Thailand and its magnificent culture, traditions, people and taste was fully exposed on The Plein in The Hague, this past weekend on 19 and 20 July.  Diplomats and the public in general enjoyed this two-days festival organised by the Royal Thai Ambassador  H.E. Virachai Plasai, and the Thai community in the Netherlands. The annual Thailand Grand Festival was an exciting opportunity to get acquainted with Thai culture and traditions, to celebrate the arrival of summer in style, full of colors and sounds,  a great occasion to discover Thai hospitality right in the heart of The Hague. The festival offered a wide selection of performances and activities for the audience to enjoy. Along with a large selection of freshly prepared Thai dishes and sweets, the event featured performances of Thai traditional and contemporary music and dances, including the performance of Ambassador Plasai itself and, demonstrations of fruit and vegetable carving, and self-defense art Muay Thai. The public got involve in other activities such as cooking lessons and traditional Thai massage. See you all for the next Thailand Grand Festival 2015. Please take a look at the complete set of beautiful pictures by clicking here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/ 

EMBASSY FESTIVAL ON SATURDAY, 6 SEPTEMBER IN THE HAGUE A global & cultural melting pot against the picturesque backdrop of the Lange Voorhout On Saturday, 6 September 2014 the second edition of The Embassy Festival takes place on the tree-lined Lange Voorhout in The Hague, an event that spotlights the many different cultures of The Hague through a bustling one-day programme featuring music, art, literature, dance, culinary delights and refreshing beverages. Festival- goers will be taken on a cultural trip around the world, beginning in the early afternoon with a varied musical tour spread out on two outdoor podiums. In addition, the festival will present the Creative Arena and several pavilions portraying the best and most typical international food, drinks and cultural highlights of the many countries that have made themselves at home in the international city of The Hague. The musical programme offers a rich palette of currents from the most diverse countries. Two carrousel podiums will be resonating with different musical genres throughout the afternoon. The classical podium will feature international musicians enchanting their audiences on unique instruments. Pop fans can make their way to the pop podium on the other side of the festival terrain, where elements of jazz, singer-songwriter, indie pop, flamenco, folk and blues intertwine in an innovative and, at times unexpected, programme. On the wishlist of the festival organisation for some time now, the band LuzazuL finally makes an appearance at this year’s edition. Central to this impressive collective is Lisbon-born singer Magda Mendes, who, along with her band, performs a catchy mix of Portuguese fado, relaxed Brazilian melodies, rousing flamenco and Cape Verdean shades. Audiences can expect warm, passionate notes atop groovy, organic beats. In addition, the Dutch collective NO blues will be present a surprising combination of folk-blues with traditional Arabic music (arabicana). Both LuzazuL and NO blues have received rave reviews in leading Dutch newspapers. Paco Renteria, the Mexican virtuoso flamenco guitarist brings sunshine to the Lange Voorhout with his breathtaking artistic ability and striking compositions. He shared the stage with Carlos Santana and Luciano Pavarotti and he musically enriched films such as The Legend of Zorro and Desperado. Many more inspiring acts soon to be announced! The Hague has every right to call itself an international city. With the presence of the many embassies, NGOs and multinationals the city enjoys continuous interaction with the rest of the world. The second edition of the Embassy Festival shows a beautiful compilation of international culture that can be seen, heard and tasted in The Hague. The Embassy Festival is organised by PROOOST, the driving force behind the successful LIFE I LIVE Festival in The Hague. EMBASSY FESTIVAL | SATURDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2014 | 12:00 – 21:00 | LANGE VOORHOUT, THE HAGUE | FREE ENTRANCE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE FESTIVAL: WWW.EMBASSYFESTIVAL.COM

                            This was an exceptional Latin American event, hosted by H.E. Eduardo Pizarro, Ambassador of the Republic of Colombia at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in The Hague. Ambassador Pizarro and his wife welcomed their guests to commemorate the Declaration of Independence of Colombia, July 20^th, 1810 in Santa Fe de Bogota. Crowne Plaza has been their selected venue in recent years. On this occasion, delicious products from Colombia, such as top class coffee and chocolate were offered during this well attended diplomatic gathering. The volunteer team of Diplomat Magazine as usual, covering national days and supporting Head of Diplomatic Missions. For full photo-album including many more pictures click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/ 

By Aladin ALHmedawi, President of the AAA club, Special for Diplomat Magazine.  The AAA Club is been formed few years ago, it is standing for the diplomat representing their Embassies to the OPCW. The AAA Club has a president; Mr. Aladddin AlHmedawi ( since September 2013) and 7 board members. The Club organize gathering (almost once a month) hosted by one of the Embassies, also we have activities like football games, painting sessions, bowling and others, in order to introduce and meet  new colleagues. At this gathering were representatives from different Embassies and members of the AAA club. Mr. AlHemedawi opened this meeting with a welcome to the members, and offering to  the host Miss (Laura Rigutto/ Deputy of the Italian Ambassador) flowers for her hospitality ( as new culture of the club the flowers have the same colors of the National Flag of the host Embassy) Mr. Szymon Bocheriski, ( Board member) distribute some certificats of merit were also given to the wining teams of the resent AAA football competition.  

Speech by Judge Sang-Hyun Song, President of the International Criminal Court, on the Day of International Criminal Justice. When representatives of 120 States adopted the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), on 17 July 1998, they did so to build a more just world. Conscious that all people are connected, and that mass atrocities committed anywhere threaten the delicate mosaic of modern societies as well as world peace and security, they set up a permanent, international justice system to address crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide by holding individuals accountable either at the national or international level. Through such action, the Rome Statute system aims to help prevent such crimes, to protect all peoples from them, and to uphold what is best, but also most fragile, within us: the shared sense of justice that is a common bond of all humanity. Years later, when States Parties to the Rome Statute decided to name the 17^th of July as the Day of International Criminal Justice, they invited all of us to commemorate the tremendous efforts of the many international courts and tribunals created in the last two decades while looking forward to what remains to be done. Among these courts is the ICC, the first and only permanent international criminal court with jurisdiction granted by States through a multilateral treaty. By commemorating 17 July, we recognize past efforts that have fostered reconciliation in societies across the world and have positively affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of victims. We also look to the future, and reaffirm the international community’s commitment to fight against impunity for the most serious crimes, and thereby to stop them from ever being repeated again. We are all exposed on a daily basis to news of massacres, crimes and war in multiple regions of the world. Where the ICC has jurisdiction, it endeavours to bring justice to the victims of these crimes. And where it is already involved, the Court’s intervention has galvanised more international attention to communities affected by crimes and the efforts essential to aiding the survivors. However, we are all conscious of the limits of the ICC’s current jurisdiction, which have to be remedied by continued progress towards universal ratification of the Rome Statute. We recognize that the ICC is only one element in the wider Rome Statute system, the core of which is the responsibility of States themselves to investigate and prosecute the Rome Statute crimes whenever possible. The Statute is built on the principles of universality, complementarity and State cooperation, with the ICC itself as a court of last resort. Like many other parts of the emerging international system, it is still under construction. We continue our efforts and engagement  with the international community so that this new global system can be established with firm foundations, where the law is sovereign and respected, and where  justice for all is recognised as being crucial for peace, stability and development worldwide. We cannot succeed on our own. All States, organisations and individuals have a role to play in the fight against impunity. Each of us can make a difference. Every year, on 17 July, we review and rededicate our efforts to build a more just world, because we are all connected, and because justice matters to us all.  

An event commemorating 17 July as the Day of International Criminal Justice was held in The Hague (Netherlands). The speakers, who included the Presidents of the International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), as well as the ICC Deputy Prosecutor and the ICC Registrar, reiterated their shared commitment to ending impunity for the most serious crimes of concern to the international community and to bring justice to the victims through independent, fair and impartial proceedings.  The speakers were called upon to reflect on the gains made thus far in this struggle and to ponder on the means to address the challenges present in pursuing that endeavour. The event was organised by the Ambassador of Croatia in her capacity as the Facilitator on Strategic Planning in The Hague Working Group of the Assembly of States Parties  to the Rome Statute of the ICC, with the support of the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Belgium to the International Organisations in The Hague; the Ambassadors of Hungary, Latvia, Norway and Switzerland and the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the ICC, as well as the Italian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The 17^th of July marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC. At the first Review Conference of the Rome Statute held in Kampala, Uganda in 2010, the -States Parties of the ICC decided to commemorate this unique date, recognising the efforts of the international community to strengthen the emerging system of international criminal justice and to put an end to impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of international concern, namely genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression. This event is part of the broader commemoration of 17 July, the Day of International Criminal Justice. Other activities this year include a new Justice Matters social media campaign with a worldwide call for photos to be posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/justicematters.17july in the lead-up to 17 July, expressing support for international criminal justice from around the world. Participants can also tweet using the #JusticeMatters and #17July hashtags. The social media campaign aims to raise awareness of the vital need for international criminal justice worldwide, and to connect those who strive for this important cause.  

Le  Quatorze Julliet, the National Day of France,  commemorating the beginning of the French Revolution on July 14th, 1789, is  an important annual event in The Hague as well. His Excellency, Ambassador Pierre Ménat, hosted a reception at his palatial residence, which was so well-attended that the line of guests waiting to congratulate the Ambassador, spilled out onto the street. As could be expected from a country like France, known for its exquisite foods and wines, the guests were treated to tasty French delicacies and excellent wines. The famous  Pommery Champagne also  flowed freely. Members of the Dutch Government, Diplomatic Corps, business-community and other guests all mingled in the residence and outside in the gigantic tent. A large number of both French and Dutch companies had generously contributed to the event, which underscores the strong economic ties between France and The Netherlands. Perhaps not known to many is the fact that 1200 French companies are established in The Netherlands and no less than 1400 Dutch companies are established in France.  “Nous avons aujourd’hui deux cents personnes de plus que l’annee derniere ici dans notre Fete Nationale” said ambassador Menat to a representative of Diplomat Magazine.  This is Mr. Menat’s last 14 juillet reception before he moves back to France this summer. On Monday July 28th, Diplomat Magazine will recognize Ambassador Menat with a Certificate of Merit, for his outstanding contribution on the bilateral relations between The Kingdom of the Netherlands and France. Please take a look at the complete set of beautiful pictures by clicking here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/       Please take a look at the complete set of beautiful pictures by clicking here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/