaan: “EMG has become part of an elite group of consultancies specialised in corporate social responsibility and sustainable development. In their unique approach to economic and business development, EMG is proactive in transforming the landscape of CSR, generating sustainable growth and prosperous, inclusive societies worldwide. I am honoured to be appointed Chairman of the Advisory Board and look forward to engaging more closely in their future endeavours.”
Advisory board member Gerrit Heyns, recognized as one of the 30 ‘most influential people in global finance’ by the Institute of Chartered Accountants, and prominent thought leader in the field of economic development and sustainability, said: “From a systems thinking perspective, the economic, social and environmental implications of accelerating demand in an increasingly connected world are immense. I support the efforts of EMG to build a greater understanding of the transition towards sustainable growth, by contributing to their business and the wider debate.”
Ida Auken MP, the former Danish Minister of the Environment, and recognized as a young global leader by the World Economic Forum, said: “It is an important task to support and collaborate with businesses that spearhead the green transition of our economy. EMG plays a central role in bringing about real change and it is an honour for me to be on the Advisory Board for EMG.”
Ida highlighted EMG’s unique credentials regarding the implementation of the Circular Economy: “The circular economy is one of the most interesting ways of combining business and sustainability. The transformative power of this new way of thinking is something that I look forward to exploring from a strategic point of view together with EMG.”
Headquartered in the Kingdom of Netherlands, EMG is represented in London, Cambridge, Dubai, Qatar and New York.
For more information please contact Zeljka Davis: davis@emg-csr.com
Source and picture: EMG Group (www.emg-csr.com)
In the name of His Imperial Majesty The Emperor of Japan, His Excellency Ambassador Keiichi Katakami presented his credentials as head of mission of the Japanese representation to the European Union on 9 October 2014 to then commission president, José Manuel Barroso.
Ambassador Katakami (b. 6 March 1954) entered Japan’s diplomatic service in 1980. Before his appointment to the EU he served as Director-General of the Economic Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Previous to that he served his first ambassadorship between 2008 and 2011 in Ghana with co-accreditations to Liberia and Sierra Leone.
For more information:
Mission of Japan to the EU: www.eu.emb-japan.go.jp/index.html
Pictures credit: http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/photo/photoDetails.cfm?sitelang=en&mgid=256
On 8 April 2015 His Highness The Aga Khan IV, Prince Karim Al Hussaini, received India’s second highest civilian honour from the hands of PresidentPranab Mukherjee.
The philanthropist Aga Khan IV also met with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss to involvement of his development network in projects of sanitation in the State of Gujarat, including building toilets and provide potable water to villages, schools and hospitals.
Prince Rahim and Princess Salwa Aga Khan
His Highness The Aga Khan IV is 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, and a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed. He heads the “Aga Khan Development Network” headquartered in Switzerland but active in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, the USA, Canada, the UK, Portugal and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The award came just a few days before the birth of a new heir to the Ismaili Imamate. Namely the birth of His Highness Prince Irfan, first-born son of the Aga Khan’s heir apparent, HH Prince Rahim and his wife Princess Salwa. The baby was born in Genève, Switzerland, on 11 April 2015.
On April 29 the Japanese government announced the foreign recipients of the 2015 Spring Imperial Decorations. Among them is Professor Dr. Harmen Beukers, former Professor of History of Medicine at Leiden University, former President of the Netherlands Association of Japanese Studies and at present Scaliger Professor Special Collections at the Leiden University library.Prof. Beukers will receive the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, in recognition of his significant contribution to the promotion of academic exchanges and mutual understanding between Japan and the Netherlands.The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, will be conferred in the name of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan by the Ambassador of Japan in the Netherlands during a conferment ceremony at a later date.
The world’s safest, first fully automatic and zero emission terminal welcomes 500 dignitaries and guests; New standard set for safety, productivity and durability.Rotterdam – APM Terminals organized an event which was attended by King Willem-Alexander and 500 representatives of the port industry and governments from around the world in honor of the official opening of the new APM Terminals Maasvlakte II terminal. This is the most technologically advanced and most durable container terminal in the world. APM Terminals CEO Kim Fejfer: “We are honored APM Terminals Maasvlakte II today officially together to inaugurate with you. APM Terminals Maasvlakte II is clearly a game-changer in the shipping industry and is designed to exceed the expectations of our customers. It is significantly safer for our employees and customers. The terminal is emission-free by using renewable energy, where the inhabitants of Rotterdam and Europe will benefit. And, just as important, our customers will experience 40% more productivity – thanks to automation. ” APM Terminals Maasvlakte II in Rotterdam marks a new era in terms of innovation harbor. The facility is launching the world’s first container terminal where the cranes, SQC (Super Quay Cranes) are controlled remotely. A fleet of 62 battery-powered Lift AGVs transports containers between the quay and the stacks. This also applies to the barge and rail facilities. The Lift-AGVs also represent the world’s first series of AGVs actually a container can lift and drop independently. The 54 Automated Rail-Mounted Gantry Cranes (ARMGs) positioning the container in the stacks without the intervention of employees. The energy of the terminal is powered by wind energy, making the terminal emits no CO2 emissions or pollutants. In addition, APM Terminals Maasvlakte II terminal considerably quieter than a conventional diesel-powered vehicles. APM Terminals Maasvlakte II, built on land which is completely extracted from the North Sea, was designed as a multimodal hub for reducing truck traffic in favor of the barge and rail connections with the hinterland. Construction began in May 2012 and in December 2014 was the first commercial ship to the quay. Successful system tests have been completed to bring the first phase of APM Terminals Maasvlakte II in full operational status. The terminal occupies 86 acres, has 1,000 meters of quay, rail facilities, and remotely operated eight Super Quay Cranes (SQCs) cranes, with an annual throughput of 2.7 million TEUs. All this equates to an investment of 500 million euros by APM Terminals. At full development, which is planned for the future, the terminal will cover 180 hectares and with a deep-sea quay of 2,800 meters long (19.65 meters / 64.5 feet depth). Annual throughput is 4.5 million TEUs. “The future of container handling at the terminal is safer, faster and bigger,” said Mr. Fejfer: “We are delighted that in future issues here today.” The existing container terminal of APM Terminals on the first Maasvlakte, which will remain in service, handled 2.46 million TEUs in 2014 and was conducted by an independent study by the Journal of Commerce declared as the most productive container terminal in Europe for the first half of 2014 102 crane movements per hour.photo: Bas Czerwinski.
On the picture His Excellency Karim Ben Becher, Ambassador of Tunisia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Tunisia Investment Seminar, a joint initiative by NCH, VNO, NCW, FIPA and several other institutions took place at the Malitoren, The Hague on Friday April 24, 2015. Dutch- Tunisian entrepreneurs, as well as some Ambassadors attended the seminar.
The welcome address was delivered by Mr. Niek Jan van Kesteren, Diretor general of VNO-NCW(host), Mr. Salim Rabbani, chairman MENA Business Council of NCH (moderator), H.E. Mr. Karim Ben Becher Ambassador of Tunisia, Mr. Tjerk Opmeer, deputy director DIO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
For a photo album on this important event featuring foreign investment in Tunisia, please open the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/72157652191492236/
Madame Amel Azzouz, Secretary of State for Investment and International Cooperation, delivered an animated and convincing keynote address.
This is the second VNO NCW – Tunisia Seminar since 2012. Several developments have taken place since then. The Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade, Liliane Ploumen has visited Tunisia, that country is the pioneer of the Arab spring. An increase in investments is needed. Tunisian Trade Promotion Office Rotterdam is instrumental in facilitating investment. Entities such as FIPA and UTICA also have an important role to play in the process of facilitating investment.
In his address Mr. Tjerk Opmeer, Deputy Director International Enterprise Department, MFA. encouraged participants to interact. Opmeer mentioned that the relationship between the Netherlands and Tunisia is a longstanding one, it dates back to 1610 when a Dutch delegation visited Tunisia.
State Secretary Azzouz has recently attended a conference in Venice on “Exceptional Tunisia” Yes, Tunisia is exceptional says Azzouz since army, civil society and political elite dialogue and this has lead to a compromise. 70% of MP supports the stable government. Tunisia has an inflation rate of 4.5% and an unemployment rate of 15.5% of which 32% are young academics.
Tunisia has many assets of which a skilled and unskilled workforce and a healthy living and working environment are examples. Investment might be a solution to Tunisia’s challenges. A new code for investment is expected to be published mid May 2015 as well as the restructuring of public banks. Furthermore, in June 2015, FIPA will organize the Carthage Forum of Investment, which will hopefully attract investors.
According to the FIPA representative, Tunisia is a gateway to the Africa. Mr. Yacine Labib, lawyer. is waiting for the new investment code to be implemented. According to Labib, it takes only 72 hours to get a new business registered in Tunisia. Intervention by a lawyer is not mandatory but recommendable. Security? Investment might bring about security which in turn will hopefully keep the youngsters away from ISIS and alike.
At the end of the successful seminar, an expert panel consisting of representatives of: UTICA, CTNCI A and Hilfresh answered questions, this was followed by a Tunisian networking lunch.
Twitter has become the channel of choice for quick government interaction and six-second soundbites.Annual Twitter Study Finds governments become savvier in the use of social media channelGeneva, 28 April 2015 – Over the past four years Twitter has become the social media channel of choice for world leaders to reach large audiences with key messages and soundbites according to Burson-Marsteller’s Twiplomacy study, an annual global survey of world leaders on Twitter. Twiplomacy aims to identify the extent to which world leaders use Twitter and how they connect on the social network.
Governments are putting more efforts into their social media communication including more visuals and videos in their tweets. Some such as the @Elysee palace are regularly posting six-second Vine videos to summarize state visits or to cheer their team as the German Foreign Ministry did during the World Cup. A handful of leaders including the Elysée Palace and the Kremlin are also early adopters of Twitter’s new livestreaming application Periscope. Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos has recently gone live on Periscope announcing the resumption of air raids against the FARC rebels.
Released today, the study analyzed 669 government accounts in 166 countries and revealed that 86 percent of all 193 United Nations (UN) governments have a presence on Twitter. 172 heads of state and government have personal Twitter accounts and only 27 countries, mainly in Africa and Asia-Pacific, do not have any Twitter presence.
Pope Francis
As of 24 March 2015, the five most followed world leaders were U.S. President Barack Obama (@BarackObama) (57 million followers of the U.S. president’s campaign account), Pope Francis (@Pontifex) with 20 million followers on his nine different language accounts, India’s Prime Minister @NarendraModi, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RT_Erdogan) and the @WhiteHouse. However, the most followed world leaders follow few other peers, and they are hardly conversational. @BarackObama and the @WhiteHouse only follow four other world leaders, namely Norway’s Erna Solberg, Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev, the UK government and Estonia’s Foreign Minister Keit Pentus.
While @BarackObama is the most followed world leader he is also dwarfed in terms of retweets per tweet by Pope Francis who averages almost 10,000 retweets for each tweet sent on his Spanish account against 1,210 for each tweet sent by @BarackObama.
Barak Obama
European foreign ministers use Twitter also to establish mutual connections, creating a virtual diplomatic network. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (@LaurentFabius) is the best connected foreign minister, mutually connected to 100 peers. Russia’s Foreign Ministry is in second position maintaining mutual Twitter relations with 93 other world leaders. The Foreign Ministry in Paris is in third place with 90 mutual connections. These mutual connections among foreign ministers allow for private conversations via direct messages on Twitter.
“This study illustrates that governments are becoming savvier and more professional in the use of social media,” said Jeremy Galbraith, CEO of Burson-Marsteller Europe, Middle East and Africa and Global Chief Strategy Officer. “It is interesting to see how foreign ministries have honed their social strategies and built substantial dedicated teams to manage their online channels. We believe corporations can learn a lot from governments and their leaders on Twitter.”
Laurent Fabius, French Foreign Minister
More than 4,100 embassies and ambassadors are now active on Twitter. In New York, Washington, London and Brussels most diplomatic missions use Twitter to have a voice at the digital table. Canada, the EU, France, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, the UK and the U.S. have put most of their embassies and missions on Twitter. The UK Foreign Office in London also encourages personal engagement by its ambassadors, and it is virtually impossible to become a Foreign Office diplomat without using digital tools.
“It always amazes me how quickly governments adapt to the ever changing social media landscape,” said Matthias Lüfkens, Burson-Marsteller’s EMEA Digital Practice Leader and author of the report. “Some governments have become very professional at using Twitter’s six second Vine videos and others are already going live on Persicope, Twitter’s latest livestreaming application.”
Other key findings include:
All but one of the G20 governments have an official Twitter presence, and six of the G7 leaders have a personal Twitter account. However, few world leaders are tweeting themselves. Notable exceptions include Estonian President Toomas Henrik Ilves (@IlvesToomas), European Council President @DonaldTusk, Latvian Foreign Minister @EdgarsRinkevics and Norway’s Prime Minister @Erna_Solberg who admitted to suffering from dyslexia and makes the occasional spelling mistake.
Barack Obama was the first world leader to sign up to Twitter on 5 March 2007 (at the time as Senator Obama) as user #813,286. Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto (@EPN), Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper (@PMHarper) and the U.S. State Department @StateDept are among the early adopters, all having joined later in 2007.
As of 24 March 2015, all world leaders combined have sent 2,653,876 tweets, posting on average four tweets each day. The Venezuelan presidency (@PresidencialVen) has sent close to 60,000 tweets, averaging more than 41 tweets each day.
Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto @EPN is the most followed Latin American leader slightly ahead of Colombia’s President @JuanManSantos and Argentina’s Cristina Fernández de Kirchner @CFKArgentina with well over 3.6 million followers each. Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff @dilmabr and Venezuela’s @NicolasMaduro complete the Latin American top five, with 3.3 and 2.4 million followers respectively.
The Mexican presidency (@PresidenciaMX) is the most prolific, posting on average 68 tweets each day. The Mexican governmental account (@gobrep) is not far behind with 60 tweets each day. Both institutions often repeat their tweets several times over several days to capture different audiences at different times.
All 669 accounts combined have an audience of 212,283,753 followers. The median average number of followers is 14,207.
Quite a few politicians use Twitter only during election campaigns. Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo (@Jokowi_do2) abandoned his 2.7 million Twitter followers once elected in August 2014 as ddi Chile’s President Michelle Bachelet @PrensaMichelle once elected on 11 March 2014.
Rwanda’s @PaulKagame has become Africa’s most followed president with 842,260 followers ahead of Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta (@UKenyatta).
Rwanda’s President @PaulKagame is also the most conversational world leader with 86% of his tweets being @replies to other Twitter users.
Paul Kagame President of Rwanda
To access the complete analysis of these findings, visit: http://twiplomacy.com.
About the Study
Data was collected in March 2015 from the accounts of 669 heads of state and government, foreign ministers and their institutions in 166 countries worldwide looking at more than 50 variables using Twitonomy (http://twitonomy.com). Burson-Marsteller used its proprietary Burson Tools to analyze Twitter relations between world leaders.
About Burson-Marsteller Burson-Marsteller, established in 1953, is a leading global public relations and communications firm. It provides clients with strategic thinking and program execution across a full range of public relations, public affairs, reputation and crisis management, advertising and digital strategies. The firm’s seamless worldwide network consists of 72 offices and 87 affiliate offices, together operating in 112 countries across six continents. Burson-Marsteller is a part of Young & Rubicam Group, a subsidiary of WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY), the world’s leading communications services network.
For more information, please visit bm.com.
On the picture Philippa Candler and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden Picture Kungahuset.se.Translated and edited by Baron Henri Estramant.
Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 April, HRH The Crown Princess of Sweden,Duchess of Västergötland, paid a working visit to international organisations in The Hague, Kingdom of the Netherlands and Brussels, Kingdom of Belgium. The visits were focused on current affairs involving migration, integration and the challenges of welcoming refugees.
The Hague, 22 April 2015 Crown Princess Victoria was welcomed by the President of the International Criminal Court, Justice Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi. The court is responsible for judging cases related to genocide, crimes against humanity and war criminals.
Judge Fernández de Gurmendi, ICC President
In the afternoon the Crown Princess paid a visit to Europol, and was welcomed by its director Rob Wainwright. Europol is an agency working Europe-wide in combating organised crime, terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, and IT-crime.
The official day ended with a visit to the OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemicals Weapons), and to his Director General Mr Ahmet Üzümcü. The OPCW was accorded the Nobel Peace Prize back in 2013.
During her stay in The Hague Her Royal Highness was accompanied by Sweden’s Royal Ambassador to the Netherlands, non-resident ambassador to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Permanent Representative to the OPCW, Mr Håkan Emgsgård.Ambassador Anders Ahnlid – Picture Pawel FlatoBrussels, 23 April 2015
The visit began with a courtesy call to Ms Philippa Candler, UNHCR Brussels Office, Head of Policy & Legal Support. The conversations were focused on the situation of refugees in the Mediterranean and Syria.
Thereafter The Duchess of Västergötland met Rory Keane, Head of Office, UN Liaisons Office for Peace and Security, and was briefed on peace operations and cooperation between the EU and the UN. Later the emphasis switched to trade when the Crown Princess met Maria Åsenius, Head of Cabinet of Commissioner Cecilia Malmström; the two exchanged views on the free trade agreement with the USA.
Crown Princess Victoria held a working lunch with His Excellency Ambassador Anders Ahnlid, Sweden’s Permanent Representative to the EU. Afterwards she headed to meet Alain Le Roy, Secretary General for the European External Action Service (EEAS). EEAS oversees the entire common security and foreign policy of the EU. The topic for the conversation was “Challenges in the neighbourhood East-South and impact on the role of EU as a foreign policy actor”.
Source: http://www.kungahuset.se/kungafamiljen/aktuellahandelser/aktuellt/kronprinsessanihaagochbryssel.5.16654f1914c9e0f7f9a632.htmlFor more information:
Swedish Royal Court: www.kungahuset.se/royalcourt.4.367010ad11497db6cba800054503.html
Swedish Representation to the EU: www.regeringen.se/sb/d/1478
ICC: www.icc-cpi.int/en_menus/icc/Pages/default.aspx
OPCW: www.opcw.org
Photography Kungahuset.seOn the picture Her Excellency Ambassador Alice Thomas Yusuf Samaan.
By Baron Henri Estramant.
His Majesty The King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf, has accepted the credentials of Her Excellency Ambassador Alice Thomas Yusuf Samaan as non-resident ambassador to the Kingdom of Sweden on behalf of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain.
She was accompanied by Sheikh Ali bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Third Secretary at the Embassy of Bahrain.
Ambassador Samaan is based in London, which hosts Bahrain’s second largest diplomatic post after the one in Washington D.C. She is also co-accredited to The Netherlands since 10 December 2014. Her mission is responsible for St. James’s Court (since 19 September 2011), Ireland, The Netherlands as well as the Scandinavian countries.
Her Excellency Ambassador Samaan used the opportunity to greet the Swedish monarch on behalf of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, Bahrain’s Prime Minister, HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and HRH The Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
For more information:
Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain in London: www.mofa.gov.bh/london/Home.aspx