Certificate of Merit to Parting Ambassadors

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Certificate of Merit to Parting Ambassadors
By Roy Lie A Tjam, Editor.  Certificates of Merit were presented to four departing Ambassadors at Carlton Ambassador Hotel on Tuesday 30 September, 2014. The Certificate of Merit is Diplomat Magazine’s official recognition to parting Ambassadors in appreciation for their outstanding contribution in enhancing the bilateral ties between their countries and The Kingdom of the Netherlands, including their extraordinary support to the Diplomatic Community and Diplomat Magazine. The touching ceremony had the presence of ambassadors from different countries that came to honor their peers. After the national anthems, a members of Diplomat Magazine took the floor to make a eulogy about the career and achievements of each ambassador during their stay in The Netherlands. The Ceremony included the display of the national flag and national anthems from each country. CLICK HERE FOR FULL PHOTO-ALBUM: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/72157647860553887/ IMG_0575 IMG_0608 Farewell Ambassadors Sept 2014 The recipients were: H.E. Mr.  Abdullah Abdulaziz Z. Alshaghrood, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia H.E. Ms.  Zelmys Maria Dominguez Cortina, Republic of Cuba H.E. Mr. Vladimiro P. Villalta, Republic of El Salvador H.E. Jorge Alfredo Lemcke Arevaldo, Republic of Guatemala A reception to which fellow Ambassadors and friends were invited concluded the event.IMG_0606 IMG_0615 IMG_0626 National Anthems
Certificate of Merit – Ceremony of Merit- Farewell ceremony

Erasmus Impact

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Erasmus Impact
Direct from the European Commission.  Impact Study on Erasmus confirms that EU student exchange program increases employment opportunities and promote labor mobility Young people who study abroad or training, not only acquire specific expertise, but also reinforce important cross-cutting skills that are highly valued by employers. A new study on the impact of the Erasmus student exchange program of the European Union shows that graduates with international experience are doing much better in the labor market. They run half the risk of long-term unemployment compared to those who have not studied abroad or have attended a training and five years after graduation, unemployment among this group, 23% lower. The study carried out by independent experts is the largest on this topic and has received feedback from nearly 80 000 respondents, including students and companies. “The results of the impact study on Erasmus speak volumes, given the unacceptably high youth unemployment in the EU The message is clear. Study or training abroad make you a greater chance to improve your job prospects through the new. Erasmus program + to four million people get between 2014 and 2020, a grant from the EU, so they can experience how it is to be in another country life, whether it is for a study or training to follow than firsthand or to there to teach or to do “volunteer said Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth. The new research shows that 92% of employers in recruiting staff is looking for personality traits that are strengthened by the program, just as tolerance, self-confidence, problem solving, open attitude, knowledge of own strengths / weaknesses and decisiveness. Before and after the stay abroad tests show that Erasmus students in these personality traits score better even before the exchange starts; After their return they score on these points on average 42% better compared with other students.

How many disasters do we need?

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How many disasters do we need?
By Barend ter Haar. It is said that governments are only able to change course when a disaster occurs. Without disasters governments tend to become complacent and lazy. If there is some truth in this thesis – and just look around to see that it is the case – then the question is how many disasters it takes to make a government change course. Let us, with this question in mind, have a quick look at two threats: the threat to international cooperation and the threat of Russia. After that we will turn to the Ebola crisis. It took the West-Europeans a lot of war to realize that giving up some sovereignty in exchange for close cooperation and integration is preferable above exercising the sovereign right to vilify people with different languages and religions and to go to war with them from time to time. The question now is how long this broad consensus will hold. Will it require another war to convince political parties that higher defense budgets and involvement in international wars (how necessary they might be) can never be a substitute for international cooperation? The Russian occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia did not make European governments fully realize that Russia was no longer willing to play the geo-political game according to the West-European rules. Even the annexation of the Crimea did not suffice. Only when Russia started intervening in Eastern Ukraine, Western governments came to realize that they could no longer pretend that nothing had changed. Both cases illustrate how difficult it is for governments to learn from their experiences. Let us now look at the Ebolacrisis. Nor the specific time, nor the specific place were predictable, but it was a foreseeable crisis in many other respects. We knew beforehand that new epidemics of infectious diseases take place from time to time, new because of a new variety of an existing disease, or new because of the place where the epidemic breaks out. We also knew that many of the least developed countries are unable to deal properly with such outbreaks, and we also knew that the World Health Organization is insufficiently prepared to deal quickly and adequately with such a crisis. We knew that, but what did we do? As far as the Dutch government is concerned: very little. Promoting global health is very low on its agenda. The Dutch ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport has as its motto “The Netherlands healthy and well”, but seems insufficiently to realise how much public health in the Netherlands depends on global health. And for the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs neither global health, nor education (key to public health), nor strengthening global cooperation in these fields are priorities. It will be interesting to see what lessons both ministries will draw from the current Ebola crisis.

Embassy of Argentina

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Embassy of Argentina
By Johann Peter Gies. Junior Editor. On Thursday, 18th of September 2014, the Ambassador of Argentina to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, H.E. Horacio Salvador, kindly received a group of LeidenUniversity students to an informative and pleasant visit to his embassy. The ambassador allowed the international students exclusive insights in the daily life of embassy staff and the private life of an ambassador. Apart from explaining how an embassy works, he discussed current and historically significant issues of his home country. Throughout the talk he intonated the healthy, important and long lasting relationship between the Republic of Argentina and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Over the course of the event, the students tasted excellent Argentinian sweets, which offered them a nice insight in the delights of Argentinian cuisine. The students were utterly honoured and grateful for the delighting and enriching meeting with Mr Salvador, who wished them all the best for their further studies.

Croatian Modern Furniture

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Croatian Modern Furniture
Mr. René van der Linden, Member of the Senate; H.E. Mrs. Vesela Mrden Korac, Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia; Mrs. Tatjana Kos, Era Project Manager; Mr. Drago Veselčić, director of Era group   From the Embassy of Croatia in The Hague.  H.E. Vesela Mrden Korac, Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia hosted a reception at the premises of the Embassy on September 30, 2014 marking the opening of the exibition of Croatian modern furniture – produced in line with the highest standards of sustainability and ecology, and of the accompanying  B2B meeting. The exhibition and this unique business meeting platform runs from September 30 to October 3, 2014. To introduce the best of Croatian modern furtniture to the Dutch audience, Croatian Embassy in the Hague invisioned and organized this unique event and only for this special occasion transformed the protocolar area of the Embassy into exhibition space for exquisite samples of modern Croatian furniture, designed by young Croatian designers and produced in Croatia. With impetus of creative potential of Croatian designers and based on best quality of local materials, the tradition of furniture production in Croatia is given a new dimension. BW-CFW08 This exibition has already attracted high level audience with attendees like vice-Minister Smits, German Ambassador Franz Josef Kremp who showed great interest in the functionality and style of this forniture and many other guests. We invite you to join us too! The Embassy is pleased to invite potential partners, owners of furniture shops, architects, designers and all other parties interested in learning more and exploring possibilities of business cooperation with Croatian eco furniture cluster to visit the Embassy. For additional information and to contact Croatian eco furniture cluster please contact Croatian Embassy at: vrhhaag@mvep.hr   Photo 2: H.E. Mrs. Vesela Mrden Korac, Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia; H.E. Mr.Saad Abdulmajeed Ibrahim Al Ali, Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq   Photo 3: H.E. Mrs. Vesela Mrden Korac, Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia; H.E. Mr. Karim Ben Bécher, Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia   Photo 4: H.E. Mr. Franz Josef Kremp, Ambassador of FederalRepublic of Germany; H.E.Mrs. Vesela Mrden Korac, Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia; Mr. Helmut Hetzel, Hetzel Media   Photo 5: H.E. Mr. Franz Josef Kremp, Ambassador of Federal Republic of Germany; Mr. Drago Veselčić, director of Era group   Photo 6: Mrs. Tatjana Kos, Era Project Manager; H.E. Mr. Karim Ben Bécher, Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia; H.E. Mrs. Vesela Mrden Korac, Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia   Photo 7: H.E. Mrs. Odette Melono, Ambassador of the Republic of Cameroon; H.E. Mrs. Vesela Mrden Korac, Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia   Photo 10: Mrs. Tatjana Kos, Era Project Manager; H.E. Mrs. Vesela Mrden Korac, Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia; Ms. Ana Pilipović, Embassy of the Republic of Croatia      

Welcome !

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Welcome !
By Jhr. mr. Alexander W. Beelaerts van Blokland, Justice (Judge) in the Court of Appeal and Special Advisor International Affairs of the Municipality of The Hague. In July, August and September, international The Hague welcomed seven new persons. On Wednesday July 2nd H.E. Makalai M. Barsevich (1970) started as the new ambassador of Belarus. He studied at the Moscow Military Linguistic University and ever since he worked for the ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2002 to 2006 he was Chargé d’ Affairs a.i. in Prague and from 2006 until 2014 Chief Protocol in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. On the same day H.E. Maria Theresa Infante Caffi presented her credentials. She is an international lawyer, who visited The Hague in 1974 and 1988 for studies at the Hague Academy for International Law.  She also studied in Spain and Switzerland. From 1980 Mrs. Infante Caffi worked at the University of Chile and since 1997 for the ministry of Foreign Affairs in Chile as well . She wrote several books on international law and was University Professor in Peru, Brazil, Argentina and Spain. From September 1,  H.E. Baroness Bibi van Zuylen van Nijevelt replaced H.E. Martine van Loon –who served for thirty years in that function – as the Mistress of the Robes of the Royal Household (‘Grootmeesteres’) . At the same date Mr. Roelof van Ees became the new Chief Protocol MFA in stead of Mr. Govert Jan Bijl de Vroe who was appointed ambassador in Portugal. On Wednesday September 10th three new ambassadors presented their credentials to the King: First H.E. Adia Sakiqi, the new ambassador of Albania, who speaks Dutch because of study and work in Belgium and The Netherlands since 2001. Studied Philosophy and European Politics in Leuven in Belgium, worked as an interpreter at ICTY in The Hague from 2002 to 2004 and had from 2004 until now different functions in Brussels. Second H. E. Janet Lowe, born in Taipei (Taiwan), is the new ambassador of New Zealand, the same function that her husbands brother had in the past, also in The Hague. Mrs. Lowe studied English literature and later on the Japanese language as well; she was posted as a diplomat in Brussels and –several times- in Japan, lately as deputy Chef de Poste and Consul-General since 2011. Third  H.E. Urs Breiter (1953), the new ambassador of Switzerland, a lawyer from Zürich. He worked for the Swiss MFA since 1982 in Bern, Moscow, Madrid, Ankara and Vienna, before he was posted as ambassador in Bosnia Herzegovina (2002-2006), Mexico (2006-2010) and Vienna (2010-2014). We wish them all very nice and succesful years in The Hague ! a.beelaerts@planet.nl    

The German language in Europe – a new lingua franca?

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The German language in Europe – a new lingua franca?
By Andreas Weishaupt, BA, Former trainee at the Goethe Institut – Amsterdam. With an approximate 100 million native speakers1 and increasing demand for language courses, German is far from becoming a dead language English is without a doubt the lingua franca of our times, be it in politics or diplomacy, in sciences, the economy or in the media. America’s position as the world’s power house and the global rise of the Internet hugely stimulated the language’s popularity. Anglicisms and americanisms can be found in any country, any newspaper, and in many household‘s daily communication. But is English really the only language that matters? Some scholars predict that in the long run, German might give way to other languages such as English or Chinese. Others, such as Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Frans Timmermanns, see German as the key to a constructive EU. In an interview titled “The Dutch should speak more German“, which he gave to German newspaper “Die WELT“ back in 2012, Timmermanns suggests a closer cooperation with the EU’s current economic leader – also by learning its language2. In the Netherlands, German has long been on every school‘s curriculum. Whereas students nowadays often regard English as more important, there is a constantly high demand for language courses among adults, especially business professionals. “The Netherlands are more oriented towards England instead of Germany, although Germany’s development is of more important to us“, said Timmermanns, who is also an ambassador for “Mach Mit!“, a program designed to promote the German language. The Goethe-Institutes in Amsterdam and Rotterdam offer specialised German courses for business communication as well as cultural trainings that are meant to improve bilateral interactions. Especially when dealing with smaller companies, it can be a huge asset to be able to operate in their respective native language. In commerce with Germany the language has an enormous strategic importance said King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands during a visit at the end of May 2014 to the neighbouring Bundesland of Northern-Rhine Westphalia. His spouse, Queen Máxima went further by announcing that she is to learn German. As a matter of fact she is the first non-German consort to a Dutch monarch in over 100 years. This increase in interest reflects the rise of Germany to becoming the EU’s strongest and most stable economy. Furthermore, the recent 11th meeting of German-speaking heads of states in Rostock3, initiated by Germany’s President Joachim Gauck, demonstrated the language’s prevalence in other countries, where it is being spoken by about 100 million native speakers. Official language in Austria, Liechtenstein, and Germany; as one of several official languages in Belgium, Luxemburg, Switzerland, and the Alsace region in France. Making German the mother tongue with the most native speakers in Europe. English may be the choice that first comes to mind, but when it comes to European affairs, knowing German, too, is highly important and profitable. And with powers shifting in East and West, with Asia on the rise and Germany as the strongest player in Europe, who knows what the future might bring. 1 http://www.goethe.de/lhr/prj/diw/dos/en7245855.htm 2 http://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article110905029/Die-Hollaender-sollen-mehr-Deutsch-reden.html 3 http://www.rostock-heute.de/joachim-gauck-staatsoberhaeupter-warnemuende-rostock-2014/76447 4 http://nos.nl/koningshuis/artikel/653570-maxima-ga-duits-leren.html

Taiwan: a valuable partner in combating climate change

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Taiwan: a valuable partner in combating climate change
                            By James K.J. Lee, Representative Taipei Representative Office in The Hague. Climate change is a pressing global issue. It affects all countries and much debate and effort have gone into attempting to overcome the challenges it presents to the world. It does not recognize borders and makes no distinction in political color, size or status of countries. Despite not being a member of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Taiwan has nevertheless pro-actively and voluntarily participated in global efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emission and remains keen to join international efforts aimed at energy saving and carbon emission reduction. President Ma Ying-jeou has explicitly declared “developing an environment characterized by low carbon emission and high reliance on green energy” one of the five pillars of Taiwan’s national development. Becoming a spearhead of his policy, the government initiated a plan to build a “low carbon and sustainable homeland” which encourages the people of Taiwan to actively contribute to its realization.Taipei City Skyline at Night with view over 101 building, Taiwan Additionally, Taiwan has come up with its own strategy to cope with the challenges brought forth by climate change with the aim of containing and adapting to it. This strategy has led to a master plan in 2009 for the reduction of carbon emission and the creation of a sound legal environment and green transportation infrastructure, as well as low-carbon energy systems, communities and industries. In 2012 Taiwan also adopted national climate change adaptation guidelines covering eight major domains, including essential infrastructure, energy supply and health. The effort put into combatting the impact of climate change by Taiwan since 2009 has sorted effect. In June last year Taiwan inaugurated the world’s largest carbon capture plant in Hualien, the first of its kind in Asia, which represents a significant step forward for Taiwan in carbon capture and reduction. Taiwan also made significant progress in upgrading its solar and wind power capacity and is among the world’s top 5 for installing solar water heaters. In 2012, Taiwan’s economy recorded a growth of 1.32 % but carbon emission fell by 1.90%. Taiwan’s success story could serve as an example for many countries how we could achieve an inverse relationship between economic growth and carbon emission. Taiwan’s unique position in the international political arena should not be a prohibitive obstacle to the inclusion of Taiwan in the UNFCCC. There are precedents which were created for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in other international organizations and institutions. The latest such precedents include the official participation of Taiwan in the World Health Assembly since 2009  as well as the invitation in September 2013 from the President of the Council to attend the 38th Session of the Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization. It is clear that the desire and capability is present for Taiwan to become a valuable partner in the struggle against climate change. Taiwan’s efforts have been recognized and appraised by many UNFCCC-members and its inclusion in the UNFCCC would be beneficial and instrumental to its cause.  

Fascinating Facets of The Netherlands

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Fascinating Facets of The Netherlands
  By Ms. Ann Ridler. Ann As a permanent resident of The Hague and striving to follow in the glorious footsteps of my fellow English explorers, I readily put my name down to join the tour of the 13thSeptember. The description sounded wonderful and that was the reality also!! The tour included Ijmuiden,  Haarlem and a pit stop for lunch at the impressive Duin & Kruidberg Country hotel. The first stop was Ijmuiden, where the mayor himself gave us an informative and enthusiastic explanation of where the 850 million investment to construct a lock for accommodating the largest cruise ships in the world will flow to. (excuse pun)  Our heads still reeling from the size of the investment and lock, we were whisked off to lunch at the Duin & Kruidberg hotel. The driveway is simply breathtaking to reach this most hospitable of hotels and the view was naturally helped by the glorious sunshine. Before lunch, we were treated to a talk by Dr Talsma, deputy commissioner of North Holland to the king. He discussed plans to accommodate an expected population growth of around 300,000 in the Amsterdam area during the foreseeable future. I use the word discussion as he provoked us with questions and even requested  suggestions from the audience. The talk gave us food for thought, and talking about food…lunch arrived. Suffice it to say this hotel deserves its Michelin star status for both service and contents. Our group walked off the excessive kilos by taking the opportunity to wander round the impressive sculptor gardens. Had the coach not signaled its intention to leave, most would have been quite happy to sit on one of the terraces, just soaking up the sunshine and views across the lake. But the Haarlem of Frans Hals was waiting, with lively terraces, it’s wide assortment of lovely little individual shops, which elsewhere have been doomed by online competitors and not to forget the amazing architecture around the Grand Market square. We were so lucky with our timing as we were able to witness a choir in full song at the cathedral of St Bavo.  1-068 All in all, a most enjoyable, educational and tasty tour. I’m certainly going to sign up for the next ones. It was Diplomat Magazine’s 2nd Excursion.    

T.M.C. Asser Instituut Summer Programmes

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T.M.C. Asser Instituut Summer Programmes
By: Charlotte O’Reilly, Project Manager T.M.C. Asser Instituut

The autumn of 2014 and another bustling summer has come and gone at the T.M.C. Asser Instituut. Each year the summer season has a number of programmes on offer from June until September. Following the success of last year, when the summer programme on Sports Law was a new addition. This year we successfully introduced a fifth summer programme; European Environmental Law. The summer season at the T.M.C. Asser Instituut traditionally kicks off with the Summer Law Program on International Criminal Law and International Legal Approaches – 1 month, 28 speakers, 6 study visits, 2 courses. This programme provides a unique opportunity for students from various American universities and external applicants to connect, network and learn together in the legal capital of the world. Our annual opening lecture by H.E. Judge Fausto Pocar started what would be a month of excellent guest lecturers from academic as well as practice backgrounds.

The second summer programme of 2014 revolved around the question Is Sport Playing by the Rule of Law? The programme covered topics ranging from The FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber; background, Procedural Aspects and Relevant Jurisprudence to Marketing and Exploitation of Sports Media Rights: Competition Law Issues and with this is open to all those with an interest in this area of law. This year’s programme was officially opened by Jerome Champagne, who provided the keynote address. The newly introduced Summer Programme on International & European Environmental Law: Facing the Challenges? received great interest from the public and we were delighted to welcome a group of interested participants to this highly relevant programme from 25 – 29 August 2014. With thought provoking topics such as Cross Boundary Environmental Impact Assessment and Challenges in Ensuring Sustainable Management of Natural Resources this summer programme provided the perfect platform for debate and discussion and offered a “deep insight into the actual problem of IEEL […] get a better vision of the general principles and how they are of use in protecting the environment”. The last week of August also saw the fourth edition of the summer programme on Countering Terrorism in the Post 9/11 World: Legal Challenges & Dilemmas organised in cooperation with the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT). Throughout the week theory was supported by study visits to institutes such as Eurojust and the Special Tribunal for Lebananon with on the final day a practical workshop on Foreign Fighters: Definitions, Legal Challenges and Threat Assessments. With the OPCW as its partner the T.M.C. Asser Instituut hosted its final programme of the summer on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction in a Changing World. This programme welcomed many honourable speakers such as H.E. Ahmed Üzümcü, Director General of the OPCW whom addressed the group on The Future of the OPCW: The Syria Mission and Beyond and Mr. Paul Walker, International Programme Director for the Green Cross. The programme covered many recent and current subjects such as the Nuclear Security Summit 2014 in The Hague and the removal and destruction of chemical weapons in Syria. Field visits to the Nuclear Research Reactor in Delft, the OPCW equipment store as well as the TNO in Rijswijk provided a practical element to the fourth day of the programme. Throughout the summer of 2014 we welcomed 81 participants over 5 summer programmes from 31 different countries to T.M.C. Asser Instituut. We look forward to seeing you in 2015!    
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