AWC, more than 80 years.
For more than 80 years, the American Women’s Club – The Hague (AWC The Hague) has been providing a home away from home for American and english speaking women of all nationalities. As a registered Dutch ANBI (non profit) organization, our primary goal is to serve as a support network for women living and working in the Netherlands. Our members work hard to provide a very comfortable, inviting clubhouse, organize numerous activities, tours, family events and fundraising events during the year for all ages.
Over the years, AWC have continually found ways to contribute to both local and international charities. From 2002-2008, AWC raised over €1,000,000 through the Pink Ribbon Gala to support breast cancer initiatives around the Netherlands. In recent years, the Hearts and Minds Gala was established to promote awareness and advocacy of Autism and as a result over €100,000 has been donated to autism related projects in The Netherlands. The Annual AWC Holiday Bazaar is always a popular community event which will be held this year on Nov 9-10 at the Carlton Ambassador Hotel. The event showcases a special selection of European artists and vendors, who feature high-quality goods from all over the world. Children have the option of visiting Kids Club to have a visit and photo opportunity with Santa and enjoy crafts while parents can enjoy shopping at the Bazaar on their own.
In 1931 AWC was one of the founding member clubs of FAWCO (Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas), part of whose mission statement is “to contribute actively to the global community with a specific focus on education, the natural and human environment, multicultural understanding and international goodwill.” This affiliation allows us the opportunity to network with over 80 American and international women’s clubs from around the globe, as well as band together in support of a common cause through the FAWCO Target Program. The most recent Target Program which was completed in March began with a one year period of education and awareness on the focus topic of access to clean water. The final two years of the program progressed with the selection of Tabitha, Cambodia-Wells for Clean Water as Target Project and a fundraising campaign which netted over US$160,000 of support. The newly announced Target Program focusing on Human Rights for Women will kick off this fall.
As an all volunteer organization, we like to say that we work hard, but also play hard – and even the work feels like play. For more information, view our website at www.awcthehague.org or visit our clubhouse during open hours (check the website as the office hours change seasonally).
China Assumes her Position in the Modern World
By Roy Lie A Tjam
Towering high above the lush green woods of Scheveningen (Schevningsebosjes), in an impressive edifice, is the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China.
Within the chancellery I met with H.E. Ambassador Chen Xu, one of the last group of diplomats to present credentials to H.M. Queen Beatrix. Chen describes the ceremony as a “once in a lifetime” experience.
In addition to being a family oriented man, with a wife and a teenage son, Ambassador Chen has worked in various multilateral posts, notably twice at the Security Council. Although he only recently took up the post of Ambassador to the Netherlands, Chen believes that bilateral representation is more focused than multilateral representation and that The Hague, with its various international institutions, is as much bilateral as multilateral.
The Ambassador envisages benefiting fully from the international institutions located in The Hague, there are already Chinese judges at the ICJ and the ICTY, and China is a member of the OPCW.
Chen believes that global questions require joint efforts which makes friendships and cooperation essential since they help create a peaceful atmosphere within which consensus on matters of mutual concern can be reached. One example cited by the Ambassador of reaching a consensus was the agreement reached by China and the EU on the solar panel question where ultimately both parties were satisfied with the end result. Win-win is one aphorism that Chen frequently uses.
Foreign relationship
China enjoys economic growth, but what role will the country play in global affairs, what foreign policy will it follow in the future and what impact will this have on the world?
As Ambassador Chen elaborated, despite great changes to the international landscape, independence and peace have been the two defining features of China’s diplomacy and the cornerstones of its foreign policy for more than sixty years. China is willing to become more involved in global affairs through collaborating with others in order to make an always more useful contribution.
In this context the recent successful visits by H.E. President Xi Jinping to various parts of the world including Russia, the African continent, to Trinidad and Tobago and Costa Rica were, according to Chen, of great importance. A new positive chapter in the bilateral relationship between China and the United States was agreed upon including certain core elements such as mutual respect and win-win cooperation.
Sino – Dutch relationship
After 41 years of diplomatic ties, China is reinforcing its relationship with the Netherlands, its second largest trading partner within the EU with a turnover of 68 billion USD. There are other key connections between the two countries such as in education, where over 8000 Chinese students study at Dutch universities, as well as the Netherlands expertise in water resource management, where the substantial Chinese agricultural sector could benefit from Dutch experience.
Forging ahead
China’s leadership has rallied the Chinese people for the realisation of the two centenary goals and the Chinese dream of national renewal. Ambitious plans are being outlined for 2020 and 2050, by which date China hopes to achieve a state of wellbeing for all citizens.
The road to attaining this goal has already been set out. It may be more of a bumpy road than a smooth ride, but China has embarked on the right path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Ambassador Chen believes that with strong leadership and hardworking citizens, China will continue to move forward.
Meanwhile, China promises to be more active in international cooperation, addressing topics such as anti-terrorism, climate change, food security, etc. China will actively seek joint efforts with other countries, working towards establishing a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity.
Ambassador Chen wishes the people of the Netherlands happiness.
Remember: the Embassy is at your disposal.
The Peace Palace centenary
By Willem Post.
The Peace Palace centenary spurs to the establishment of ‘The Hague Approach “.The Hague’s ‘ Temple of Peace ‘is exactly 100 years old, America expert WillemPost stresses its relevance.Is the Peace Palace a mirage on the horizon? A naive figment of nineteenth centurypeace activists as Bertha von Suttner and Andrew Carnegie who financed it?n 1914 at the commencement of the First World War, the journalists of the news paper New York Time flocked Andrew Carnegie’s mansion in Manhattan N.Y.eagerly awaiting his comments on the fate of the new permanent Court of Arbitrationin The Hague, should be now deemed a failure? Failure,
on the contrary, retorted. Carnegie. He noted in an interview with the New YorkTime: ” The ‘ horror.’ of this world proves even more that men who have the capacity to reason, should rather focus on conflict prevention.Carnegie pointed to millions of years of primitive struggle and found that gradually people should agree to settle. their disputes through the courts The more people develop themselves, the urge to reason will prevail, and this will bring about a culture of ‘rule of law’ between nation states.
Carnegie stressed the importance of good education and therefore sponsored 3000libraries.The courts located in the Peace Palace, including the International Court of Justice,which is the highest judicial body of the United Nations, were able to avert hundreds of conflicts and wars over the past decades. The Oslo Peace Research Institute has calculated that the number of wars between nation states for decades now show a decrease. Yet there are heart breaking wars, as the images of chemical attacks in Syria recently attested.
The relevance of the Peace Palace for the years ahead lies in a holistic approachto participation in war. Prevention. One can not deny the fact that there are already hopeful omens…
The courts in the Peace Palace are successfully progressing in conflict prevention..f withstanding the successful progress for some reason war breaks out, the international community in exceptional cases, even without support from the Security Council, could intervene in the case of genocide.
For the first time in history, more than 160 perpetrators have been convicted for warcrimes by the Tribunal for former Yugoslavia. Impunity is no longer condoned. . The ICC operates worldwide, even though the focus for obvious reasons is not exclusively but especially in Africa.There appears to be a missing link in the chain of peace keeping operations.The reconstruction in conflict torn areas is still too fragmented, there is a need for close cooperation. Action is urgently required and is attainable.Mayor Josiah van Aartsen has presented H.M. King Willem- Alexander and H.E. the Secretary – General of the United Nations Ban Ki Moon, with the results of a scientific study that focuses on the practice of reconstruction. The study was done by the ‘The Hague Institute for Global Justice in collaboration with the University of Leiden andother renowned universities and local actors in countries like Libya.
What matters is an implementation of a holistic approach by “a coalition of motivatedentities”. Not an ‘ ambitious ‘ international community but primarily local actors such as representatives of civil society on the spot. In developing a ‘ rule of law ‘ mentality all segments of society should be involved, the business community should not certainly be excluded There is no substitute for realism marred with optimism. The Peace Palace will in the next 100 years certainly be even more necessary as instrumental in preventing wars In the spirit of what Andrew Carnegie words;
“Come it slow, come it fast, but it is law which comes at last.”
ICC Judge Cuno responds AU
In direct from the International Criminal Court.
ICC Presidency responds to letter from African Union, clarifies legal procedures under the Rome Statute and encourages mutual cooperation.
The Second Vice-President of the International Criminal Court (ICC, Court), Judge Cuno Tarfusser, has responded on behalf of the ICC Presidency to a letter from the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, which addressed various aspects of the ongoing ICC proceedings of the Kenyan President, Mr Kenyatta, and his Deputy, Mr Ruto, both charged with crimes against humanity for crimes allegedly committed in Kenya in the 2007-2008 post-election violence.
The Second Vice-President clarified that the Presidency has no legal powers to consider arguments and concerns related to ongoing cases, and that such matters should be raised before the relevant Chambers in accordance with the Rome Statute and the ICC’s Rules of Procedure and Evidence.
He also noted, in response to a reference made in the letter from the African Union, that there are no pending requests before the ICC for the deferral of Kenya-related cases to Kenyan judicial institutions. He stressed that “the Judges of the Court must take all their decisions in accordance with the mandate and legal framework established by the States that created the Court – including the 34 African States that are party to the Rome Statute”.
The Second Vice-President added that the Court remained fully committed to friendly and cooperative relations with the African Union in the spirit of the AU’s and ICC’s shared values.
Letter of ICC Second Vice-President Judge Cuno Tarfusser, 13 September 2013
Letter of the African Union, 10 September 2013
Sports Corruption
By Karen L. Jones, JD, MA
Researcher
Academic programme coordinator International and European sports law
T.M.C. Asser Instituut.
Sports Corruption (match-fixing) a Continuing International Problem, a Time for New Solutions.
Sports corruption and particularly match-fixing continues to be a significant problem in Europe and many parts of the world. As a Researcher/Academic Programme Coordinator at T.M.C. Asser Instituut, Asser International Sports Law Centre, and a PhD candidate, I have chosen to examine the problem from an inter-disciplinary approach.
A European Commission report on match-fixing, included the following working definition of match-fixing:
“The manipulation of sports results covers the arrangement on an irregular alteration of the course or the result of a sporting competition or any of its particular events (e.g. matches, races…) in order to obtain financial advantage, for oneself or for other, and remove all or part of the uncertainty normally associated with the results of a competition.”[1]
Although there still is no single authoritative definition of match-fixing, in its most basic form, match-fixing can be defined as, the act of losing, or playing to a pre-determined result, in sports matches by illegally manipulating the results in your favor.
With increasing frequency, it seems the reports on incidences of suspected match-fixing or new investigations into match-fixing continue to rise. This can be attributed to new cases of match-fixing, new investigations being kicked-off, or the fact that investigations into match-fixing are often lengthy and prolonged. Much of this was summarized earlier this year (February 2013) when the head of Europol, Rob Wainright, announced the results of their eighteen month covert joint investigation into international football (soccer) match-fixing activities which led them to trace much of the activities to organized crime, in particular, a single criminal syndicate out of Singapore.[2] The recent arrests of 14 individuals by Singapore police believed to be part of the organized crime group associated with match-fixing globally[3] and more arrests expected[4], is a very clear indication that despite significant efforts by Europol, INTERPOL and others, the problem of match-fixing persists.
There is little doubt that match-fixing is a wide-spread problem, and affects all levels of sport (all stakeholders). The laws that are in place at the national, European and international levels are not sufficient. Many national laws are being revised or new laws established to address this problem. Criminal sanctions are being looked at to ensure that the penalties for those involved in match-fixing are increased so that the criminals do not attempt to set up shop in places where the laws, sanctions or enforcement is lax.
Sports organizations (ex. UEFA, FIFA, etc.) are often looked at as having the responsibility for governing the arena of sport – attributed to their regulatory authority over a particular area of sport, and ability to sanction – has not been very effective in preventing match-fixing. With the recent announcements about this widespread problem and ongoing investigations (amongst other things), there seems to be a loss of confidence (if it ever truly existed) that sports organizations alone can effectively contribute to its resolution.
With my research, I take an inter-disciplinary approach to the problem of sports corruption (match-fixing) by analyzing it from a sociological new institutionalism theory perspective particularly as it relates to private decentralized institutions, such as international sports organizations. A generalized inter-disciplinary new institutionalism theory perspective suggests that institutional constraints impact the decisions that individuals make.[5] Further, that within the constraints of institutions individual interests are still pursued[6] and the issue of “credible commitments” arises out of opportunities that emerge from within these constraints.[7] My research considers these issues by applying the norms established through formalized legal systems as a means of challenging those established institutions and/or exposing gaps that may offer an explanation for the proliferation of the problem. Since it is necessary to understand the types of sports corruption that exist, as well as the distinction between sports corruption and corruption in sport, to facilitate better understanding of the complexities of these two converging themes, I am also developing a typography of sports corruption. Also critical to my analysis is defining sports in terms of a comprehensive organization, thus allowing analysis of it as a single organism with various characteristics that contribute to the whole, with particular focus on the external governance structure (impacts of external agencies, government, laws, policy) and issues of accountability and autonomy; versus internal governance initiatives (codes, integrity boards, practices, etc.). However, some reference is made to both as they are often intertwined. Principles of governance and organizational analysis are an important foundational theme for my research. Using this foundation I create a framework by extracting relevant criteria based on new institutionalism theory, appropriate laws and governance practices that can be applied to international sports organizations and aid in the prevention of sports corruption. For organizational analysis purposes, I then apply this framework to two (2) international sports organizations, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the International Olympic (IOC), as these are leading international sports organizations yet each having unique characteristics.
At Asser International Sports Law Centre, we have a regular Lunch & Learn series, as well as several seminars, roundtables and our annual Summer Programme that addresses many issues, including sports corruption, that arise within the context of sports law. Our International Sports Law Journal, now published by Asser Press and Springer-Verlag publishing, as well as the Asser Press Sports Law Book Series are great resources for international and European perspectives on contemporary, inter-disciplinary and emerging trends in sports law. For more information on all of our offerings, please visit our website and sign-up for our mailing list at www.sportslaw.nl.
[1] European Commission Study, Match-Fixing in Sports: A Mapping of Criminal Law Provisions in EU 27 (March 2012), p 9.
[2] Update – Results from the largest football match-fixing investigation in Europe/Europl, 3 February 2013, The Hague, The Netherlands, https://www.europol.europa.eu/content/results-largest-football-match-fixing-investigation-europe.
[3] Singapore police arrest 14 in match-fixing raids, BBC News Asia, 19 September 2013, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24149076.
[4] Expect more arrests in match-fixing case: Europol, Singapore Law Watch, 24 September 2013, http://www.singaporelawwatch.sg/slw/headlinesnews/30748-expect-more-arrests-in-match-fixing-case-europol.html.
[5] Ingram, P. and Clay, K., The Choice- Within-Constraints New Institutionalism and Implications for Sociology, Annual Review of Sociology, 2000, 26:525-46.
[6] Id. at 526.
[7] Id. at 528.
Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp
By John Dunkelgrün.
Global Interfaith WASH Alliance (GIWA), NYC 25 September 2013.
Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp is known all over the world as a builder of bridges. Not out of steel and concrete, but bridges of trust and understanding between people and religions. He has been an active participant in the Davos conferences for many years and has a network of friends and aquaintances among leaders of all great religions, including the Chief Imam of India, Umer Ahmed Ilyashi and the Dalai Lama. Now at 70 he realises that he should use that network to help people all over the World to have access to the second primary requirement for life: clean water (air being number one). Clean water is closely related to sanitation and health and about 800 million people still don’t have access to it. Of course Soetendorp isn’t the first to recognise this. Many governments and NGO’s are involved with it and so is UNICEF with its WASH programs. It is part of the Millennium Development Goals and it was the focus of this year’s “Wings for Water” conference in The Hague, where Minister Ploumen stressed the Dutch engagement in meeting the WASH objectives.
While there has undoubtedly been much progress, it is unlikely that the MDG water goals for 2015 can be reached. Soetendorp realised that with some 80% of the World population belonging to one of the big faiths, global cooperation between the faiths could help influence governments, motivate people and get things done by inspiring and training religious leaders of all the faiths. This was the basis for the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance (Giwa). GIWA, which is enthusiastically recognised by UNESCO and the Dutch government, was launched at its premises on September 25th in New York. GIWA is not just an interfaith organization, but also intergenerational one. Apart from respected representatives from the worlds main religions, there were young people on the panel, Xihutezcatl Martinez, the 12 year old founder of “Earth Guardians” and Alexandra Destin Pierre of the World Youth Parliament. Minister Ploumen attended, as did many government representatives and officials of NGO’s and the great charitable foundations.
During the conference many projects were discussed on how to use the authority, networks and facilities of the various faiths in giving more people, all people, access to this literally vital commodity, clean water.
For more information, see: http://www.unicef.org/wash/index_70503.html
Six new ambassadors in September
By Alexander W. Beelaerts van Blokland..
The Hague welcomes six new ambassadors in September.
In daily life I (age 65) am still a Justice (judge) in the (Dutch) Court of Appeal, but in 2004 the Mayor of The Hague appointed me also (voluntary) ‘City Consul of The Hague’ and in 2011 (also voluntary) ‘Special Advisor International Cultural Affairs’, in which functions from that time onwards I am active in the world of diplomacy and international courts and institutions in The Hague. I think that I will write about that world and about The Hague itself. This very first time I will write only about several new ambassadors.
The King is back in The Hague and in September he received six new ambassadors that offered their credentials to him: on September 4th the new ambassadors of Libya, Denmark and Vietnam and on September 11th those of Bolivia, Sudan and the United Kingdom. Who are they ?
The new ambassador of Libya, H.E. Breik A. Swessi (1946), has been active in the Libyan opposition for a long time. He studied in the USA and worked there since 1984 in different organizations. From 2005 he was chairman of the ‘National Conference of the Libyan Opposition’ which he combined with working for different magazines.
H.E. Ole E. Moesby (1953) from Denmark worked all his life as a diplomat: in Tanzania, Egypt and New York and was ambassador in Zimbabwe, the CzechRepublic and Pakistan.
Vietnam’s new ambassador H.E. Nguyen Van Doan (1959) studied Arabic in Iraq, where he worked as an interpreter before he started his diplomatic career. The Hague is his first post as ambassador.
Bolivia’s new ambassador H.E. Eduardo Rodríguez Veltzé (1956) is a lawyer with many other activities. He was President of the Supreme Court of Bolivia and in 2005-2006 President of the Republic Bolivia. The Hague is his first post as an ambassador.
H.E. Mohamed E.I.A. Hassan (1959) is the new ambassador of Sudan, also a lawyer who changed his career into diplomacy in 1990. From 1998 to 2002 he already worked at the embassy in The Hague, that now is his first post as ambassador.
H.E. Sir Geoffrey Doyne Adams (1957) is the new ambassador of the United Kingdom. He studied Islamic History and Middle East Politics in Oxford and at ENA in Paris. He worked as a diplomat in Jeddah, Pretoria, Cairo and Jerusalem and was ambassador in Teheran, after which he worked in the top of the British Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Gentlemen: you are most welcome in The Hague !
a.beelaerts@planet.nl
“The Answer is Colombia”
By Eduardo Pizarro, Ambassador of the Republic of Colombia.
“The Answer is Colombia”.
Colombia is enjoying an economic surge. In the past few years, the country has been experiencing solid economic growth and has become one of the main Latin America’s investment hotspots. Boosted by business-friendly policies and a long track record of regulatory stability, foreign direct investment inflows have soared and the country has gained investment grade credit ratings.
The start of the new Free Trade Agreement in August 2013 between the EU and Colombia will further strengthen the country’s economic surge. Colombia’s market shows great potential and the country has a stable economy especially considering the 4% GDP rise in 2012, well above the Latin American and Caribbean average. The country enjoys a strategic location as a port of entry to South America and a dynamic, domestic market. Colombia has the 13th largest population in the world and the second largest among Spanish speaking countries.
Tourism is also seeing a surge in the country with international tourist numbers arriving in the Colombia having grown by an annual average rate of 10.4 per cent in the last eight years (2005-2012), a rate three times higher than the rate registered worldwide in the same period.
Colombian regions, for their part, now offer a greater variety of tourism products that complement the traditional ones and that allow tourists to enjoy natural, cultural and health attractions, sun and beach among others all in the same destination.
Proexport Colombia has just launched a new international tourism campaign, ‘Colombia is Magical Realism’, which evokes the literary genre that made famous the Nobel-winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez in whose stories the protagonists live in scenes that blend reality with magic.
The concept brings together the unique characteristics of Colombia’s tourism product and the perceptions about it that exist in the world. Proexport reached this conclusion after doing a study to determine the differential factor that motivates foreign tourists to choose Colombia as their destination for holidays or to host their events.
Words were used like ‘magical’, ‘unique’ and ‘surprising’ to describe the experiences of thousands of foreigners during their trips through the country, setting the tone to conceive what will be the brand from now on for promoting Colombia and its attractions to the world.
To see more: http://www.colombia.co/ and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0I4-IJq8-M
Iran, more than an energy superpower
By Kazem Gharib Abadi, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the kingdom of the Netherlands.
I would like to congratulate on the launch of the new English magazine, Diplomat Magazine, in The Hague, The capital of justice and peace, focusing on diplomacy and diplomatic events. I’m quite confident that this will emerge soon as an important tool in The Hague for dissemination of diplomatic issues.
Iran, as an ancient country, is well known for its civilization, virtual arts, history, language and literature, handicrafts, traditional food, architecture, music, cultural and ethnic diversity, deserts, mountains, international registered monuments like Persepolis and Bam and its cultural landscape and so on.
Furthermore, it should be mentioned that Iran is an Energy superpower and the Petroleum industry plays as an important part in the country. Iran has proven natural gas reserves in independent natural gas fields (33.6 trillion cubic meters) as the largest country in the world. Oil, gas and diverse mines and natural resources have made the country as a land of opportunities, huge capabilities and capacities.
Iran during the recent decades has successfully made tremendous achievements in various fields such as science, medicine, nanotechnology, stem cells, aerospace, satellites, education, health, industry, mining, agriculture and peaceful use of nuclear energy. In recent years, the number of young Iranian women who have been admitted to the universities has risen dramatically up to more than 60 percent of university entrants.
Islamic Republic of Iran as a pivotal player in the Middle East and Persian Gulf has great interest in peace, tranquillity, progress and security and wishes lasting, sustainable and prosperous future for all nations. Foreign policy of the country is mainly focused on mutual interests and respect, non-intervention in the internal and external affairs of the others, self – determination of people, peaceful settlement of international disputes, cooperation among states, rights to development, freedom of trade and business, friendly and peaceful co-existences with peace loving nations across the world. We believe that constructive and effective engagement among countries would pave the way for better and common understanding and achievements.
Iranians are a peace-loving nation, its rich culture and history is deeply rooted in wisdom, reason and interaction with other nations.
In political scene, Iran had its eleventh presidential election on 14 June 2013 that Dr. Hassan Rouhani had landslide victory. Dr. Rouhani as Iran’s newly elected president stressed that he will follow a “path of wisdom and hope, justice and enhancing mutual trust between Iran and other countries on the basis of mutual respect.” The real message of the president- elect to the international community is that we have common interests, joint goals to promote peace, security and tranquillity in the region and in the world.
I would also like to add very briefly about our relations with the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Relations between two countries and nations date back to 400 years ago and have continued until today, through which two nations and countries have developed deeper understanding and promoted their national interests.
In conclusion, I wish best of luck for mankind and I also hope that all effective players try to contribute to a durable peace, and security. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act toward one another in spirit of mercy and brotherhood.
Globalization & International relations
By Javier Vallaure, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain.
Globalization and its impact on international relations: challenges and opportunities for XXI century diplomacy.
The nation-states system which was inaugurated by the Peace of Westphalia (1648) belongs to the past. Globalization is eroding the central role of the state, highlighting the growing interdependence of international society. Nowadays, no state alone is capable of responding effectively to current transnational challenges, such as climate change, epidemics or security. Advances in information and communication technologies (ICT) are radically changing the speed of information and the way we relate. The importance of Western civilization in the international realm is decreasing because of a shift of political and economic power to Asia which coincides with the current crisis in the European and American economies. “When China awakes, the world will tremble”, predicted Napoleon. China’s rise occurs together with an Islamic religious revival in several of the countries that have undertaken revolutions. The revival of a more radical Islam (at odds with moderate tendencies within) and the economic crisis that is hitting those societies overshadows the hopes for transition to democracy. The increasing role of international organizations and the rise of multilateral diplomacy is another factor that is changing the physiognomy of diplomacy. Nowadays, a diplomat must have a solid background and be a generalist, but at the same time he has to specialize. The complexity of the diplomat’s task is clearly reflected when he has to defend the national interest while participating in formulating the opinion of an international organization. At European level, diplomats contribute to formulating Community policies while still defending the national interests of their states. Is traditional diplomacy doomed to gradually disappear? Or is this an opportunity to strengthen its importance? Has diplomacy changed completely or is it essentially the same? We should analyze the changes that are transforming the way diplomats operate today. The technological revolution has meant that any news travels fast anywhere around the world. This raises questions about one of the diplomatic functions, namely: observing the developments in the country in which the diplomat is stationed and reporting about these developments to his own country. It has been said that diplomats nowadays compete with the media to inform their governments. However, this affirmation needs an explanation. A diplomat must always try to be well informed, and therefore, he has to analyze the situation, taking into account certain distance from the various sources consulted and, quoting Talleyrand, “anticipate the unexpected”. On the other hand, diplomats normally have access to official information from the authorities of the country they are stationed, information hard to get for the media. So the access to these communication channels and the transmission of that knowledge are essential functions of a diplomat’s task that no doubt will survive. The instantaneity of communications and the development of commercial aviation have provided a more direct contact between leaders, who, according to some people, depend less on the messengers. Nevertheless, it’s fair to say that direct contacts between Presidents and Prime Ministers are usually preceded by hard work behind the scenes of diplomats, establishing fluid communication channels, advising and negotiating. In the framework of the European Union, the creation of the External European Action Service (EEAS) deserves special mention. As a matter of fact, the EEAS started its work in July 2010, as a result of the complex negotiations under the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union (and materialized in the Council Decision of 26 July 2010). The EEAS allows the EU to speak with one voice in the world and its aims to counteract the loss of weight of this region in the international scale. With more than 500 millions of citizens, solid democratic institutions and an economy, that could be branded as a free market economy, the EU is one of the most prosperous areas in the world, despite the current economic and financial crisis. Moreover, the EU is a peaceful region since the 50’s, when two historic rival countries, France and Germany, decided to bury their past and inaugurate a stage of long-lasting peace. Not in vain, the EU was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012, as recognition to the contribution during more than sixty years to the progress of peace, democracy and human rights. In spite of some clearly improvable aspects of the EEAS (like the expected rotation of diplomats from the Member States services, whereas it is not established for the civil servants of the European Commission and Council, or the transmission of instructions coming from two different organs, for instance, in the development cooperation field the instruction comes from the Commission and in other areas it comes from the EEAS central services), it will have an impact on the Member States diplomatic services. We cannot forget the fact that the geographic working groups are headed by the EEAS and the labour of diplomats becomes more complex having to defend their national interests and participating in formulating european policies. Certainly the EEAS has huge challenges ahead but the principles and values at stake deserve all the efforts. On the other hand and as Permanent Representative to the OPCW in The Hague, I have to mention the growing importance of the international organizations, where more and more States have to agree in responding to global challenges. In my experience as Permanent Representative, I have seen how the dynamism of the multilateral activity is influencing our profession and has contributed to important achievements such as the universality in the acceptance of the prohibition of the use of chemical weapons or the commitment with international peace and security. I would like to mention as well the important milestone that has represented the incorporation of women to diplomacy, although this fact has not modified the contents of the function of a diplomat. However, the fact that people nowadays are better informed has made the agendas of foreign policy more open to social demands and diplomats have to be more flexible and constantly in contact with their Parliaments. This characterizes more and more current diplomacy. The dichotomy between classic diplomacy and modern diplomacy does not exist as such. Hence, even if diplomacy changes adapting to the evolution of the society in which it lives, it still remains the same in essence. Indeed, the main features of a diplomat are the same as the classic ones, such as being a good observer, smart, patient, discreet, honest, skilful in negotiations, a good communicator, swift in his/her judgments but slow in making decisions (aside from also being able to adapting to others’ mood). Certainly, the diplomatic ceremonial and protocol still plays a capital role in our profession. Distinguished manners soften roughnesses and politeness wins everything. I always like to remember that “protocol is the plastic art of power”. One may acknowledge that the use of ICT, leadership, going out and taking the society’s pulse and of course a balance between a general background and a specialization are all of them essential features of the diplomat. As the French diplomat Jules Cambon said, “new diplomacy, old diplomacy are words that correspond to nothing real. But the substance will always be the same because human nature does not change, nations will continue to have but one way to solve their differences, and the word of an honest man will always be the best tool available to a Government to defend its points of view”.