The International Decade for Action “Water for Life”
Participation of the UN Secretary-General at the High Level International Conference on the implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life”, 2005-2015
On 20 May 2015 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan there was held a briefing for the heads and representatives of the diplomatic missions and international organization accredited in Dushanbe during which it was informed that H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-Moon the UN Secretary-General would participate at the High Level International Conference on the implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life”, 2005-2015 to be held on 9-11 June 2015 in Dushanbe.
It was particularly highlighted that the participation of the UN Secretary-General at the Dushanbe Conference confirms the importance of this international event for the United Nations and the entire international community, especially in light of the development and adoption of sustainable development goals, one of which is sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
The High Level International Conference on the implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Life”, 2005-2015 will be held in accordance with the UN General Assembly resolution of 19 December 2014, entitled “International Decade for Action, “Water for Life”, 2005–2015, and further efforts to achieve the sustainable development of water resources.”
The primary objective 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 crucial role in conducting a comprehensive review of the implementation of the International Decade by raising the awareness of  the wider international community about its results.
With a view of successful holding of the Conference, the National Preparatory Committee, chaired by the Prime Minister of Tajikistan, a Working group, consisting of the representatives of ministries and agencies, as well as the Secretariat of the Conference are continuing the work to attract UN Member States, international and regional organizations, basin organizations, the private sector and other stakeholders to actively participate in the Conference.
The Conference programme consists of two high-level plenary session, two thematic sessions on the implementation of the Decade, six high-level round tables, four pre-conference events on such themes as “Water and children”, “Water and Women”, “Water and least developed countries and small island developing states” and “Water and mountainous countries”. The pre-conference events will be hold on 8 June 2015 in the National Library building.
Regarding the participation in the work of the Conference it is worth mentioning that as of today the Conference secretariat has received confirmation of participation of about 72 delegations of the UN Member States, including at the level of prime minister, deputy prime ministers, as well as foreign ministers and ministers of water resources and irrigation of the UN member states.
Among other institutions and specialized agencies of the United Nations as of today such organizations as Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNESCO, the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN-Water, UN-Women, UNEP, UNU, UN-HABITAT, ISDR, etc. have confirmed their participation. There are confirmations of participation of the UN Regional Commissions – UNECE, UNECA and UNESCAP.
From the international and regional financial institutions the World Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Eurasian Development Bank will participate at the Conference. Thus, today more than 50 international and regional organizations have already confirmed their participation at the Conference.The total number of registered participants for today is about 750 people representing all regions of the world.
The Dushanbe Conference will provide a unique opportunity for all stakeholders to exchange views, knowledge, achievements and practices for the implementation of the International Decade, the difficulties and challenges in the implementation of the decade, and, at the same time, will develop key recommendations for the next steps for post 2015 period.
Business Round-table Discussion
Table Talk – An interactive discussion based wine & business evening.
On 28 May, 2015 the Hungarian Business Network (HBN) in cooperation with the Embassy of Hungary in The Hague is hosting a Business Round-table Discussion followed by networking and drinks in Novotel Amsterdam.
Are you looking for the best way to get ahead in business in Central Europe? Learn from others with these personal looks into their motivations, successes, failures and lessons learned. Listen to inspiring entrepreneurs about their own success story.
Moderator: Zsolt SzabĂł, HBN Advisory Board, Round-table Guests: H.E. Orsolya SzijjártĂł, Ambassador of Hungary in the Netherlands, Frido Diepeveen, Commercial Director – Randstad Hungary, Dr. Sándor Erdei , CEO DBH Group, Anna Balázs, Founder of NaarBudapest, Loránt Lakatos, Founder Duna Incentives Trainings and Events.
Program: Doors open at 18.00
Networking and Drinks: 20.00-21.00
Live music: After the program plays Frido Diepeveen & Co. Hungarian Gipsy music
Price: Free entrance for HBN members.
For non-members: 25 euro, including drinks, Hungarian wine and finger food.
Location: Hotel Novotel Amsterdam City, Europaboulevard 10 1083 AD Amsterdam
Parking: free parking, limited places based on availability.
Manners in Rwanda
Manners in Rwanda an educational, cultural, touristic guide all about Rwanda!
Many visitors to Rwanda have little knowledge of how some basic things are done in Rwanda. Many don’t know how to travel around the country since there are no metro, trams, and trains yet, or how to officially register as a resident. Relocating overseas to a foreign country is adventurous and can also be challenging now and then.
To make their stay much easier and more successful, Manners in Rwanda deals with the most basic facts travellers should know, and also provides them with insights into local manners, mentality, and situations, ranging from religious attitudes to recommended hotels and restaurants. In addition,  the book offers travel tips, cultural insights, vocabularies, and language notes people will need to get around, make friends, do meaningful work, and demonstrate respect for the local people and customs.
” Manners in Rwanda”  has been published by an American book publishing house called Inkwaterpress. For those who want to order it, it’s on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Powells ; also the following person can help you:
Vanessa Verrill
Author Services Manager Inkwater Press™ A division of First Books®   6750 SW Franklin St., Suite A Portland, Oregon 97223-2542 Phone: 503.968.6777 Fax: 503.968.6779
vanessa@inkwaterpress.com www.inkwaterpress.com
It  can also be found at the following link: http://inkwater.com/books/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1299
Joy Nzamwita Uwanziga
Tel: +31684923917
email: uwanziga.joy78@gmail.com
The Hague, the Netherlands
I have learned that it’s easy to focus on myself, and it takes a person with a heart to look around.
3 Attachments
Security and Female Empowerment
By Duke Michael of Mecklenburg
On Friday, 1May 2015, the Academic Committee of BASIS (BA Students of International Studies) and Diplomat Magazine co-hosted an evening event on the topics of “Security and Female Empowerment”. At the event, six guest speakers, including Yanina Berra Rocca (Second Secretary for Culture, Embassy of Argentina, The Netherlands), Anne Leigh Cooper (Film Producer), Selma Senese (OSMTH), Marquis Ennio H.A.R. Senese (Phi Energy Limited), Dr. Willem F. van Eekelen (Chairman of the European Investment Council and former Minister of Defence) were present to discuss these topics.
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First, Duke Michael of Mecklenburg opened the event with an introduction to the event’s guest speakers and their approach on the relevant topics. He was followed by Selma Senese’s speech on female empowerment; giving insights into the general theme of woman empowerment, raising awareness on the current situation in the world by presenting data on female rights and the enforcement to the audience.
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Thereafter Yanina Berra Rocca’s sampled the situation of female empowerment in peacekeeping missions. Women do not tend to declare war upon another country, as fast as males do; hence females may have more peaceful consultancy values and status to prevent and solve wars and conflicts.
Afterwards, Anne Leigh Cooper presented a film trailer to the participants. The topic was human trafficking and the life of the affected woman. It contained graphic images, but showed how reality can be and is. This led into a discussion on her movie about human trafficking, female empowerment and how important it is to have a more equal and just world.
Having seen many aspects of female empowerment, an allocution on security by Dr. Willem F. van Eekelen was held. He gave great insights into different situations, which he personally worked on as for example his work as Permanent Representative to the North-Atlantic Council and the later position as former Minister of Defence.
By the examples given, he explained the past and current relations amongst The Netherlands, the European Union and other states within or outside the EU. He concluded with the fact that the past, and especially the Cold War era will continue to affect the present and future international relations.
In the third section, Marquis Ennio H.A.R. Senese explained his work as CEO of Phi Energy Limited and at the Ordo Supremus Militaris Templi Hierosolymitani (OSMTH). He gave a general overview of the norms of the two organisations and how female rights in these two organisations are considered and enforced. Furthermore, he gave an in-depth example of ongoing projects involving communication and creation of bridge building between nations, religions and ethnicities.
Towards the end of the event, the audience constituted mostly by students gave their opinion on and asked questions about the different topics. This led to a discussion on what is just and what is not. Overall, the event was a successful one, due to the guest speakers and an active audience.
First, Duke Michael of Mecklenburg opened the event with an introduction to the event’s guest speakers and their approach on the relevant topics. He was followed by Selma Senese’s speech on female empowerment; giving insights into the general theme of woman empowerment, raising awareness on the current situation in the world by presenting data on female rights and the enforcement to the audience.
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Thereafter Yanina Berra Rocca’s sampled the situation of female empowerment in peacekeeping missions. Women do not tend to declare war upon another country, as fast as males do; hence females may have more peaceful consultancy values and status to prevent and solve wars and conflicts.
Afterwards, Anne Leigh Cooper presented a film trailer to the participants. The topic was human trafficking and the life of the affected woman. It contained graphic images, but showed how reality can be and is. This led into a discussion on her movie about human trafficking, female empowerment and how important it is to have a more equal and just world.
Having seen many aspects of female empowerment, an allocution on security by Dr. Willem F. van Eekelen was held. He gave great insights into different situations, which he personally worked on as for example his work as Permanent Representative to the North-Atlantic Council and the later position as former Minister of Defence.
By the examples given, he explained the past and current relations amongst The Netherlands, the European Union and other states within or outside the EU. He concluded with the fact that the past, and especially the Cold War era will continue to affect the present and future international relations.
In the third section, Marquis Ennio H.A.R. Senese explained his work as CEO of Phi Energy Limited and at the Ordo Supremus Militaris Templi Hierosolymitani (OSMTH). He gave a general overview of the norms of the two organisations and how female rights in these two organisations are considered and enforced. Furthermore, he gave an in-depth example of ongoing projects involving communication and creation of bridge building between nations, religions and ethnicities.
Towards the end of the event, the audience constituted mostly by students gave their opinion on and asked questions about the different topics. This led to a discussion on what is just and what is not. Overall, the event was a successful one, due to the guest speakers and an active audience.
The world of BRAC
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By Roy Lie A Tjam
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed is the founder and chairman of the Bangladesh Rehabilitation Assistance Committee (BRAC). The committee is the world’s largest international NGO. Sir Fazle Hasan Abed is by all means an exceptional personality. Nine Honorary Doctorates have been bestowed upon him as well as various distinctions of merit for his quest in eradicating all form of poverty in Bangladesh and beyond.
In a lecture hosted by the Institute of Social Study in The Hague on 18th May 2015, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed recounted how he set up BRAC in order to deal with the multiple dimensions of poverty. Sir Fazle highlighted the numerous successes and challenges BRAC has faced in developing programmes in health, education and financial services with the underlying objective of assisting the poor to lift themselves out of poverty.
The marginalized group of the extremely poor often has no kinship. BRAC gives this group a face and helps by allocating grants and stipends. This became a 3 year project which proved effective. It drew the attention of the World Bank and was subsequently implemented in Africa.
The Bangladesh per capita income went from US. $90 to US. $1,340. BRAC has trained midwives nationwide. The maternal mortality rate has consequently dropped significantly. Furthermore the BRAC institute of education offers one year programs. In addition BRAC is the owner of the 2nd largest bank in Bangladesh. Sir Abed has without any equivocation contributed to the progress of Bangladesh. He will be meeting Queen Maxima before his departure.
…If there is war, there must be (environmental) law
Photography by Matt Luna.
By Carlotta Duken.
Professor Steve Freeland presented his new book “Addressing the Intentional Destruction of the Environment during Warfare under the Rome Statue of the ICC“ in the imposing setting of the Japanese room in the Peace Palace. In the light of the devastation of the environment caused by wars, Freeland’s book draws attention to the need to address and include crimes against the environment under the international criminal law.
The varied afternoon was supported by the moderation of Wouter Veening, co-founder and Chairman of the Institute for Environmental Security, and by the warmhearted congratulations and remarks from colleagues and guest speakers like Michael Bothe from the IUCN. The event ended with a get-together of the author, the guests and the audience for drinks, snacks and interesting conversations.
The varied afternoon was supported by the moderation of Wouter Veening, co-founder and Chairman of the Institute for Environmental Security, and by the warmhearted congratulations and remarks from colleagues and guest speakers like Michael Bothe from the IUCN. The event ended with a get-together of the author, the guests and the audience for drinks, snacks and interesting conversations.
The Wonders of Upper Nubia
English lecture on historical landmarks in Sudan
The public will be welcomed by His Excellency Mohamed Elhassan Ibrahim Hassan, the Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan. This is followed by the lecture of 90 minutes. At the end there is opportunity to pose questions and to purchase the book with a signing.
National Research University, Higher School of Economics wins ICC Trial Competition
National Research University, Higher School of Economics wins ICC Trial Competition, Russian version
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On 22 May 2015, the Law School of the National Research University of the Higher School of Economics won the final round of the ICC Trial Competition, Russian version. Pictured here is the winning team with ICC Judge Geoffrey A. Henderson in ICC Courtroom I in The Hague (Netherlands), from left to right: Judge Geoffrey A. Henderson, Gulnaz Zhuravleva, Anastasia Zakharova, Georgii Tiuliaev, Anastasia Sukhareva and Vasilii Bakumenko. © ICC-CPI
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Today, 22 May 2015, the Law School of the National Research University of the Higher School of Economics won the final round of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Trial Competition, Russian version, held in ICC Courtroom I in The Hague (Netherlands). The Law Faculty of the Lomonosov Moscow State University and the Kutafin Moscow State Law University won, respectively, the second and third place. The winning team comprises Gulnaz Zhuravleva, Vasilii Bakumenko, Anastasia Sukhareva, Georgii Tiuliaev, and Anastasia Zakharova. The Best Speaker award went to Gulnaz Zhuravleva of National Research University of the Higher School of Economics.
Before a bench composed of ICC Judge Geoffrey A. Henderson and ICC Associate Legal Officers Matt Halling and Thomas Koerner, the teams competed on a fictitious case, presenting oral arguments during an appeals hearing in the roles of Prosecution, Legal Representatives of the Victims and Government Representatives. After a break for deliberations, the jury announced the bench’s decision and an awards ceremony was held for all participants. The finalists’ peers attended the event in the Court’s public galleries and the event was web streamed live on the Court’s website.
The ICC Trial Competitions are simulation exercises on the applicable law and jurisprudence of the ICC. Today’s final rounds were preceded by preliminary competitions which involved a total of 75 participants amongst fourteen teams from different universities throughout Russia and one team from Belarus. The preliminary rounds were visited by the Ambassador of the Kingdom of The Netherlands to the Russian Federation H.E. Ron van Dartel.
This version of the ICC Trial Competition was organised by the Law School of the National Research University Higher School of Economics (Moscow) with the institutional support of the ICC and direct support from the International Committee of the Red Cross Regional delegation in Moscow and the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Moscow.
In the context of its Academic Programme, the ICC supports the organisation of ICC Trial Competitions in Chinese, English, Russian, and Spanish, with a view to also support Arabic and French versions in the future. These initiatives play a critical role in galvanising interest in the Court’s work with academic communities as well as in enhancing promotion and respect for international criminal law.
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Lebanon, 10th visit of the Lebanese Trade Mission
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 By Roy Lie A Tjam.
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Lebanon’s Charge d’affaires, Ms. Abir Ali, hosted a networking event and reception for the occasion of the 10th visit by the Lebanese Trade Mission to the Netherlands.
The event took place at “ Residence of Lebanon ” in Wassenaar on May 19, 2015. A group of Lebanese and Dutch business personalities, diplomats, and others listened to a speech delivered by the aforementioned Lebanese Charge d’affaires Ms. Abir Ali.
For a full photo-album of the Lebanon Trade Mission to the Netherlands, please open the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/72157651280938743
In her address, Ms. Ali updated her audience on the current economic and political situation of Lebanon and the surrounding region. According to her speech, the Lebanese economy is prospering despite being at the core of the regional turmoil. Ali also indicated numerous facts that support this claim. In the month of March 2015, more than US$1.2 billion were announced in investments and projects, US$500 million of which are in the private sector, excluding real estate and developments. The investment sectors involved included manufacturing, hospitality, banking, fiancé, cinema, industry, retail, technology, and more.
Currently, Lebanese inflation is essentially nonexistent with inflation levels at 0%. However, growth is slow. The phenomena of any economic growth at all is due to the innovation and ventures of the Lebanese entrepreneurs. Ms. Ali further referred to the similarities between Lebanese and Dutch entrepreneurs, making note of this excellent basis for partnership
On a personal note, the Charge d’affaires expressed her hope that someday she will able to see Lebanese products, food, fashion, and jewelry alongside all the other goods The Hague has to offer.
Ms. Abir Ali concluded by thanking the collaborators that made the visit and social event a success. She mentioned: Ms. Rijnen and Mr. Rabbani, while giving a warm welcome to Mr. Marc Zeenny (the new Dutch commercial attaché to the Lebanon) and a special welcome to H.E. Ms. Somsen (Dutch Ambassador to Lebanon). Additionally, she provided a word of thanks to all the Arab Ambassadors present as well as the Lebanese- and Dutch Businessmen.
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In her address, Ms. Ali updated her audience on the current economic and political situation of Lebanon and the surrounding region. According to her speech, the Lebanese economy is prospering despite being at the core of the regional turmoil. Ali also indicated numerous facts that support this claim. In the month of March 2015, more than US$1.2 billion were announced in investments and projects, US$500 million of which are in the private sector, excluding real estate and developments. The investment sectors involved included manufacturing, hospitality, banking, fiancé, cinema, industry, retail, technology, and more.
Currently, Lebanese inflation is essentially nonexistent with inflation levels at 0%. However, growth is slow. The phenomena of any economic growth at all is due to the innovation and ventures of the Lebanese entrepreneurs. Ms. Ali further referred to the similarities between Lebanese and Dutch entrepreneurs, making note of this excellent basis for partnership
On a personal note, the Charge d’affaires expressed her hope that someday she will able to see Lebanese products, food, fashion, and jewelry alongside all the other goods The Hague has to offer.
Ms. Abir Ali concluded by thanking the collaborators that made the visit and social event a success. She mentioned: Ms. Rijnen and Mr. Rabbani, while giving a warm welcome to Mr. Marc Zeenny (the new Dutch commercial attaché to the Lebanon) and a special welcome to H.E. Ms. Somsen (Dutch Ambassador to Lebanon). Additionally, she provided a word of thanks to all the Arab Ambassadors present as well as the Lebanese- and Dutch Businessmen.
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