Diplomatic World 67

67
INTERLINKING POLITICS, DIPLOMACY, BUSINESS & FINANCE
ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY, CULTURAL DIPLOMACY & HEALTH
HER
MAJESTY
QUEEN
MATHILDE
THE QUEEN
OF THE BELGIANS
EMMANUEL
MACRON
PRESIDENT
OF THE
FRENCH REPUBLIC
H.E.
PROF AMEENAH
GURIB-FAKIM
6 th PRESIDENT OF THE
REPUBLIC OF
MAURITIUS
H.E.
BUDDHI
K. ATHAUDA
H.S.H.
PRINCE
MICHAEL
OF
LIECHTENSTEIN
Spring 2022 www.diplomatic-world.com Quarterly edition
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INTERLINKING POLITICS, DIPLOMACY, BUSINESS & FINANCE
ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY, CULTURAL DIPLOMACY & HEALTH
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We live in convulsive times. The world order is increasingly
characterised by confusion, unbalance and unpredictability.
There are seemingly unbridgeable differences on many issues
between the world’s major powers. At the same time, there
seems to be less and less room, willingness and capabilities
for diplomatic solutions to resolve conflicts.
The historic moments we are living in Europe will define the
future not only of this continent but of the whole world and for
generations to come.
In the streets of cities across the world, people are demanding
peace. The 21st Century should be characterised by dialogue
and diplomacy, understanding and inclusion, not by war and
hate. Our already fragile planet must be a place for sharing, not
for dividing. We should show a greater interest in the genuine
needs and concerns of others and our actions to be emphatic,
caring and directed towards a tangible and respectful solution
acceptable to all.
All of us need to think long and hard what kind of world we wish
to hand over to successive generations and how future historians
will look back at the decisions we take today.
We are not naïve. We realise that the challenges we face today
are demanding and often insurmountable. But our message is
clear: every window of opportunity - no matter how small - for
diplomacy to prevail should be firmly grasped!
Barbara Dietrich, CEO
Diplomatic World
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HER MAJESTY QUEEN MATHILDE,
THE QUEEN OF THE BELGIANS
FRENCH PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL
OF THE EUROPEAN UNION MESSAGE FROM
PRESIDENT MACRON
H.E. FÉLIX ULLOA
VICE-PRESIDENT OF EL SALVADOR
H.E. HASSAN SOBIR
AMBASSADOR OF THE MALDIVES
IT IS ALL ABOUT BUSINESS PLANS
AND FINANCIAL MODELS
H.E. BUDDHI K. ATHAUDA
21 22 25 68
72
74
CHANTAL YELU MULOP SPECIAL ADVISOR TO
H.E. FELIX TSHISEKEDI PRESIDENT OF THE
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
H.E. SAMEH SHOUKRY MINISTER OF FOREIGN
AFFAIRS OF THE ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT
MAHMOUD MOHIELDIN, UNITED NATIONS
SECRETARY GENERAL SPECIAL ENVOY ON
FINANCING THE 2030 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA
CAIRO’S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF EGYPTIAN
CIVILIZATION HOSTED THE “WORLD ART
FORUM”
H.S.H. PRINCE MICHAEL OF LIECHTENSTEIN
BETTER INFORMATION HELPS TO MAKE
BETTER DECISIONS
AT A GLANCE THE INTERNATIONAL EVENT IN
THE PROVINCE OF NAMUR IN SPRING 2022
26 28 30 82
83
84
DUBAI EXPO 2020 SHOWS THAT WE CAN
LEARN A LOT FROM THE UNITED ARAB
EMIRATES FOR THE FUTURE
AFREXIMBANK WORKS WITH AFRICAN
INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS TO ACCELERATE
TRADE AND INVESTMENT INTEGRATION
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ADNAN AL NOORANI CHAIRMAN OF THE
BOARD OF THE PRIVATE OFFICE OF SHEIKH
SAQER BIN MOHAMED AL QASIMI
THE FUTURE INNOVATION SUMMIT
32 36 88
94
100
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DIRK FRIMOUT
6 TH EUROPEAN UNION AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT A JOINT VISION FOR 2030 H.E. FARUK KAYMAKCI DEPUTY MINISTER
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OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND DIRECTOR FOR
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BERNAR VENET RETROSPECTIVE 60 YEARS OF
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1961-2021
42 48 54 102
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114
H.E. ANNE-MARIE DESCÔTES AMBASSADOR
OF FRANCE TO GERMANY
H.E. AKMAL SAIDOV FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER
OF THE LEGISLATIVE CHAMBER OF THE OLIY
MAJLIS OF THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN
H.E. KHALID FAHAD AL-HAJRI
AMBASSADOR OF THE STATE OF QATAR
TO THE KINGDOM OF BELGIUM
H.E. TSHERING GYALTSHEN PENJOR
AMBASSADOR OF BHUTAN TO THE KINGDOM
OF BELGIUM AND THE EUROPEAN UNION
KOEN VANMECHELEN
UBUNTU
A TAXONOMY OF AUTHORSHIP AND THE HAND
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SYLVESTER STALLONE 75 TH BIRTHDAY
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THE ART OF LEO STOPFER A ROMANCE
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6 7

HER MAJESTY
QUEEN MATHILDE,
QUEEN OF THE BELGIANS
Her Majesty the Queen was born in Uccle on 20 January 1973. President of the Queen Mathilde Fund, the Queen endeavours
She is the daughter of Count and Countess Patrick d’Udekem to assist the weakest members of our society.
d’Acoz.
The Queen is also concerned with a range of social issues
She attended primary school in Bastogne and secondary school including education, child poverty, intergenerational poverty,
in Brussels, before studying speech therapy and psychology.
the position of women in society and literacy.
The Queen worked as a speech therapist from 1995 to 1999.
The Queen is Honorary President of Child Focus Foundation for
She married Prince Philippe on 4 December 1999 and they had Missing and Sexually Exploited Children. Children’s well-being is
four children: a daughter Elisabeth (2001), now Duchess of
for Her a fundamental principle and she dedicates herself in the
Brabant, two sons Gabriël (2003) and Emmanuel (2005), and
fight against abduction and all forms of sexual abuse.
another daughter Eléonore (2008). As the mother of four young
children, the Queen attaches great importance to her family.
The Queen is Honorary President of UNICEF Belgium and of
the Breast International Group (a non-profit organisation for
The Queen assists the King in carrying out his functions as Head academic breast cancer research groups from around the world).
of State. These include numerous visits to institutions, contacts She was the World Health Organisation Europe’s Special
with the population, ceremonies in Belgium and abroad, state
Representative for Immunisation. As from 2014 the Queen has
visits, promoting Belgium’s image abroad, audiences with representatives
of various groups in society and countless trips all Music Competition founded in 1937 as an initiative of
given Her High Patronage to the International Queen Elisabeth
over the country.
Her Majesty Queen Elisabeth and Belgian composer and violist
Eugène Ysaÿe.
Apart from her activities in the company of the King, the Queen
also devotes time to issues that are close to her heart. She regularly
visits social institutions and medical centres. These contacts to join the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Advocacy
In 2016, the Queen was invited by the UN Secretary General
help her to stay in touch with the people and their needs and
Group. This group of eminent personalities supports the United
requirements and with the many initiatives undertaken in Belgium Nations Organization in mobilizing the international community
to help others. The Queen attaches a great deal of importance to to take action to achieve the SDGs by 2030. The Queen received
close contact with the population.
the Honorary National German Sustainability Award 2017 for
her years of social and humanitarian commitment as well as her
The Queen deploys the Queen’s Charities to offer help to citizens contribution to the debate on the implementation of the
who are struggling to cope with financial hardship in their daily UN Sustainable Development Goals.
lives and often turn to her as a last resort. She takes part in the
social debate on subjects of relevance to the population. She
In 2018 Queen Mathilde became the Honorary President of the
has a particular concern for vulnerable people. As Honorary
Federal Council for Sustainable Development. According to a
Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of The Belgians
Photo: Palais Royal - Bas Bogaerts
8 9

oyal tradition, the Queen became an Honorary Member of the
Académie royale de Médécine de Belgique (ARMB) and a
Protective Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Medicine
of Belgium (KAGB).
The Queen is a greater believer in lifelong learning and as one of
the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders has attended
a number of leadership courses at the Harvard Kennedy School
and Yale University.
HER MAJESTY QUEEN OF THE BELGIANS
QUEEN OF HEARTS
The Queen is a member of the Schwab Foundation Board for
Besides Dutch and French, the Queen speaks English, Italian and
Social Entrepreneurship. She was a United Nations Emissary
some Spanish.
for the International Year of Microcredit 2005, which focused in
As Queen of the Belgians, Mathilde carries out several official
Whether she visits schools, talks with governments, or par-
particular on financial inclusion and financial literacy. The Queen
The Queen has a broad interest in art and dance. She likes mod-
roles, including representing Belgium on state visits, receiving
ticipates in international conferences, the Queen seizes every
also attends the annual World Economic Forum in Davos.
ern as well as classical music and plays the piano. She also loves
state visits from abroad, and as the patron of many charities.
opportunity to make a passionate plea in favour of the child. This
literature. She is a keen cyclist, tennis player and swimmer, and
commitment is not limited by national borders. The Queen has
Belgian development cooperation is an important issue for the
enjoys nature and outdoor activities.
One of the guiding principles in all this is her strong commitment
already visited several UNICEF projects worldwide and regularly
Queen. She has undertaken a number of humanitarian missions
to the promotion and protection of children’s rights.
participates in international events and conferences on the
(mainly in Africa), highlighting areas such as children’s rights,
rights of the child, also from her role as ‘UN Advocate for the
health issues, poverty reduction, education, good governance,
Since 2009, her Majesty the Queen is Honorary President of
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’ that the UN wants
the empowerment of women, HIV/AIDS and orphans (UNICEF/
UNICEF Belgium. This role goes way beyond the traditional role
to achieve by 2030.
UNAIDS), and non-communicable diseases.
of an Ambassador and is of the highest importance because of
the authentic involvement of Her Majesty the Queen.
Kenya 2019 ©UNICEF Belgium/Frank Dejongh
Kenya 2019 ©UNICEF Belgium/Frank Dejongh
10 11

EU Launch 2022 © EU/Aurore Martignoni
EU Launch 2022 © EU/Aurore Martignoni
and a happy childhood”, the Queen stated at the presentation of
tocol to a strict minimum. She wants to maximize the available
As SDG advocate, The Queen is particularly involved and
Kyriakides and young people from Belgium, Spain and Ireland,
the EU brief in Brussels.
time to talk and listen to children and community leaders.
focused on the issue of mental health.
Queen Mathilde launched this report during an event in the
Potentially “difficult topics” are not avoided, on the contrary,
EU Berlaymont building that reached more than 200,000 people
Her majesty joined UNICEF’s plea to invest in quality childcare,
Her Majesty will use her diplomatic skills to put them on the
The COVID-19 pandemic increased the vulnerability of children
via a livestream.
parenting, and family-friendly measures across all sectors.
agenda. The Queen wants to be a voice for children. And chil-
in many ways. A growing number of children and young people
She highlighted the importance of facilitating vulnerable groups’
dren have no taboos.
around the world are struggling with mental health problems.
The report stated that 19 percent of European boys aged 15 to
access to mental healthcare services, the use of the opportu-
19 suffer from mental health disorders, followed by more than
nities offered by digital and online technologies to reduce gaps
This attitude is not solely based on theoretical insights, on the
This topic was discussed extensively in the past year, both dur-
16 percent of girls the same age. Nine million adolescents in
in access to mental health support, the need for programs at
contrary. During many of the Queen’s interactions with children
ing virtual interactions between the Queen and UNICEF field staff
Europe (aged 10 to 19) are living with mental health disorders,
school to build awareness and emotional coping skills for ado-
and young people one notices that Her Majesty is a mother. She
and during the Queen’s interventions at international conferences.
with anxiety and depression accounting for more than half of all
lescents; integrate mental health counselling services; training
communicates and interacts at the level of the children, listens
cases. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in Europe
for teachers and staff and creating safe spaces for children to
to them, and wants to megaphone their voices to the outside
The Queen also personally met the young people and children
among young people. Only road injuries take more lives of
discuss and share.
world, to the political decision makers and society at large. And
involved.
people aged between 15 and 19 years old.
because of this authentic attitude, people listen, and doors open.
The Queen wants to help young people adapt and thrive in a
UNICEF could not dream of a better advocate.
In October 2021, the Queen participated in the presentation of
The Queen of the Belgians took a firm stand on the need to
rapidly changing and ever-demanding world. Through her training
the European analysis of UNICEF’s flagship publication “The
protect our children and young people against the impact of the
and work experience as a psychologist, the Queen knows very
Philippe Henon
State of the World’s Children Report”.
mental health crisis: “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted
well how important it is to listen to children and young people
External Relations Manager UNICEF Belgium
some factors that put our mental health at risk: isolation, family
and to act accordingly.
Twitter: @philippehenon
This analysis contains disturbing data on the mental stress
tensions, loss of income, … Too often children and young people
affecting young people, together with clear recommendations
carry the brunt of this. We must invest time, effort, and com-
Over the past 13 years Her Majesty joined UNICEF Belgium in
for governments across Europe and for the institutions of
mitment into strengthening and improving our health and social
numerous advocacy activities and 10 field visits. During these
the European Union. Together with EU Commissioner Stella
systems to provide every child access to a mental well-being
visits the Queen insists on limiting the official meetings and pro-
12 13

FRENCH PRESIDENCY OF THE
COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT MACRON
This is a time for Europe. Faced with health and economic
challenges, the rise of aggressive powers and climate change,
the best response is a European one.
Our Union never succeeds as well as when it defends its values
and interests: the COVID-19 crisis and its consequences have
proved this once again. In this crisis, Europe has been able to
cope, faithful to its model. No other political area has vaccinated
as much of its population, while donating the largest number
of vaccines in the world, and no other area has protected its
citizens from unemployment and bankruptcy like the EU has.
Rights have been respected, laws passed by elected parliaments,
and judges have supervised these decisions. Solidarity
and democracy form the basis of the European model.
On 1 January and for six months, France will hold the Presidency
of the Council of the European Union. The responsibility to finalize
projects and laws for Europe is first and foremost something
we are proud to do. We are proud to say, “we act as Europeans”.
French President Emmanuel Macron
© Ghislain Mariette / Présidence de la République
Through its words and actions, France has been preparing for
this Presidency since 2017. Europeans no longer complain that
Europe does too much, but rather that it does too little. Which
is why the EU has been pursuing a sovereignty agenda for the
last four years: in economic matters with shared debt; ecological
matters with carbon neutrality for 2050; defence with the first
common military budget; and social matters with the revision of
the posted workers directive, Europe is already taking charge of
its fate.
This agenda for a sovereign Europe will be accelerated with
the French Presidency. Europe must rise to the major economic,
educational, migration and military challenges. The French
presidency must be a moment of truth for the regulation and
accountability of digital platforms, the carbon pricing at European
borders on imported products, minimum wages, and our
relationship with Africa.
The Presidency of the Council of the European Union will also
be a time for France. In the coming months, we must discuss
together Europe’s strengths and weaknesses, what it is lacking,
and agree on what it should do. Hundreds of events, conferences,
artistic workshops, debates, films and collective activities will
be organized all over the country so that each of us can bring a
piece of Europe home.
Lastly, the French Presidency will be a time to look forward. We
must deal with pressing matters, but also look to the future by
launching new European projects, in the wake of the Conference
on the Future of Europe; projects for young people, and on the
protection of our democracies and our values, to strengthen the
sense of a shared European culture and history.
It is this message of pride and ambition that I wish to convey
to all Europeans on behalf of the French people.
French President Emmanuel Macron
Photo: Shutterstock
14 15

H.E. FÉLIX ULLOA
VICE-PRESIDENT OF EL SALVADOR
RECENTLY, EL SALVADOR HAS ATTRACTED MUCH
INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION BY TAKING A VERY
INNOVATIVE STEP – THAT IS MAKING BITCOIN
A LEGAL CURRENCY. CAN YOU TELL US MORE
ABOUT THE REASONS BEHIND THIS DECISION
AND ABOUT ITS IMPACT SO FAR? IN WHAT WAY
WILL IT CONTRIBUTE TO THE COUNTRY’S
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT?
As a matter of fact, it was during an international conference in
Florida (the Bitcoin conference in Wynwood, held in June 2021)
that President Bukele announced his willingness to adopt the
Bitcoin as a legal currency in El Salvador.
After this, President started working with experts in a way that
made the country ready to adopt Bitcoin, which is one among
many cryptocurrencies. In doing so, President Bukele prepared
the legal framework in order to adopt legally the Bitcoin, which
was enacted on September 7, 2021 by Congress.
But before that, he had announced how the situation would be
managed. There were some pilot experiments in touristic spots
where tourists could use Bitcoin as a legal tender. An international
surf championship was held in May that allows to bring surfers
(male and female) from 52 countries around the world. Most of
them were using bitcoin in that specific area. The ATM machines
were Bitcoin-ready.
And this experience was the pilot programme to extend it all
over the country afterwards. Now we have these Bitcoin-ATM
machines across the country and in our consulates in the United
States. Our President wanted to encourage our diaspora to use
them, because they represent a faster and more secure system
to send remittances to their families in El Salvador; in addition to
the fact that they get rid of expensive commissions.
Of course some companies like Western Union were upset;
Western Union makes USD 400 million per year in the fees they
charge to the people who use their services to send money.
There were doubts of course. Some voices were worried the
adoption of Bitcoin could be used for money laundering, and
there were similar “urban legends”. We have been working hard
to diminish the fears of the population.
When the law was enacted and all the ATM machines were in
place, President Bukele attracted users by giving everyone who
signed up for the government’s app a USD 30 bonus in Bitcoin.
Furthermore, 4,000 young people were trained to travel across
the country and help elderly people or those living in rural areas.
Today, there are more than 3 million Salvadoreans with Bitcoin
accounts (more than double than the number of users with traditional
bank accounts).
Now you can go to the supermarket, the drug-store, to the gas
station, and pay with bitcoin. We have inaugurated a new airline
H.E. Félix Ulloa Vice-President of El Salvador
(Volaris) which also accepts bitcoin payments. We can see that
Bitcoin is becoming part of a normal life and widely accepted by
everybody.
We are seen as a model worldwide. People from all over the
world have expressed an interest in coming to El Salvador to
study our experience.
For those who were so sceptical, today we realise that Bitcoin is
skyrocketing. We first bought 400 bitcoins – worth an estimated
USD 21 million at the time of purchase – then another 300.
In the end, our final goal is none other than to improve economic
processes, facilitate the way to do conduct business and raise
the living standards of the population.
EL SALVADOR IS PAYING GREAT ATTENTION TO
THE 2030 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AGEN-
DA, HAVING RECENTLY CREATED THE NATIONAL
COUNCIL FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
(CONSEJO NACIONAL DE DESARROLLO SOSTENI-
BLE). HOW IS EL SALVADOR INCORPORATING AND
MAINSTREAMING THE 2030 SUSTAINABLE DEVEL-
OPMENT GOALS INTO ITS NATIONAL STRATEGIES
AND POLICIES? IS EL SALVADOR ON TRACK OF
MEETING THESE GOALS?
I am the Chairman of the Board of the National Council for
Sustainable Development, which is in charge of tracking the
17 SDGs.
H.E. Félix Ulloa Vice-President of El Salvador
For instance, let us consider SDG 2: Zero Hunger. We are reviewing
our agricultural policy. Because in the past, the previous
government abandoned all activities in rural areas.
Now we are going back to develop the coffee plantations, for
example. In May, we approved with the new national assembly
a trust fund for USD 1.2 billion – 50 percent of that fund will
be used to recover 50,000 acres of coffee which will allow
El Salvador to be a big exporter. In the past, we were one of
the top five exporters worldwide – this was before the Civil War.
16 17

Photo: Shutterstock
Recovering coffee plantations will also contribute to the 2030
SDG agenda – we recover the environment, employment, provide
work for women. It is an industry that covers different SDGs.
We have a national bank – BANDESAL (Development Bank of
El Salvador) – to promote and empower the entrepreneurs the
micro, small and the medium businesses. In doing so this bank
will manage the above-mentioned trust fund for recovering
agriculture. They have also implemented different programmes
during the pandemic. For instance, they provided USD 300 to
each family, 1.5 million families benefited from this. Now they
have some special lines to empower small entrepreneurs. This
bank has received from the United Nations an acknowledgment
for their alignment with the 17 SDGs.
Again, let me emphasise that the Vice-President is not the implementing
agency. It is the different ministries and entities and
agencies that do so. We coordinate, track, advice them and keep
them moving forward.
TOURISM IS A VITAL BUSINESS SECTOR FOR EL
SALVADOR, AND ONE OF THE WORST AFFECT-
ED BY THE PANDEMIC-INDUCED CRISIS. HOW
IS EL SALVADOR BRANDING AND POSITIONING
ITSELF TO ATTRACT FOREIGN TRAVELLERS ONCE
AGAIN? HAVE YOU TAKEN ANY SPECIFIC MEAS-
URES TO PROTECT YOUR NATURAL HERITAGE,
WHICH IS KEY TO ATTRACTING TOURISTS?
We have bet on tourism, on eco-tourism. This is one of our goals
and priorities to prove our development process, to attract investors
and tourists. We have set up a project which is called Surf
city, thanks to our strategic and privileged position as a surfing
hotspot. During a recent championship, one of the jury members
mentioned that El Salvador is the only country in the world where
the jury can track the surfers all the time – in other countries due
to the position of the sun it cannot be surfed between certain
times of the day. That is a natural advantage that we need to
profit from.
Then, of course, through bitcoin, we will try to create this new
financial market for the future. Traditionally, we have had a focus
on maquilas – the textile industry. We are the 7th or 8th exporter
of textiles to the US market. Now, we need to move to the Fourth
Industrial Revolution in order to import software, new technologies,
to duplicate the production, and compete with Viet Nam
and other countries which are big exporters of textiles to the
United States.
Our country has had a bad image in the past. When we talked
about El Salvador people thought about the violence, the gangs,
etc. This discouraged tourism in the past. Our country was
known as the most violent in the world.
But, under the Bukele Presidency, we have overturned this
image, we have succeeded in combatting the violence. When
we entered government, we had approximately 20-22 deaths
per day. After two years of our mandate, in the month of August
2021, we reached zero homicides. We have recovered the peace
and the tranquillity in our communities. This means harmony and
security for the investors and for the tourists.
18 19
Photo: Shutterstock

ENJOY THE UNIQUE EATING EXPERIENCE
OF THE BISTRONOMY
INTERVENTION BY H.E. SAMEH SHOUKRY
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
OF THE ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT
CONCERNING THE REPORT
ON THE ACTIVITIES OF
THE PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL
AND THE STATE
OF PEACE AND SECURITY IN AFRICA IN 2021
Your Excellency President Macky Sall, President of the sisterly
Republic of Senegal, Chairperson of the African Union,
Honorable African Union Heads of State and Government,
Mr. Moussa Faki, Chairperson of the African Union Commission,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the outset, I would like to convey the greetings of His Excellency
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his congratulations to
His Excellency President Macky Sall on the assumption of the
African Union Chairmanship by the sisterly Republic of Senegal.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to refer to various peace and security issues, as
follows:
First: It gives Egypt a great pleasure to launch the African Union
Centre for Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (AUC-
PCRD) in Cairo in December 2021, to be the operational arm for
reconstruction and development, and to carry out its tasks in
assessing the needs of countries emerging from conflict, as well
as developing and implementing comprehensive peace-building
programs in these regions that ensures that the roots of conflicts
are addressed in the framework of national ownership.
Second: Although the context of each conflict or hotbed in the
continent varies, there are many commonalities in the ways and
mechanisms of dealing with these challenges, with the aim of
immunizing the continent against tensions in the framework of a
clear vision, mainly, consolidating the institutional structures of
national governments, thus empowering them of extending their
sovereignty over their territories and protecting their citizens,
and developing a clear African strategy to eradicate the threat
of extremism and terrorism and dry up its sources of financing,
in addition to formulating a unified African position against
foreign interventions, under attempts by certain external forces
to destabilize their security and stability. In this context, Egypt
expresses its deep concern regarding the increase in the pace of
domestic turmoil in the countries of the continent, and stresses
the importance of investigating its real causes, not only adopting
a policy of reaction, but rather taking the initiative and working
hand in hand with countries facing political, economic and security
problems.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In conclusion, I would like to affirm that Egypt, as always, will
spare no effort to work with its African brethren, thus to contribute
to overcoming the challenges facing our African continent,
and returning steadily towards achieving the aims and aspirations
of our peoples for a better future.
Indringingsweg 1, 1800 Vilvoorde-Koningslo, Belgium - +32 2 263 01 31 - info@thebistronomy.com
H.E. Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Thank you, Mr. President.
Addis Ababa - February 5th, 2022
21

“LEAVING NO ONE BEHIND”
EGYPT VISION 2030
FINANCING SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
LAUNCHED AT THE ARAB SUSTAINABILITY
DEVELOPMENT WEEK
IN CAIRO
Mahmoud Mohieldin
United Nations Secretary General
Special Envoy on Financing the 2030 Development Agenda
Executive Director, International Monetary Fund
Adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a blueprint for
achieving peace and prosperity for both people and the planet.
The fourth Arab Sustainable Development Week (ASDW)
witnessed the launch of the first Financing Sustainable Development
report, which attempts to identify sustainable mechanisms
for future development financing. While this first report focused
on Egypt, future reports will address the situation in other Arab
states. The report will help decision-makers understand the situation
of the development at the national level and introduce approaches
and recommendations that are suitable for the region,
noted Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul-Gheit.
At the heart of the 2030 Agenda, the 17 Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) reflect a recognition of the need to integrate
and balance economic, social, and environmental dimensions of
sustainability with an emphasis on the universal goal of “Leaving
No One Behind”. Since its adoption, the 2030 Agenda has been
incorporated in the national priorities of many countries, including
Egypt. In 2016, Egypt asserted the commitment to sustainable
development with the launch of its first Sustainable Development
Strategy (SDS): Egypt Vision 2030. The SDS is aligned with
the priorities specified in the SDGs as well as the 2063 African
Agenda. Moreover, the principles and objectives of the SDGs
guide emphasised in the SDGs, putting the report together
provided a platform for knowledge sharing.
Through excellent coordination efforts from the Ministry of
Planning and Economic Development of Egypt, the report was
developed in close cooperation with various Government stakeholders
and the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), closely coordinated
with the Ministry of International Cooperation, the Ministry
of Finance, the Ministry of Communication and Information
Technology, the Ministry of Social Solidarity, the Ministry of Trade
and Industry, and the General Authority for Investment and Free
Zones and furthermore the Organization for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD), and the United Nations System.
Mahmoud Mohieldin to coordinate non-state efforts from businesses, investors,
cities and civil society at COP27 in Egypt later this year
Opening of the Arab Sustainable Development Week 2022 by Ahmed Aboul-
Gheit, Secretary General of League of Arabic States and Minister of Planning
and Economic Development Hala El-Said the Arab League headquarter in Cairo
DEPENDABLE DATA, EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION
OF DEVELOPMENT POLICIES AND PROGRAMS,
AND ADEQUATE FINANCE
The report traces Egypt’s aspirations and endeavours towards
achieving the SDGs, demonstrates the significant progress made
by Egypt on a number of SDGs, but also that the country still
faces some challenges before being on track to achieving the
other goals and stresses that accelerating progress depends on
three critical factors: dependable data, effective implementation
of development policies and programs, and adequate finance.
Designing effective and coordinated policy actions, monitoring
progress, preventing and managing crises require the availability
of timely, disaggregated, and good quality data to enhance evidence-based
policy making. Investing in data and strengthening
data systems is required.
Achieving the SDGs and the national development ambitions is
based on the availability of adequate financing and the alignment
of both public and private financial resources. By all measures,
the level of financing needs to achieve the ambitious 2030
Agenda was already high even before the COVID-19 pandemic,
which only added to these needs. Developing economies faced
an SDG financing gap of USD 2.5 trillion per annum. This gap
widened after the pandemic to spike to USD 4.2 trillion.
LOW-INCOME DEVELOPING COUNTRIES LOSE
AROUND 53 PER CENT OF THE RETURN ON ITS
INVESTMENT TO INEFFICIENT PUBLIC INVEST-
MENT MANAGEMENT
According to the global study by Gasper and others, prior to
COVID-19, low-income developing countries faced an average
additional spending of 15 percentage points of their GDP in 2030
to make substantial progress toward the SDGs in the areas of
Opening of the Arab Sustainable Development Week 2022 by Ahmed Aboul-
Gheit, Secretary General of League of Arabic States and Minister of Planning
and Economic Development Hala El-Said the Arab League headquarter in Cairo
education, health, roads, electricity, water and sanitation. For
emerging economies, the average additional total spending
required represented 4.2 percentage points of their 2030 GDP.
Focusing on the sectors of electricity, transport, water and sanitation,
flood protection, and irrigation, Rozenberg and Fay estimate
that annual investments of 4.5 per cent of GDP from 2015
to 2030 would allow low-and middle-income countries (LMICS)
to reach infrastructure-related SDGs and stay on track to limit
climate change to 2 degrees Celsius. LMICS would also need to
spend around 2.7 per cent of their GDP annually in maintenance
costs for their existing and new infrastructure, increasing the
overall investments to be around 7.2 per cent of GDP.
When being planned and implemented, investments and national
projects need strong monitoring and evaluation systems in
place to guarantee better public investment management and
infrastructure governance. This is crucial considering the global
estimates that show that an average low-income developing
country loses around 53 per cent of the return on its investment
to inefficient public investment management, in contrast to an
efficiency losses of 34 per cent and 15 per cent in emerging market
economies and advanced economies, respectively.
These global SDG cost estimates need to be complemented by
granular examinations at the national levels as global and regional
aggregations tend to mask asymmetric access to finance and
to downplay the role of policy and institutions in implementing
national goals. Moreover, costing national development priorities
allows countries to assess their future expenditure requirements,
to plan their budgets and to pin down the additional resources
that need to be mobilised. Such careful identification of the cost
and of available financial flows is crucial in the Egyptian case as
the country is embarking on ambitious initiatives and mega-projects
that could benefit from the multiplier effects and positive
externalities inherent in the SDGs.
22 23

Investments in the SDGs that maximise synergies, minimise
trade-offs, and address the priorities of the local communities
involved can lead to a reduction of the requires expenditures of
achieving the SDGs in Egypt by 22 percent, compared to the
initial allocation that is calculated based on the sum of individual
SDGs costs. The Hayah Karima project, which covers approximately
60 per cent of total population and focuses on rural
Egypt, is estimated to cost USD 45 billion during its three year
implementation period. This is roughly 4.2 per cent of Egypt’s
GDP. Comparing that figure to the 4.2 per cent of emerging economies
average as proposed by Gasper and others, this shows
that the estimate is a conservative one.
A country’s Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs)
establishes a basis for financing national sustainable development
priorities. It is noteworthy that Egypt is taking solid steps
towards developing its INFF through its joint program with the
Joint SDG Fund.
Based on the INFF, and in line with the global Financing for
Development (FFD) framework, the report goes on to analyse the
different financial flows in the Egyptian financing landscape. The
first and the increasingly important source of finance is domestic
public finance. Fiscal policies should work to ensure that no one
is left behind during the transitional phase of reforms by properly
planned and fiscally sustainable social protection systems that
improve access to essential services and contribute to breaking
the cycle of poverty and how trade can be a possible engine for
inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction.
Throughout the chapters of the “Financing Sustainable Development
in Egypt” report, the key message that is clearly emphasised
is that finance goes beyond mere funding. Finance for
Sustainable Development is a critical measure as it provides a
comprehensive framework to enhance the efficiency of funding
and directing the flows of funds.
It helps maximise coordination and complementarity among the
different sources of funding, and incentivises warranted changes
in investment, production, saving, and consumption. For finance
to contribute to sustainable development, it needs to be evidence-
based, supported by effective institutions and well-coordinated
public policies with frequent monitoring and evaluation
so as to achieve the common good aspired to in the SDGs.
The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization will hosted for the
first time, the World Art Forum (WAF), the largest international
contemporary art event that adopts the sustainable development
goals (SDGs) at the core of their mission under the auspices of five
ministries: The Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Planning and
Economic Development, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities,
the Ministry of State for Immigration and Expatriates’ Affairs, the
Ministry of Environment, and the State’s Department of Tourism
in Cairo.
CAIRO’S NATIONAL MUSEUM
OF EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION HOSTED THE
“WORLD ART FORUM”
The World Art Forum (WAF) – organized by Sheranda World Art –
reflects the link between contemporary art and Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) which in line with Egypt’s 2030
Vision. The Forum aims to consolidate the relationship of art in
general and contemporary art in particular with the development
of a culture that promotes a more sustainable future playing a
role in enriching human beliefs and the dimensions of human
identity and its role in constructing it.
The Contemporary Artist, Ms. Randa Fouad, president of Sheranda
World Art and president of the World Art Forum, stated: “The
World Art Forum endorses the link between contemporary arts
and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals which is
compatible with Egypt’s 2030 Vision. We are pleased to see five
ministries supporting such an important event, along with our
partners the United Nations Representative Office in Egypt and
the New York International Contemporary Art Society.”
Ms. Randa added: “This event is the first of its kind and will be
held in Egypt, the land of civilization and culture. After the event,
several artistic and development initiatives will be expected to
launch, to emphasize the concept of continuity and sustainable
development”.
Ms. Shereen Badr, Co-founder and CEO of Sheranda World Art
and the CEO of the World Art Forum, said: “Through this forum,
we strive to bring together artists from all over the world to
spread a message that elevates the importance and value of art
by playing a key role in spreading and raising awareness of social
issues, exchanging ideas and experiences about a sustainable
future of which we are all a part of. The forum features exhibitions,
cultural institutions and artists from 30 countries.
Photo: Shutterstock
Together we draw the future! Debut of the World Art Forum in Egypt: Artists and galleries, showcased artworks from over thirty counties, spreading art
and culture that raises awareness about global issues and humanitarian values.
24 25

AFREXIMBANK WORKS
WITH AFRICAN INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS
TO ACCELERATE TRADE
AND INVESTMENT INTEGRATION
UNDER AFCFTA
A record USD 42.1 billion in trade and trade-related investment
deals was generated at last year’s Intra-African Trade Fair in
Durban, South Africa. Organised by African Export-Import Bank
(Afreximbank), the African Union (AU) and the African Continental
Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, IATF2021 welcomed over
1,500 exhibitors from 46 African countries and 23 non-African
countries who showcased their goods and services to benefit
Africa.
The record investment value in deals is reflective of the record
participation, a strongly assembled platform, diversity and depth
of goods and services and a rich programme.
Attended by businesses, governments, diplomats and VIPs, the
event generated this record amount through a common purpose
that intra-Africa trade is taking root under the Africa Free Continental
Trade Agreement (“AfCFTA”). Momentum has continued
post IATF 2021 and the Afreximbank has signed more agreements
in its wake, underpinning its strategic focus on bringing
the continent together.
IATF2021 surpassed its target of USD 40 billion in trade and
investment deals and went well beyond the USD 32 billion in
transactions closed in Cairo, Egypt in 2018. In addition, the fair
attracted more than 32,000 participants including 1,501 exhibitors.
Afreximbank was a key player at IATF 2021 and continued the
momentum into 2022. In February 2022, Banque Misr announced
that it had invested USD 201.1 million in Afreximbank, becoming
the largest non-sovereign shareholder in the Bank and increasing
its stake from 3.1% to 5.8%.
The investment, via a General Capital Increase, aims to significantly
contribute to the Bank’s capacity to drive ongoing
Covid-19 recovery efforts, support the implementation of the
AfCFTA, while continuing to strongly support Egypt’s trade with
the rest of Africa as well as promote and finance intra-African
trade and export development.
In the same month, Afreximbank and the Secretariat of the
AfCFTA signed an agreement to support African countries and
the private sector to effectively participate in the new trading
environment established under the AfCFTA.
The funds will be used to address short term disruptions while
enabling the private sector to retool, reskill, and develop capabilities
to produce value-added goods and services that can be
traded competitively within the continent and provide the catalyst
for the emergence of AfCFTA-led regional value chains.
A loan agreement of EUR 250 million was signed on 17 February
2022, between Afreximbank and the German Development
Bank KfW, acting on behalf of the German Federal Ministry
Kanayo Awani, Managing Director African Export-Import Bank
IATF ended with a collective commitment from seven Heads of States, Government and businesses across the continent, to strengthen the AfCFTA. “Not a single Country
in Africa will be able to compete globally alone, hence African Countries must just integrate the market, something that has been evaded Africa from 1963, when our
forefathers hatched African Unity,” said H.E Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the AfCFTA Secretariat
for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The loan
supports the Bank’s Covid-19 intervention programme, and
specifically its financing for the production, acquisition and
distribution of vaccines and medical supplies.
Following Afreximbank’s pivotal role in structuring and financing
the AVAT initiative that procured over 400 million doses of J&J
vaccines in order for Africans to receive their fair share of vital
protection in the face of global supply challenges exercebated
by vaccine nationalism, the Bank has continued work to support
member states as they collectively pursue the African Union’s
goal of vaccinating at least 70% of the continent’s population by
the end of 2022.
Many agreements have been signed during the Covid-19
pandemic and validate the Bank’s Covid-19 response strategy
and its extension to develop pharmaceutical capacity in Africa.
www.afreximbank.com
Photos: African Export-Import Bank
26 27

INVESTMENT IN SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY IS KEY
TO AN AFRICAN ECONOMIC BOOM
The African continent represents 20 percent of the Earth’s
surface and is home to 1.3 billion people – likely reaching 2.53
billion people by 2050. It boasts 60 percent of the world’s arable
lands, large swathes of forests, 30 percent of the world’s reserve
of minerals, and the youngest population of any continent. Yet,
despite these riches, it produces only 3 percent of global GDP,
accounts for less than 3 percent of international trade (mainly
primary commodities and natural resources), and shoulders 25
percent of the global disease burden. The picture is particularly
bleak when it comes to research and innovation: Africa contributes
just 2 percent of world research output, accounts for only
1.3 percent of research spending and produces 0.1 percent of all
patents. 1
How can a continent that has fueled the world’s industrial revolutions,
that helped drive the dominance of the mobile phone industry,
and whose large store if rare earth minerals are integral to
the global green energy transition tolerate such dismal statistics?
A lack of investment in science and technology has undermined
Africa’s economic transformation at both the structural level (the
shift of workers and resources from low-to higher-productivity
sectors) and the sectoral level (the growth of productivity within
sectors).
This lack of investment has had far-reaching consequences:
Without the economic and scientific infrastructure necessary for
innovation, the continent has continued to rely on the colonial
development model of resource extraction, which is both unsustainable
and largely responsible for its debilitating poverty and
aid dependency. These challenges have been compounded by
economic fragmentation, as smaller markets constrain the longterm
investments and patient capital that would foster innovation
and drive technology transfer in the context of globalization.
The silver lining is that there is potential here with growing recognition
by policymakers of the role that science and technology
can play in achieving national development goals and transforming
Africa’s economic growth story. Moreover, given the positive
correlation between growth and environments that beget competition
and innovation, competitiveness must be fostered. 2 3
Thus, African countries must create an enabling environment
through pro-innovation, pro-science, and pro-technology policies
dedicated to overcoming barriers related to regulation, corruption,
and investment, while enabling private-sector innovation,
adaptation, and adoption. At the same time, African governments
must also invest in creating an ecosystem that facilitates
investment in science and technology in a way that will not just
accelerate discovery but allow innovations to enter the marketplace
more Bridging the skills deficiency gap in science, technology,
and innovation is vital to unlocking Africa’s potential and
acceleration economic growth and prosperity.
The best-trained, most talented researchers gravitate to environments
where their work is leveraged by modern equipment,
reliable utilities, and sufficient funding for supplies – and, perhaps
most critically, where they can benefit from the presence of
other talented people. Thus, the tide of Africa’s brain drain must
be reversed by creating a world-class education and research
infrastructure that will keep the best minds on the continent and
attract new ones. Already, South Africa lead the way here, with
a robust research system compromised of excellent universities
and science facilities that allow it to be a full-fledged contributor
to the global scientific community and an integral participant in
international collaborations. 4
As human talent is developed across the continent, investment
in research, science, and innovation will increase dramatically
across various sectors, including manufacturing, which will be
a significant factor in helping Africa realize its development
potential and narrow its income and welfare gaps. In fact,
business-to-business spending in manufacturing in Africa is
projected to reach USD 1 trillion by 2050 5 – a trend that creates
a massive opportunity for the continent’s overall growth. 6
THE TIDE OF AFRICA’S BRAIN DRAIN
MUST BE REVERSED BY CREATING
A WORLD-CLASS EDUCATION
AND RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE
THAT WILL KEEP THE BEST MINDS
ON THE CONTINENT
AND ATTRACT NEW ONES.
H.E. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, Former President Republic of Mauritius
Creating an ecosystem where scientific culture can be central
to economic transformation and policymaking decisions is a
long-term investment that must not be at the mercy of either
1
Kariuki, T., and Kay, S. (2017). There are not enough
scientists in Africa. How can we turn this around? World
Economic Forum
political or business cycles. Success will require effective tripartite
(public-private-academia) collaborations and partnerships
that will need to be sustained over time. If Africa can do this in
2
OECD. (2019). Measuring external factors influencing innovation
in firms in Oslo Manual 2018: Guidelines for Collecting,
Reporting and Using
the era of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, the benefits of
science, technology, and innovation can be marshaled for greater
4
South African scholars continue to play a key role in detecting
and sharing information about emerging COVID-19 variants.
economic, social, and environmental sustainability, both on the
continent and beyond.
5
Signé, L. (2020). Unlocking Africa’s business potential: Trends
opportunities, risks, and strategies. Brookings Institution Press.
Brookings Institution
• H.E. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, Former President Republic of
Mauritius, Distinguished Advisor Global Network for Africa’s
Prosperity @aguribfakim
• Landry Signé, Senior Fellow, Africa Growth Initiative, Global
Economy and Development, Brookings Institution, Professor
and Managing Director, Thunderbird School of Global
Management @landrysigne
6
In particular, for countries such as South Africa, Egypt, and
Nigeria (all regional outperformers on the Global Manufacturing
Competitiveness Index) and rising players such as Ethiopia,
Morocco, Rwanda, and others that have recently adopted
promising policies for boosting manufacturing and industrial
development.
28 29

THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE
IS REVERBERATING
ACROSS THE WORLD
Dr. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim
Distinguished Professor in Women Leadership,
John Wesley School of Leadership, Carolina University, USA
Former President of the Republic of Mauritius
The world is tackling the challenges of maintaining biodiversity
and decelerating climate change, but the trade-offs that they require
inevitably pit one country’s interests against another’s. We
must bring all possible human and financial resources to bear on
fighting climate change, protecting our biodiversity and creating
a better Earth for peoples everywhere.
This challenge is not easy: reaching it depends on the contributions
of highly-skilled individuals from everywhere in the world,
political courage and foresight, and creative, ambitious innovation.
But it can be done because it must be done. Our ability
to create a sustained future for ourselves is not optional: it is
existential.
Droughts, heat stress, and flooding have led to a reduction in
crop yields and livestock productivity, and to the destruction
of homes, shelters, and villages. Observable effects on water
resources include flooding, drought, change in distribution of
rainfall, drying-up of rivers, melting of glaciers, and receding
bodies of water. A United Nations report predicts that access to
water may be the single biggest cause of conflict and war in the
next generation.
Conflicts over resources, in turn, exacerbate environmental
impacts contributing further to ongoing migration within and between
countries. Climate change and biodiversity loss and their
impact on agriculture and, therefore, food security add urgency
to our fight against poverty and disease.
Yet, technology now exists to make crops more viral-resistant
or drought-resistant through gene-splicing sprays. The CRISPR
technology, for instance, provides an alternative approach for
improving the genetic traits of plants that is easier and generally
cheaper than traditional breeding techniques. Rapid innovations
such as these have the potential to improve the lives of people
through advancement in areas such as smart agriculture, environmental
conservation, healthcare and disease prevention, big
data-driven bioinformatics, and industrial biotechnology.
Agricultural biotechnology can help meet the world’s food
supply needs as population increases. Scientific advances have
produced new genes that can fortify crops to withstand natural
calamities such as pests and diseases (including crops like Bt
cotton) and provide higher nutritional value (as with golden rice).
The broad elements of diverse diets, seed and crop diversity,
improvements in seed and crop delivery and cultivation, and the
maintenance of our agrobiodiversity must be optimized to ensure
a healthy and prosperous future for all our people. Evidence that
the wisdom of these investments is strong and growing, so we
must continue to invest in in order to improve Sustainable Food
Systems to meet many of our Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs).
At the same time as we modernize, we must support traditional
knowledge systems, such as those related to sustainable agriculture.
Among the features of this preservation are enlightened
agriculture and trade policies, intellectual property rights on the
conservation and sustainable use of biological resources, the
empowerment of women as guardians of these systems, and
the equitable sharing of benefits across sectors, genders, and
communities.
We have special obligation to build a rhetorical bridge between
our environment and scientific research. The vital threats of biodiversity
loss and climate change are themselves nested in the
drive to advance human health and wellbeing. And the effectiveness
of driving human health and well-being is correspondingly
leveraged by a continued investment in research and innovation.
Our very existence sits at the nexus of not just the interdependent,
trans-disciplinary nature of scientific research, but in a
broader context, at the intersection of nutrition, health, agriculture,
environment, governance, and the economy.
These investments require sustained operational funding and
capital support and the capacity to engage successfully with
funders, governments, policy makers, and communities.
Only significant and simultaneous investment in the many
elements of environmental preservation and scientific research –
public-private investment in basic and applied research, building
access to sustainable resources, creating the legal, regulatory,
and policy conditions to encourage research in and for sustainable
economies, enlightened policy development, and innovative
training will create the robust conditions that lead to the deceleration
of climate change and biodiversity loss, less disease, but
more prosperity.
Foreword: The Impact of Climate Change is Reverberating
Across the World
Photo: Shuttterstock
30 31

Learning from the current health crisis, we are committed to
supporting the full-fledged African health sovereignty, in order for
the continent to respond to future public health emergencies. To
this end, we support a common agenda for manufacturing vaccines,
medicines, diagnostics, therapeutics and health products
in Africa, including investment in production capacities, voluntary
technology transfers as well as strengthening of the regulatory
framework to enable equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics
and therapeutics.
6 TH EUROPEAN UNION
AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT
A JOINT VISION FOR 2030
The African Union and the European Union underlined the urgency
of the WTOs contribution to the fight against the pandemic
and to the recovery of the global economy, and commit to engage
constructively towards an agreement on a comprehensive
WTO response to the pandemic, which includes trade related, as
well as intellectual property related aspects.
In response to the macroeconomic effects of the Covid crisis
on African economies, we support the Common Framework for
We, the Heads of State and Government of the Member States
alia: the security and prosperity of our citizens, the protection of
Debt Treatments beyond the Debt Service Suspension Initiative.
of the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) met
human rights for all, gender equality and women’s empowerment
We also call for ambitious voluntary contributions, by channelling
on 17–18 February 2022 under the Co-Chairpersonship of
in all spheres of life, respect for democratic principles, good
part of the recently allocated Special Drawing Rights, in order
H.E. Charles Michel, President of the European Council and
governance and the rule of law, actions to preserve the climate,
to achieve the total global ambition of at least USD 100 billion
H.E. Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal and
environment and biodiversity, sustainable and inclusive econom-
liquidity support to countries most in need, of which a major part
Chairperson of the African Union.
ic growth, the fight against inequalities, support for children’s
should benefit Africa. We welcome the USD 55 billion that have
rights, and the inclusion of women, young people and the most
been pledged already from the new allocation of SDRs, of which
We recall the 5th AU-EU Summit held in Abidjan, C te d’Ivoire
disadvantaged. We recognise the importance of food security
several EU Member States (Team Europe) have so far pledged
on 29-30 November 2017 and the 2nd AU-EU Foreign Affairs
and nutrition and welcome the AU Theme of the Year 2022.
USD 13 billion and encourage more EU member states to con-
Ministerial Meeting held in Kigali, Rwanda, on 25-26 October
sider contributing to this global effort.
2021.
Aware of unprecedented and mounting common challenges and
A RENEWED PARTNERSHIP
African institutions, in consultation with national authorities, will
be involved in the use of these SDRs to support the continent’s
opportunities, the leaders of the EU and AU commit to a Joint
Our renewed Partnership addresses both the immediate oppor-
recovery. We will seek to ensure increased spending through in-
Vision for a renewed Partnership to build a common future, as
tunities and challenges, as well as the long-term possibilities
ternational programmes in the fields of health, climate, biodiver-
closest partners and neighbours.
offered by our partnership.
sity, education and security to facilitate economic recovery. We
agree to examine lending instruments for sustainable investment
TWO UNIONS, A JOINT VISION
The immediate challenge is to ensure a fair and equitable access
to vaccines. Together we will support local and regional mechanisms
for procurement, as well as allocation and deployment of
projects in priority sectors. While enhancing our capacity to face
these challenges, we agree that recovery investments should
continue building resilience and more sustainable economies to
AU-EU Innovation Agenda. We will encourage exchanges of
young citizens, volunteers and students, through the expanded
We agree that the aim of the Joint Vision is to consolidate a
medical products. The EU reaffirms its commitment to provide at
achieve our long-term priorities.
Erasmus+ programme and develop partnerships between univer-
renewed Partnership for solidarity, security, peace and sustain-
least 450 million of vaccine doses to Africa, in coordination with
sities, in order to improve our mutual understanding and foster
able and sustained economic development and prosperity for
the Africa Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) platform, by
We commit to combatting Illicit Financial Flows (IFF) and to
excellence. We will strive to facilitate cultural exchanges and the
our citizens and for our future generations, bringing together our
mid-2022. Contributing to this and complementing the actions of
addressing domestic tax base erosion, profit shifting (BEPS), and
movement of artists and artworks between our two continents,
people, regions and organisations.
the AVATT, Team Europe has provided more than USD 3 billion
cooperate in tax transparency. In this regard, we agree to contin-
and encourage mutual undertaking for the restitution of cultural
(i.e. the equivalent of 400 million vaccine doses) to the Covax
ue cooperating to develop and consolidate the strategic capa-
assets and promote access to and protection of cultural heritage.
This renewed Partnership will be founded on geography,
Facility and to vaccination on the African continent.
bility in the fight against different types of IFFs including money
acknowledgment of history, human ties, respect for sovereignty,
mutual respect and accountability, shared values, equality
between partners and reciprocal commitments.
Team Europe will mobilise EUR 425 million to ramp up the pace
of vaccination, and in coordination with the Africa CDC, to support
the efficient distribution of doses and the training of medical
laundering, the financing of terrorism, and proliferation financing
as well as those linked to fiscal governance systems and return
of stolen funds and items from countries of origin.
A PROSPEROUS AND SUSTAINABLE AFRICA
AND EUROPE
It aims to be the driving force in promoting our common prior-
teams and the capacity of analysis and sequencing. We will
Together, we will step up our support to scientific cooperation
We announce an Africa-Europe Investment Package of at least
ities, shared values, international law, and preserving together
also contribute in this context to the fight against health-related
between researchers to develop knowledge together, as well
EUR 150 billion that will support our common ambition for 2030
our interests and common public goods. This includes inter
disinformation.
as sharing technology and expertise, including through a joint
and AU Agenda 2063, composed of an Investment, a Health and
32 33

an Education Package. The Investment Package will help build
more diversified, inclusive, sustainable and resilient economies.
Our two continents aim to demonstrate and share with the rest
such as infrastructure trusts and capital market instruments, to
ensure support to African entrepreneurship in engaging in strong
and vibrant economies. International and national financing de-
AN ENHANCED AND RECIPROCAL PARTNERSHIP
FOR MIGRATION AND MOBILITY
full implementation of the Paris Agreement and the outcomes of
the COPs. We recognise that Africa’s energy transition is vital for
its industrialisation and to bridge the energy gap. We will support
of the world the success of an agenda of prosperity respectful
velopment institutions, including the European Investment Bank,
We will continue addressing all aspects of migration and mobility,
Africa in its transition to foster just and sustainable pathways to-
of our people and our planet. This Global Gateway Investment
and the African Development Bank, and public/private partner-
in line with national competences, in an integrated, compre-
wards climate neutrality. We recognise the importance of making
Package aims to boost public and private investment building on
ships will be mobilised to this effect. We will continue our work
hensive and balanced manner. We will work in a spirit of joint
use of available natural resources within that energy transition
existing initiatives and partnerships.
to leverage and facilitate transparent remittances, including the
responsibility and commitment, in full respect of international
process. We support Africa’s hosting of COP 27 in Egypt in
reduction of transaction costs, for the development of national
law and fundamental human rights. Through joint action and
2022, as well as an ambitious global biodiversity framework. We
The Package will boost large-scale sustainable investments,
and local economies.
capacity-building, including with dedicated African migration in-
commit to working together to develop a new ambitious WHO
supported by Team Europe Initiatives, with due consideration
stitutions, we will aim at preventing irregular migration, enhancing
international agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness
to the priorities and needs of the African countries, including: I)
We will also boost regional and continental economic integration,
cooperation against smuggling and trafficking in human beings,
and response.
investment in energy, transport and digital infrastructure aligned
particularly through the African Continental Free Trade Area. The
supporting strengthened border management and achieving
with the PIDA PAP II) energy transition that is fair, just and equi-
existing trade agreements between the EU and some African
effective improvements on return, readmission and reintegration,
table, taking into account specific and diverse orientations of the
countries have contributed to the strengthening and deepening
including promoting voluntary return and facilitating sustainable
We welcome the fruitful discussions in the Roundtable Sessions
African countries with regards to access to electricity; III) green
of trade and economic development between the two continents.
reintegration of returned persons, as well as enhancing migration
on Financing for sustainable and inclusive growth; Climate
transition including supporting the implementation of the Nation-
We will work gradually towards the progressive and mutually
dialogues between the two Continents and delivering on their key
change and energy transition, digital and transport (connectivity
ally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation
beneficial integration of our respective continental markets.
priorities.
and infrastructure); Peace, Security and Governance; Private
Plans (NAPs) of African Countries under the Paris Agreement to
sector support and economic integration; Education, culture and
enhance mitigation and adaptation; IV) digital transformation that
supports trusted connectivity through investments in infrastructures
and an affordable and enhanced access to the digital
and data economy while boosting digital entrepreneurship and
A RENEWED AND ENHANCED COOPERATION FOR
PEACE AND SECURITY
We will deepen our cooperation in finding durable solutions
for those asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable migrants in
need of international protection and commit to revitalise the
work of the joint AU-EU-UN Tripartite Task Force. We will further
vocational training, migration and mobility; Agriculture and sustainable
development; and Health systems and vaccine production
held during the Summit.
skills; V) sustainable growth and decent job creation, including
Facing growing common security challenges, we announce a
strengthen asylum systems with a view to providing adequate re-
We take note of the contributions by the Youth, Civil Society,
by investing in the establishment of youth-owned businesses in
renewed and enhanced peace and security cooperation. The
ception and protection for those entitled, as well as work on their
Local authorities and private sector during the Africa-Europe
Africa; VI) transport facilitation and efficiency of connected trans-
two continents have a long-standing cooperation premised on
integration. We will keep addressing the root causes of irregular
Week and the Europe-Africa Business Forum and we encour-
port networks; VII) human development, notably through scaling
the principle of African solutions to African problems, within the
migration and forced displacement, and enhance cooperation on
age all relevant stakeholders to continue to engage towards our
up mobility and employability of students, young graduates and
framework of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA)
tackling all issues related to migration.
renewed Partnership.
skilled workers. It will support industrialisation and the develop-
and reflected in the AU-EU Memorandum of Understanding on
ment of sustainable and resilient value and supply chains.
Peace, Security and Governance (2018), designed to combat in-
Respecting national needs, competencies and legal frameworks,
We commit to following up on our engagements to monitor the
stability, radicalisation, violent extremism and terrorism, tackling
pathways for legal migration opportunities will be further devel-
implementation of the commitments undertaken during AU-EU
The Package will be complemented with specific packages in
the root causes of conflicts, and addressing the entire conflict
oped between both continents and within Africa. We commit to
Summits. Follow-up will be done on a regular basis via existing
support of health and education systems. For the health sector,
cycle through the integrated approach.
addressing the challenges posed by the brain drain, and invest-
AU-EU structures, including the AU-EU Ministerial Follow-up
we will support initiatives for pandemic preparedness, health
ing in youth and women to support their empowerment, skills,
Committee.
security and equitable access to quality essential health services,
We express our commitment to foster our cooperation through
education and employment prospects, notably through increased
in line with the Rome Declaration adopted at the Global Health
support for adequate training, capacity building and equipment,
support for technical and vocational education and training.
www.consilium.europa.eu/en/infographics/africa-and-europe-a-
Summit. For education, we will invest in inclusive and equitable
to strengthen and scale up autonomous peace operations of Af-
joint-vision-for-2030/
quality education by improving policy and legal frameworks,
access and teacher training, to contribute to safe delivery of
education services and ensure learning gaps resulting from the
rican defence and security forces, including through EU missions
and assistance measures, as well as support for law-enforcement
capacity-building. Together, we will also continue to sup-
A COMMITMENT TO MULTILATERALISM
pandemic are addressed. To this end we will promote opportuni-
port African-led Peace Support Operations and the on-going dis-
We will work together to promote effective multilateralism within
ty oriented technical and professional Vocational Education and
cussions on the use of UN-assessed contributions for operations
the rules-based international order, with the UN at its core. We
Training, including at regional level.
authorised by the UN Security Council, and the implementation
pledge to work towards more converging positions in multilateral
of the AU human rights compliance framework in that context.
fora to reduce global inequalities, strengthen solidarity, promote
To implement the Package, we will leverage public funds to
international cooperation, fight and mitigate climate change and
stimulate private investments by mobilising innovative financing
We will intensify our cooperation on security, including on cyber-
improve delivery on ‘global public goods’, in line with the 2030
instruments. We commit to promote accountable, transparent,
security. We will join efforts to further promote the rule of law and
Agenda for Sustainable Development and AU Agenda 2063. We
inclusive and responsive governance, in conformity with the rele-
the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security, Children
commit to providing political support to achieve the necessary
vant international instruments, to boost efforts towards improving
and Armed Conflict and the Youth, Peace and Security Agendas,
reform of the WTO and to improve its functioning with a view to
investment and the business climate as well as towards un-
and underpin it with concrete actions to achieve durable peace.
strengthening the multilateral trading system.
locking and increasing responsible and sustainable African and
We will continue to respect and promote compliance with human
European investments. We will use all means of implementation,
rights and international humanitarian law.
Both sides commit to contribute to the UN system reform efforts,
including Official Development Assistance and financial tools
including of the UN Security Council. We also recommit to the
34 35

H.E. FARUK KAYMAKCI
DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
AND DIRECTOR FOR EU AFFAIRS
REPUBLIC OF TÜRKİYE
YOUR EXCELLENCY, YOU HAVE MENTIONED ON
A FEW OCCASIONS THAT TURKEY WANTS TO
PROCEED WITH A POSITIVE AGENDA WITH THE
EUROPEAN UNION – WHAT ARE THE KEY PILLARS
UPON WHICH THIS POSITIVE AGENDA SHOULD BE
BASED AND TAKEN FORWARD?
The positive agenda is also proposed by the EU side at the
European Councils. We do not need to look for new ideas. We
have already the structure: the 18 March Statement with all six
dimensions.
THE FIRST DIMENSION IS THE ACCESSION
NEGOTIATIONS
Unfortunately, our EU accession negotiations have been brought
to a standstill due to some political issues even though it is mainly
a technical process. Consequently, our accession negotiations
did not advance as fast as we wanted. But we are still a negotiating
candidate country. Turkey’s EU accession perspective should
be protected and strengthened.
The more Turkey believes that it will become a member of the
EU, the faster the reforms will happen in Turkey and the better
Turkey-EU relations will be. But if Turkey feels being discriminated
among candidate countries, or pushed away from the rest of
Europe, then we will have less and less trust towards each other,
and this is not helpful.
We are not saying that we will join the EU tomorrow. Turkey will
join the EU only when we fulfil the membership criteria. But also
when we have a better understanding between the Member
States and candidate countries. Until that time, we should not
have any pre-judgement and should continue the accession
process. Therefore, the accession process has to be revitalised.
THE SECOND DIMENSION – THIS IS A LOW
HANGING FRUIT – REFERS TO TURKEY-EU
HIGH-LEVEL DIALOGUE MEETINGS
We had already established high-level dialogue meetings
between the related Turkish Ministers and European Commissioners
on economy, energy, transport and foreign policy.
However, they have been suspended by the EU side. Later on,
the EU decided to have new high-level dialogue meetings on
climate change, migration and security as well as on health after
the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we would like to hold all
these high-level dialogue meetings, both the new and old ones,
but also to revitalize already established mechanisms between
Turkey and the EU such as the Association Council meetings and
Political Directors’ meetings. Turkey should also be invited to all
meetings that candidate countries are regularly invited, such as
Gymnich meetings and others.
THE THIRD DIMENSION OF POSITIVE AGENDA
WOULD BE THE UPDATE OF THE CUSTOMS
UNION
Turkey already implements the EU’s trade and competition policy
in line with Turkey-EU Customs Union (CU). Turkey, in terms of
trade, economy, and competition can be already considered a
Bosphorus Bridge
member of the EU. No other candidate country has a CU with the
EU. The CU, which has been in force since 1996, needs to
be updated. The updated version can include services, agriculture,
energy and maybe other areas. As Turkey and the EU economies
are highly interlinked and interdependent, the modernization
of the CU would create a win-win situation for both sides.
Half of the Turkish exports towards the EU are composed of
goods produced by EU companies in Turkey. Turkish companies
have also billions of dollars of investment in other European
countries. By the way, it is not easy to differentiate between the
Turkish and German companies, as there are so many joint ventures.
Also, the Green Deal requires us to update the CU since
the new trade mechanism has to be green and digital. So, we
cannot continue with the system of 1996.
FOURTH DIMENSION IS VISA LIBERALIZATION
The EU and Turkey have agreed that when Turkey fulfils 72
benchmarks on visa liberalization dialogue, Turkish citizens
should be able to travel freely– we are not talking here about the
free movement of labour – within the Schengen zone. We are
working on fulfilling the remaining few benchmarks.
Due to the current visa system, Turkish citizens cannot travel
freely in the Schengen zone. Entrepreneurs of the small and
medium-sized companies are faced with constant difficulties.
Thousands of Turkish students who are part of the Erasmus+
Programme and researchers who are part of the Horizon Europe
Programme cannot easily travel into the Schengen zone. They
have to wait for weeks to get visa to come to Belgium. We consider
the visa liberalization important to ensure people-to-people
dialogue, but also to prepare our common future, because this
is the Erasmus generation. This is the Horizon generation. I think
exchanges between the peoples of Europe is vitally important.
This is why we have to be more flexible in terms of visa liberalization
for Turkish citizens.
Photo: Shutterstock
Counter-terrorism is another important dimension as there is a
mistrust issue between Turkey and some of the Western countries.
When we see terrorist organizations like the PKK acting
in European capitals, making propaganda, recruiting people,
practising money laundering or getting involved in the narco
business, we are worried for all of us and our common future.
This requires us to have a good cooperation in the fight against
terrorism, all sorts of terrorist organisations including PKK,
Al-Qa’ida, Daesh, Fetullahist Terrorist Organization (FETO) etc.
We would like to be like Luxembourg or the Netherlands, where
we have no complicated neighbours or no close terrorist threats.
This global challenge necessitates our close cooperation. I think
it is important that we come to the same level everywhere in
terms of our fight against all sorts of terrorist organizations.
36 37

THE SIXTH DIMENSION IS MIGRATION
MANAGEMENT
Today, we are faced with a major challenge of irregular migration.
Turkey hosts 4.2 million people, the largest refugee community
in the world, of which 3.7 million are Syrians and the rest are
Asians, mostly from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq,
Sri Lanka and Africans, etc.
This is a very heavy burden that we cannot assume alone and
we expect the EU side is to share this. We had some sort of a
deal with the EU related to migration. Within the framework of
the deal, we gave two promises; preventing illegal crossings and
taking back illegally crossed people from the Greek islands. We
kept our promises by taking all the people returned by Greece
until February 2020 and by preventing more than 2 million
additional refugees that could have otherwise gone to other
European countries beyond Turkey.
I remember the former president of the European Commission,
Mr Juncker, speaking at the European Parliament, saying that we
succeeded 97%. This is a huge success, thanks to Turkey. The
EU also gave four promises, which were unfortunately not fully
kept. The EU promised that for every refugee being returned to
Turkey from the Greek islands, a Syrian would be resettled to the
EU. The EU kept this promise of 1 to 1.
The second promise concerned a package of EUR 3+3 billion to
be mobilized by 2018. By the way, this money is allocated to the
refugees in Turkey. Unfortunately, in parts of Europe, people think
that this money is given to Turkey or transferred to the Turkish
national budget. The migration burden has so far cost us more
than EUR 40 billion. We are talking about only EUR 6 billion of
EU support for Syrians in Turkey and out of these 6 billion, only
EUR 4.2 billion has been spent as of today. The flow of the funds
is very slow, very bureaucratic, even though it is the fastest
mechanism in the EU system.
especially after the Afghan crisis, has to focus on cooperation in
and return to Northern Syria, cooperation on the Turkish-Iranian
border, joint action in source countries and fair burden sharing in
terms of financial support and resettlement.
We need to cooperate in Afghanistan, for example, through running
Kabul airport and creating necessary conditions to ensure
that young Afghans can stay and work in the country. It is not a
big deal. I served in Afghanistan and with small investment packages
you can create a big impact. Instead of spending EUR 600
per refugee in Turkey or in the rest of Europe, it is better to spend
maybe EUR 50-100 per person through some investment, which
is more sustainable and keeps people in their home country.
This is feasible since Turkey has a lot of influence in Afghanistan,
and there are many Turkish companies operating in the country,
building bridges, roads, dams, and running factories. I think we
need to create this opportunity for the young Afghans. Otherwise
it will be complicated for us to curb these irregular migration
flows towards us and in Europe.
ANOTHER A SPECT OF A POSITIVE AGENDA
WOULD BE TO ENABLE TURKISH CIVIL SOCIETY,
TURKISH STUDENTS AND RESEARCHERS TO FUL-
LY AND EASILY ENJOY EU PROGRAMMES SUCH
AS ERASMUS +, HORIZON EUROPE, SOLIDARITY
CORPS, CREATIVE EUROPE, ETC
There are around forty programmes and agencies and Turkey
decided to be part of 13 EU programme and agencies in 2021-27
period. The EU should facilitate Turkey’s association with these
programmes.
This is one of the reasons why I came to Brussels. I signed
three agreements with Commissioner for Innovation, Research,
Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel on Horizon Europe,
Erasmus + and the European Solidarity Corps.
H.E. Faruk Kaymakcı Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director for EU Affairs Republic of Türkiye
What we are saying basically is that the EU should speed up this
Until now we have had 550,000 Turks who became part of
country of Western or Northern Europe, it is possible to see
For Turkish students, Erasmus + is a golden opportunity to dis-
flow of funds, but also increase the amount of funding, because
Erasmus or European Solidarity Corps. Some of them spent two
differences. The differences are good. These differences are our
cover the rest of Europe. The same goes for Horizon Europe: it is
the number of refugees is not decreasing. Unfortunately the num-
weeks in Germany in a factory. Some students went to Brugge to
richness. So I think this richness should be protected and we
important for our academicians, our researchers, our universities,
ber is increasing day-by-day and after the Afghan crisis, there will
produce Belgium chocolate and some French students came to
should enjoy this richness through these programmes.
our laboratories to engage and exchange with the rest of Europe.
be more refugees. Due to the pandemic millions of refugees are
my hometown to take care of the health of some animals in our
also expected to head towards Turkey and the rest of Europe. We
have to manage this better. Our new migration deal has to focus
on dealing especially with the situation in Northern Syria, which
is also the fourth promise of the EU. The Article 9 of 18 March
Statement requires joint endeavours by the EU, Member States
and Turkey to create better living conditions in Northern Syria to
veterinary institution.
Every single year, under Erasmus +, we have 20,000 university
students from Turkey going to other European universities. It is
important to give the right image of Turkey and Turks. We have
quite a lot of prejudices against Turkey, and this mentality has to
These programmes are so important to build personal connections.
For example, you send a student from Germany to Turkey
and this student has a prototype Turkish image in her/his mind:
“bloody aggressive Turks”. She/he thinks that döner kebab is
the only Turkish meal. But thanks to Erasmus, she/he discovers
that Turks are not different from others and there are other meals
THE LINK BETWEEN SPORTS AND DIPLOMACY IS
NOT OFTEN EVIDENT. COULD YOU EXPLAIN TO
OUR READERS THE IMPORTANCE OF SPORTS IN
TURKEY-EU RELATIONS?
enable safe return of the Syrians. This promise was never kept
change. Turks are an essential part of Europe. Turkey and Turks
and delights. But also by studying, by living in another country,
I would say it is vitally important because sometimes, some Turks
by the EU.
are part of the European history culture and civilisation. We might
trying to learn another culture and language, the personality of a
do not realise how European they are until their favourite team
have different food preferences or different ways of praying, but
student is developing with broadened horizons.
plays in the European Championships.
So what we are saying now is that the new migration deal,
these differences are everywhere. So even within the same
38 39

A BESPOKE
KITCHEN TOWER IN
SOLID SURFACE
H.E. Faruk Kaymakcı Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director for EU Affairs Republic of Türkiye with Barbara Dietrich, Ipek Tekdemir and Alberto Turkstra
Turkish teams playing in the European leagues in different
tennis with me. Tennis reflects all aspects of a person’s charac-
branches, also constitute important components of our European
ter. If I play tennis with someone for one hour, I can write a book
identity and belonging to Europe.
about this person. Sports is important to connect you with other
people. Thanks to tennis, I have also made many friends, wher-
Sports is also part of my diplomatic life. I am an amateur
handball player. During my tenures here in Brussels twice, for
six years, I played in a club – Evere Club. During these years I
discovered all parts of Belgium. My teammates were asking me
different questions. One Flemish friend once asked me: “Faruk,
you are a Muslim, your country is Muslim. So when Turkey will
join the EU, does this mean you will convert all of us into Islam
ever I worked like in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Belgium. I still
have friends that I made in Turkey on vacation meeting at tennis
courts. We became close friends and now they are my close
friends in Belgium: in Antwerp, in different towns.
Through sports, the EU is trying to bring peoples of Europe
together, because one dimension of the Erasmus + programme is
THE BENETORRE ® KITCHEN TOWER
IS A REVOLUTIONARY CONCEPT TO
INCOR PORATE A FULL KITCHEN IN OPEN
LIVING SPACES WITHOUT COMPRO-
MISING ON SPACIOUSNESS, COMFORT
AND SHEER LUXURY PLEASURE.
and will we be circumcised?”. I replied, “we will continue to
also sports. Federations, sports clubs, universities, schools can
respect each other and our differences and we will be happier
develop projects. I saw two successful Erasmus sports projects
since we will belong to the same Union.”
on tennis, implemented by the Turkish Tennis Federation. One
This is an example of prejudice and even educated people may
have these sorts of prejudices. But of course, after some time,
everyone just realizes that there is not that much of difference
is to expand tennis all over Turkey, not only in major towns, but
also in villages and remote areas. Another project is to train
professionals. We have very good tennis players, but this is not
sufficient, you have to orient them, give them also psychological
BENETORRE ® IS LOOKING FOR NEW
INTER NATIONAL PARTNERS.
INTERESTED? CONTACT US NOW!
among us. The religion or belief are subjects of privacy of individuals.
Sports is an important means of communication and
exchange, but also creates a common goal through which mem-
support and prepare them to become professional players.
To conclude, sports and diplomacy fit together. And I think sports
BENETORRE ®
bers of the team leave all the differences behind. It also helps
diplomacy is quite influential and it really helps a lot in terms of
eliminating the prejudice.
overcoming prejudices, connecting peoples and nations, and
If I need to know better my counterparts in diplomacy, how
creating a healthy and stable environment.
MEMBER OF THE ENGELS GROUP
WWW.BENETORRE.COM
committed, nervous or nice a person is, I invite them to play
40

H.E. AKMAL SAIDOV
FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER
OF THE LEGISLATIVE CHAMBER
OF THE OLIY MAJLIS
OF THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN
PRESIDENT SHAVKAT MIRZIYOYEV HAS JUST
STARTED HIS SECOND TERM IN OFFICE. WHAT
WILL BE THE FOCUS AND PRIORITIES OF THE
NEXT PHASE OF REFORMS IN UZBEKISTAN?
Last year the Uzbek people celebrated the 30th anniversary of
Independence. During the last five years, large-scale creative
and improving work is being carried out on the idea “New
Uzbekistan”. Human rights protection is considered one of the
priorities of our state policy. Today the country has a stable political
system that meets the modern criteria of democracy
and human rights, and the legislative, executive and judicial authorities
at all levels are actively working to strengthen respect for
human rights and to promote human rights education throughout
the country. But the most important is that the Uzbek society
maintains respect for the principles of the Rule of law and human
rights.
We always know that without ensuring human rights, it is
impossible to advance socio-economic, political, legal, cultural
and humanitarian development of states. The President Shavkat
Mirziyoyev has initiated a comprehensive and ambitious New
Uzbekistan’s Development Strategy for next 5 years with 7 priority
areas of the country’s development. The 7 priority areas are:
1. Creation of a humane state by increasing human dignity and
further development of a free civil society.
2. The transformation of the principles of justice and the rule of
law into the main and necessary condition for the development
of the country.
3. Development of the national economy, ensuring its growth
rates at the level of modern requirements.
4. Conducting a fair social policy, development of human capital.
5. Ensuring spiritual development, cardinal reform and raising this
sphere to a new stage.
6 Solving universal problems based on national interests.
7. Strengthening the security and defence potential of the country,
conducting an open and pragmatic, active foreign policy.
According the President’s initiative, “the New Uzbekistan is a
state, developing in strict compliance with the universally recognized
norms in the field of democracy, human rights and freedoms,
on the basis of the principles of friendship and cooperation
with the international community, the ultimate aim of which is
to create a free, comfortable and prosperous life for our people”.
New Uzbekistan’s Development Strategy will mark the beginning
of a new stage of our national development on the basis of a new
principle: “human being - society – state”. The implementation of
the new reforms to this end have become an objective necessity,
a major strategic task.
The strategic goal of building “New Uzbekistan” is laying the
foundations for the Third Renaissance. As it is well-known that
the territory of modern Uzbekistan in the ancient times was the
cradle of two great renaissance epochs - the First (enlightenment
- IX-XII centuries) and the Second (Temurid - XIV-XV centuries)
Renaissance.
H.E. Akmal Saidov, First Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan
Today Uzbekistan is becoming a country of democratic transformation,
big opportunities and practical deeds. This process is Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers,
Uzbekistan: Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief,
the greatest result of our reforms during last years. Uzbekistan Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human
has also developed national indicators for the implementation
rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism.
of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Uzbekistan was the
first Central Asian State to establish a system of national human This year we are waiting for a visit of the UN Special rapporteur
rights institutions, which includes Parliamentary Ombudsman, on torture and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Children’s Ombudsman, Business Ombudsman and National
In his speeches at the sessions of the UN General Assembly, the
Human Rights Centre.
46th session of the UN Human Rights Council, as well as in his
Address to the Uzbek Parliament, the President of Uzbekistan
In June 2020 the National Human Rights Strategy of Uzbekistan identified the key priorities of New Uzbekistan on human rights:
was adopted for the first time and is being consistently implemented.
It provides for the implementation of the recommenda-
• gender equality;
• ensuring the right to health;
tions of the UN Human Rights Council and the treaty bodies. The • protection of the rights of persons with disabilities;
adoption of the National Strategy took into account the views of • protection of the youth rights;
not only the expert community, but also the general public and • human rights education;
international organizations.
• strengthening the independence of the courts;
• the fight against torture;
Uzbekistan maintains an active and constructive dialogue with • development of regional cooperation on human rights;
the UN Charter and Treaty bodies, specialized agencies and
• development of civil society institutions.
Special procedures of the UN Human Rights Council. The
Government has submitted timely 41 periodic reports on the
From this year Uzbekistan’ representative is a deputy chair of
implementation of the main international human rights treaties, the UN Human Rights Council. Last year on our initiative the
as well as on the follow-up to the recommendations of the treaty Human Rights Council adopted resolution on young people’s
bodies. During last 4 years three UN Special rapporteurs visited rights during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative to adopt an
42 43

International Convention on the Rights of Youth and establish-
there are a strong political willingness between our sides on topi-
Assembly Uzbekistan Leader has proposed to adopt a special
modern standards of general education, vocational and higher
ment the institution of a Special Rapporteur on Youth Rights put
cal issues on the bilateral and international agenda. It is gratifying
resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on enhancing
education have been introduced. In the last four years alone,
forward by the President of Uzbekistan from the high rostrum of
that contacts are regularly maintained between the Parliamentary
the role of parliaments in achieving the Sustainable Development
dozens of branches of leading foreign universities have been
the United Nations General Assembly, has been supported with
Friendship Groups. Now we have established more than 50 such
Goals and ensuring human rights.
opened in the republic, the programme “Digital Uzbekistan -
great interest by the international community.
groups with our foreign parliaments as well as Uzbek parliamen-
2030”, the Concept “Youth of Uzbekistan - 2025” have been
Uzbekistan actively participates in the United Nations World
Programme for Human Rights Education. Together with the
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, we are planning
to hold a Global Forum on Human Rights Education.
The fight against torture is a priority area of judicial and legal
reforms in Uzbekistan. The work has begun on the implementation
of a national preventive mechanism for the elimination of
torture. We intend to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention
against Torture.
tarians are close with the IPU, European Parliament, PA OSCE
and other international parliamentary structures.
By a joint decision of the Council Chambers of the Uzbek
Parliament of September 25, 2020, the Concept of Parliamentary
Diplomacy was approved. It defines strategic goals and
objectives, priority directions, principles and mechanisms for the
implementation of the activities of the Parliament on international
cooperation. In recent years, our Parliament has become an
active subject of foreign policy. The geography of parliamentary
diplomacy is expanding and its effectiveness is increasing. This
THE STRENGTHENING OF THE ROLE OF PARLIA-
MENT AND POLITICAL PARTIES IN DEEPENING
DEMOCRATIC REFORMS AND MODERNIZATION
OF THE COUNTRY WAS A PRIORITY DURING THE
FIRST PHASE OF REFORMS. WHAT ARE THE NEXT
STEPS IN UZBEKISTAN TO CONTINUE STRENGTH-
ENING THE ROLE OF THE PARLIAMENT, PARLIA-
MENTARY OVERSIGHT AND ENSURING TRANS-
PARENCY IN THE WORK OF THE PARLIAMENT?
developed and are gradually being implemented.
Imparting greater mobility and optimization of the management
system of executive authorities, radical reform of the civil service
and administrative procedures, including the provision of services
to the population, the introduction of effective mechanisms
to combat corruption. In fulfilling these tasks, it was the Head of
State that proposed the Concept of Administrative Reform in
the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as the creation of the Civil
Service Development Agency under the President and the
Anti-Corruption Agency.
makes it possible to establish close ties in the socio-political,
Today the process of democratic transformations in New
Uzbekistan also intends to continue to promote the establish-
economic and cultural spheres, contributes to the strengthening
Uzbekistan has become irreversible. The last presidential and
The new procedure for approving ministers by parliament was
ment of a regional human rights mechanism in the Asian region.
of friendly relations between our countries.
parliamentary elections demonstrated the growing political
introduced, which is detailed in accordance with foreign practice.
In this regard, a permanent platform has been created – the
activism of the population and parties, the role of civil society
Now a candidate for membership in the Cabinet of Ministers
Samarkand Forum on Human Rights.
One of the positive indicators of friendly relations is that
institutions and the influence of the media.
is considered and approved at a meeting of the Legislative
Uzbekistan and European countries on a permanent basis
Chamber of the Uzbek parliament after its preliminary considera-
YOU ARE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PARLIAMENTA-
RY FRIENDSHIP GROUPS BETWEEN UZBEKISTAN
AND A NUMBER OF EU MEMBER STATES INCLUD-
ING BELGIUM, AS WELL AS CO-CHAIR OF THE
PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION COMMITTEE
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT-UZBEKISTAN PARLIA-
MENT. COULD YOU HIGHLIGHT THE BENEFITS
OF SUCH INTER-PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION
AND DIALOGUE AS THE BASIS OF STRENGTH-
ENED RELATIONS BETWEEN UZBEKISTAN AND
ITS FOREIGN PARTNERS?
support each other’s candidacies for the UN institutions, OSCE
and other international structures. In this regard, the Uzbek side
expressed gratitude for the support of Uzbekistan’s candidacy
for membership in the UN Human Rights Council for 2021-2023,
as well as the development of the UN International Convention
on the Rights of Youth.
It was noted that the Uzbek side attaches great importance
to the development of cooperation with the Parliamentary
Cooperation Committee within the framework of the interaction
“Uzbekistan – European Union”. We can note that at present the
role and importance of inter-parliamentary ties in the development
of interstate relations is increasing markedly. It is necessary
The gender equality policy became a priority for Uzbekistan
policy, and the role of women in public administration is growing.
In our Parliament the number of women deputies has doubled.
Such negative phenomena as forced and child labour, which
have been a big problem for us for many years, have been
completely eradicated. In accordance with the call of the United
Nations to reduce the number of stateless persons, more than
70,000 of our compatriots were granted the citizenship of the
Republic of Uzbekistan.
Today the most important areas of our economic strategy are a
comprehensive increase in the well-being and living standards
of people, which demands the creation of new jobs, sources of
tion by the responsible committee, fractions of political parties.
A candidate presents an action plan that provides for legal, economic,
social, organizational and technical measures to achieve
targets and tasks for the future, interconnected with the action
program of the Cabinet of Ministers. If the Legislative Chamber
rejects the candidacy for membership in the Cabinet of Ministers,
the Prime Minister submits a new candidate for consideration
and approval. A member of the Cabinet of Ministers takes up his
duties after his approval by the President.
The practice has been also introduced, according to which the
Prime Minister, together with members of the Government, quar-
For more than 25 years, I have served in the positions of a
to continue harmonizing legislation, to participate in the develop-
income, poverty reduction, and the development of our villages
terly submits to the chambers of the Oliy Majlis a report on the
Deputy of the Oliy Majlis (the national parliament). I can say with
ment and expansion of the legal framework for cooperation, as
and cities.
progress of the implementation of the state program for the corre-
complete confidence that I know from the inside all benefits and
well as inter-parliamentary ties in the field of science, education,
sponding year, the tasks arising from the Address of the President
problems of the parliamentary system. Now the work of our par-
culture and tourism.
A completely new and unique system for solving social problems
to the Oliy Majlis, as well as on execution of legislative acts.
liament rapidly changed. The wise words “Justice is the basis of
has been created in our country. That is the reason why
the state and the motto of the rulers”, inscribed on the portal of
Last June the Uzbek Parliament organized the International
we have recently introduced such practices as «Iron book»,
Uzbek parliament has also established the Parliamentary
the residence of our great ancestor Amir Temur (Tamerlane) – the
Forum of Global Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation in implementing
«Women’s book», «Youth book», « Kindness book», «makhalla-
Commission on the observance of international obligations
Oqsaroy Palace in Shakhrisabz, carry a very deep meaning.
the Sustainable Development Goals in Bukhara.
bay» (meaningfully, each community residential area – ‘one by
on human rights. In cooperation with the UK Parliament, the
one’) and «khonadonbay» (meaningfully, each house – ‘one by
Parliamentary Commission organized an online training course
Today such fundamental democratic concepts and phenomena
We organized the Sustainable Development Week under the
one’). Proceeding from this, the problems are thoroughly studied
consisting of five modules on implementing the international
as “human rights and freedoms”, “rule of law”, “openness and
motto “Leave no one behind!”, with the participation of the IPU
on the spot, not based on some abstract indicators, but taking
obligations on human rights. The Parliamentary Commission is
transparency”, “freedom of speech”, “freedom of religion and be-
Secretary General, members of national parliaments of Europe-
into consideration the problems of each family and citizen, wom-
also responsible for monitoring of the National Human Rights
lief”, “public control”, “gender equality” are becoming an integral
an countries and other international participants. The Forum is
en and youth who need help and support, thus we tackle them
Strategy.
part of our life.
aimed at strengthening the inter-parliamentary cooperation in
timely and effectively.
implementing the SDGs, exchange of experience and promoting
In our country, where over half of the population is young, an
The Uzbek Parliament is in favour of intensifying inter-parlia-
new ideas and initiatives.
The President Shavkat Mirziyoyev outlined new priorities for
extensive work is underway to ensure that every young person
mentary dialogue with the European Parliament and National par-
public administration of the education system, as a result, the
takes a worthy place in society and demonstrate their potential.
liaments of EU states at various levels. It was emphasized that
In addition, at the 75th session of the United Nations General
preschool education system has been completely reformed,
The Youth Parliaments and the Agency for Youth Affairs are
44 45

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Barbara Dietrich CEO Diplomatic World and Alberto Turkstra Project Manager Diplomatic World
operating in Uzbekistan. In last June the Youth parliamentary
event “I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament!” was successfully held
under the auspices of the IPU.
LAST YEAR, UZBEKISTAN RATIFIED THE UN CON-
VENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DIS-
ABILITIES. WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATE OF THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS CONVENTION INTO
THE NATIONAL LEGISLATION OF UZBEKISTAN?
meet modern requirements. The number of types of prosthetic
and orthopaedic products and rehabilitation equipment provided
to our citizens free of charge has been increased from 22 to 27.
In the system of public education, the implementation of the program
for the development of inclusive education has begun, and
more than 300 schools have created the necessary conditions for
teaching children with disabilities. In addition, the Inter-agency
Council on the affairs of persons with disabilities operating permanently
under the Government was established with participation
of disabled persons NGOs.
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It is known that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities is the first human rights treaty adopted in the 21st
century. One of the priorities of the state policy in the field of protection
of the rights of persons with disabilities is the universally
recognized norms and principles of international law in the exercise
of civil, economic, political and other rights and freedoms
provided to persons with disabilities, as well as ensuring equal
opportunities with other citizens in accordance with international
agreements of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
More than 760,000 people with disabilities live in Uzbekistan. They
are covered by social protection and support, medical and social
rehabilitation measures. A new Law on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities came into force last year. The Parliament of Uzbekistan
also ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Uzbekistan also proposes to create a Regional Council for the
self-realization of People with Disabilities.
Important measures are also being taken for the social adaptation
and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities. In recent years,
27 medical and social institutions have been reconstructed, 1,5
thousand medical and rehabilitation beds have been created that
Now we are preparing a draft of National actions plan on implementation
of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities with a broad participation of civil society institutions
and international partners as well as representatives of disables
persons.
For the active participation of citizens with disabilities in the
social, economic and political life of the country, a “barrier-free”
environment will be created. In particular, measures will be taken
to create a special infrastructure in the construction of government
buildings, social facilities, parks, as well as in public transport,
the system of public services for persons with disabilities,
increase the number of special information portals, televisionprograms,
literature and libraries. Persons with disabilities will be
provided with subsidies for the purchase of housing, and preferential
loans for improving housing conditions. Most importantly,
a system of constant dialogue between heads of all levels and
responsible persons of state bodies with persons with disabilities
will be established to study and solve their problems.
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46

H.E. KHALID FAHAD AL-HAJRI
AMBASSADOR OF THE STATE OF QATAR
TO THE KINGDOM OF BELGIUM
AMBASSADOR AL-HAJRI, COULD YOU GIVE US
YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS ABOUT YOUR STAY
IN BRUSSELS AND BROADLY OUTLINE THE
PRIORITIES YOU WILL PURSUE DURING YOUR
TENURE HERE?
My stay in the capital of Europe is first of all an honour for me
and a unique opportunity to gain knowledge and acquire experience
that will serve the interests of both the State of Qatar
and the Kingdom of Belgium. Since assuming my position as
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of
Qatar “resident” to the Kingdom of Belgium, I have as ambition
to continue to build trust and to further strengthen the good
relations between the two countries by exploring new horizons
for cooperation, that could be enhanced through the conclusion
of new agreements in a number of fields, particularly in sectors
that have not been exploited yet.
The medical field could be one of them, as in the context of
the COVID-19 crisis that affects all countries of the world, many
opportunities are available to establish new partnerships to
better protect our citizens.
Indeed, one of my main tasks as an ambassador is to represent
my country in Belgium and to defend the interest of the State
of Qatar and its people by facilitating communication between
officials and peoples and by presenting the best image of the
State of Qatar at both public and private levels. Representing my
country’s progress and its latest achievements in the political,
social, economic, cultural and educational fields is at the core of
my mission. I am also honoured to be in this position to highlight
the remarkable efforts of the State of Qatar in the regional and
international arena and the important role that my country plays
H.E. Khalid Fahad Al-Hajri, Ambassador of The State of Qatar
Presentation of the Letters of Credence to the King of the Belgians, His Majesty King Philippe
in a number of issues of common interest, to which officials in
Brussels attach great importance and that may open the door to
establishing new and fruitful ties.
On the political level, there is an ongoing dialogue that started
after the signing of the Agreement on Political Consultations
between the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Belgium on 4th
September 2013, and I look forward to organize the next round
of these consultations, which is supposed to be held during this
year. This high-level meeting, which brings together senior Qatari
and Belgian political officials, is an opportunity to discuss bilateral
relations as well as regional and international concerns and
other issues of common interest.
In this regard, mutual visits and meetings show their importance
as they represent one of the main axes of cooperation between
the two countries and contribute to build up cooperation and
coordination, it’s also an essential tool for exchanging experiences
and boosting joint work mechanisms. The most momentous
visit that took place during the recent period by the Qatari side
was the famous visit of His Highness Sheikh / Tamim bin
Hamad Al Thani, the Amir of the State of Qatar to the Kingdom
of Belgium from 6 to 7th March 2018, where His Highness
participated in a session of talks with the Belgian Prime Minister,
Photo: Royal Palace, Belgium
and was invited to an official lunch hosted by His Majesty
King Philippe of Belgium organized in His honour. During this
fruitful visit, His Highness also met with the Speaker of the House
of Representatives and the President of the Senate, and attended
the Qatari and Belgian Business Forum. The visit culminated
with the signature of several agreements with the Kingdom of
Belgium, the European Union and the NATO.
On the economic level, I have the ambition to work in the coming
years to promote economic and trade relations and upgrade
the exchange of investments to the level of comprehensive
cooperation.
I will also size the opportunity of my presence in Brussels to
discover the Belgian culture and Belgian specialties starting
with the delicious Belgian chocolate.
A GREAT DEAL OF UNTAPPED POTENTIAL EXISTS
TO EXPAND TRADE AND INVESTMENT TIES
BETWEEN BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG, ON
THE ONE HAND, AND QATAR, ON THE OTHER.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST PROMISING
SECTORS FOR INVESTMENT IN QATAR?
48 49

Film city traditional Arabic Village in the Ras Brouq Resreve near Zekreet Qatar Photo: Shutterstock Qatar National Museum in Doha, Qatar Photo: Shutterstock
We cannot address the untapped potentials, before clarifying the
importance of the existent trade and investment ties between
the State of Qatar and both the Kingdom of Belgium and the
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, which have witnessed remarkable
development in recent years. Since 2004, the level of exchange
has increased in various fields of joint cooperation. The economic
relations between the State of Qatar and Belgium were
strengthened after the conclusion of the gas agreement in 2007,
according to which the State of Qatar supplies the Kingdom of
fields, such as services, clean water technology, construction,
engineering, offshore drilling, renewable energy, transportation.
As there are Belgian companies involved in projects in the sectors
of energy, health, pharmaceutical industry, electrical equipment
and management of modern technologies in the agricultural
sector. Major Belgian companies are also executing several
projects directly related to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
What about the Duchy of Luxembourg? The State of Qatar has
THE ANNUAL DOHA FORUM IS A GLOBAL
PLATFORM FOR DIALOGUE, BRINGING TOGETHER
LEADERS IN POLICY TO DISCUSS CRITICAL
CHALLENGES FACING OUR WORLD, AND TO
BUILD INNOVATIVE AND ACTION-DRIVEN
NETWORKS. WHAT WILL BE THE THEMATIC
FOCAL POINTS OF THE NEXT DOHA FORUM
TAKING PLACE IN 2022?
innovative policy aimed at saving lives and avoiding lasting damage
from this health crisis that has created an unprecedented
volatile global situation. These huge changes revealed the weaknesses
and strengths, accelerated current trends, and shifted the
balance of power.
Therefore, the forum will focus on discussing the “Transforming
for a New Era”, the exchanges will mainly cover four core areas:
geopolitical alliances and international relations; the financial
Belgium with Qatari liquefied gas. In 2019, Qatar Petroleum and
built strong relations with the Grand Duchy and, thanks to the
The Doha Forum has become a milestone in Qatar’s activity and
system and economic development; defence, cyber security and
Fluxys Belgium extended these relations by signing a long-term
similar conditions of the two countries and our respective strong
diplomacy, attracting day after day the attention of politicians,
food security; sustainability and climate change.
LNG Services Agreement for the Zeebrugge LNG terminal. Under
economies, our cooperation has been further boosted. Besides,
decision makers and opinion leaders (activists, journalists and
the agreement, Qatar subscribes unloading slots at the facility
up to 2044.
With regard to trade exchange, let me highlight the most important
exports and imports from both sides. Regarding Belgian
exports to the State of Qatar they are mainly chemicals (44.4%),
machinery (11.4%) and foodstuffs (8.7%), and in turn Belgium
imports from the State of Qatar a number of materials, especially
base metals (59.6%), chemicals (25.2%) and plastics (14.1%).
the two countries also have close partnership in the field of
global finance and investments in Islamic finance.
We can also precise that regarding trade exchange, the imported
and exported materials are similar, indeed the most important
materials that Luxembourg exports to the State of Qatar are
machinery and mechanical devices, electrical equipment and
related devices; chemical products, base metals and related
materials and plastics. From its side, Luxembourg imports mainly
academics) from all over the world. Each year, thousands of
participants and hundreds of speakers participate in this large
gathering, including high-level officials from different countries.
Thanks to the significant position it acquired, Doha Forum has
established partnerships with a large number of well-known
policy-making institutions, leaders in the process of research
and debate on global issues.
The 20th edition of the Forum, scheduled for March 2022, comes
QATAR IS IN THE MIDST OF THE IMPLEMENTA-
TION OF ITS AMBITIOUS QATAR 2030 STRATEGY
WHICH AIMS TO “TRANSFORM QATAR INTO AN
ADVANCED SOCIETY CAPABLE OF ACHIEVING
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT BY 2030. COULD
YOU OUTLINE TO OUR READERS WHAT ARE THE
MAIN PILLARS OF THIS VISION?
from Qatar base metals, machinery and mechanical devices,
at a time when the global economy tries to recover from its
Indeed, the comprehensive development vision for the State of
We are also glad to see the large number of Belgian companies
electrical equipment and related devices.
biggest shock since World War II, the COVID-19 crisis. There is a
Qatar, “Qatar National Vision 2030”, it aims, as you mentioned,
(more than 40 companies) working in Doha in a wide range of
need for leaders and policymakers to come together to develop
to transform Qatar into an advanced country capable of
50 51

Doha Qatar
Photo: Shutterstock
West Bay on the Corniche in Doha Qatar
Photo: Shutterstock
achieving sustainable development and also ensuring the con-
Secondly, Social Development, as establishing a just and secure
Qatar’s success in organizing the Arab Cup, which ended on
security, and the environment, the National Development Strategy
tinuation of a decent standard of living for its people, generation
society, based on high moral standards, would create a society
18th December 2021 with the victory of Algeria, has proved the
has helped Qatar to be fully prepared for the tournament that
after generation.
capable of dealing and interacting with other societies, and play-
full readiness of the State of Qatar to host the next edition of the
every Qatari, Arab and sports fanatic around the world awaits.
ing an essential role in the global partnership for development.
World Cup. The Arab Cup was the best opportunity to prepare for
This vision was approved by Amiri decision No. 44 of 2008,
this year’s World Cup, and to inaugurate the stadiums as compe-
Finally, the 2022 World Cup will open new doors allowing people
considering that comprehensive development is the fundamen-
Thirdly, Economic Development, through which the State of
titions were held in six of the World Cup venues. Indeed, it was
around the world to know Qatar closely. I wish you will enjoy
tal objective for the achievement of progress and prosperity
Qatar would develop a diversified and competitive national econ-
a unique event to test a range of operational and management
attending or watching the biggest and most important sports
for the citizens. The targeted results of the vision are the most
omy, capable of meeting the needs of its citizens at present and
issues, primarily stadiums, training sites, transportation, accom-
event of the year!
important, because the means are clear as the Vision provides a
in the future, and ensuring a high standard of living.
modation, fan cards, volunteers, and other challenges.
general framework within which national strategies and implementation
plans are established.
Lastly, Environmental development, by managing the environ-
With regard to Qatar’s benefits from the 2022 World Cup, what
ment in a way that ensures harmony and balance between eco-
is beyond the economic aspect and most importantly is that the
The National Plan addresses five major challenges facing Qatar:
nomic and social development and environmental protection.
World Cup will shed light on what Qatar has gained and will gain
modernization while preserving traditions; the needs of the
That is Qatar’s current master vision and its roadmap!
in building a positive social, economic and cultural legacy for the
current generation and those of the future generations; targeted
country, the region and the world. This event will also show Qatar’s
growth and uncontrolled expansion; development track, size and
quality of targeted expatriate labour force; economic growth and
social development and environmental management.
The Vision also included the important guiding principles, which
embody the protection of public and personal freedoms; protecting
moral and religious values and traditions; ensuring security,
stability and equal opportunities.
NEXT NOVEMBER-DECEMBER, QATAR WILL BE
IN THE GLOBAL SPOTLIGHT AS IT HOSTS THE
FIFA WORLD CUP. HOW ARE PREPARATIONS
PROCEEDING AND WHAT ECONOMIC BENEFITS
IS THIS MEGA-EVENT EXPECTED TO DELIVER TO
THE QATARI ECONOMY?
ability to host major tournaments. Besides, the benefits are not
limited to the Qatari economy only, but it has emphasized the
social achievements as the State of Qatar took advantage of the
preparations to improve labour rights, especially for foreign workers,
to become the leader in the Gulf on labour reform.
This event has also encouraged the country to create new infrastructure,
including the metro line and other important develop-
The State of Qatar has been preparing to host one of the most
ment projects. The national development strategy “Qatar National
It also focuses on four axes, the first of which is Human Develop-
anticipated events in the World, and we are very glad and proud
Vision 2030” also contributed to Qatar’s efforts to make the FIFA
ment, as the development of the Qatari population would enable
to build a prosperous society.
of what our country has accomplished! The preparations are
going very well and I am pleased to inform you that all stadiums
have been inaugurated.
World Cup a resounding success. By focusing on areas such as
sports, infrastructure, health care, culture, public safety and
H.E. Khalid Fahad Al-Hajri, Ambassador of The State of Qatar with Barbara
Dietrich CEO Diplomatic World and Alberto Turkstra Project Manager DW
52 53

H.E. TSHERING GYALTSHEN PENJOR
AMBASSADOR OF BHUTAN
TO THE KINGDOM OF BELGIUM
AND THE EUROPEAN UNION
UNLIKE MOST COUNTRIES THAT USE THE GROSS
DOMESTIC PRODUCT INDEX TO MEASURE
DEVELOPMENT, BHUTAN USED THE GROSS
NATIONAL HAPPINESS INDEX. IN A GLOBAL
SOCIETY OBSESSED WITH ECONOMIC MEAS-
URES, THIS MODEL PROVIDES A REVOLUTIONARY
AND HOLISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF DEVEL-
OPMENT. HOW HAS THIS MEASURE OF GROSS
NATIONAL HAPPINESS HELPED BHUTAN IMPROVE
ITS ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL
CONDITIONS?
we are set to graduate to a lower-Middle Income Country in
2023. We have more than halved our poverty rates since
2007 and the 2020 UNDP Human Development Report ranks
Bhutan highest amongst the Least Developed Countries on
overall human development. Our constitution mandates us to
maintain 60 percent of the country under forest cover for all
times to come. We currently have a total forest cover of 72.5
percent and we are one of the only carbon negative countries
in the world today, meaning that we sequester more greenhouse
gases than we ever release. Our ‘high value, low volume’
sustainable tourism policy has also helped our economy while
making sure that the negative impact from the tourism sector on
The term Gross National Happiness (GNH) was promulgated by
our environment and communities remain as low as possible. All
His Majesty the Fourth King of Bhutan Jigme Singye Wangchuck
these improvements in the social, economic and environmental
in 1972 when he said that “Gross National Happiness is more
spheres are due to the conscious policy decisions made under
important than Gross Domestic Product.” Since then, all socio-
the overarching philosophy of GNH.
economic policies and programs in Bhutan have been guided by
the philosophy of GNH. Through the GNH Index, Bhutan aimed
to create a measurement or screening tool that would be useful
for policy making and hence give rise to a conducive environment
for all to maximize happiness. The GNH index includes four
pillars viz. good governance, sustainable socio-economic development,
cultural preservation and environmental conservation.
Furthermore, the four pillars are classified into nine domains viz.
IN ITS 12TH FIVE YEAR PLAN (2018-2023), WHICH
WILL PAVE THE WAY FOR THE COUNTRY’S GRAD-
UATION FROM LDC STATUS, BHUTAN IS PAYING
CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE 2030 SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT AGENDA. WHAT STEPS IS
BHUTAN TAKING TO INTEGRATE AND MAIN-
STREAM THE 2030 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
GOALS INTO ITS NATIONAL STRATEGY AND
POLICIES? IS BHUTAN ON COURSE TO ACHIEVE
THESE OBJECTIVES?
use, cultural diversity and resilience, and community vitality. The
17 NKRAs are therefore closely aligned to the SDGs and their
targets and indicators are integrated into the 12th FYP. Bhutan
presented its second Voluntary National Review Report on the
implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda in
September 2021.
psychological well-being, health, education, time use, cultural
In Bhutan, we follow a planned five-year socio-economic devel-
diversity and resilience, good governance, community vitality,
opment program (FYP) which charts out the development agen-
When Bhutan undertook its first Voluntary National Review in
ecological diversity and resilience and living standards. These
da of the Government for a five-year period. The FYP coincides
2018, all SDGs except for SDG 17 were reported to be on track.
nine domains further cascade down into 33 indicators that aim
with the tenure of the elected Government which also lasts for
However, given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the
to capture the different aspects of well-being. The philosophy
five years. The 12th FYP commenced from 1st November 2018
achievement of several SDGs are reported to be at risk today
of GNH functions on the basis that humans need more than just
and will end on 31st October 2023. It has 17 National Key Result
particularly SDGs 1,4,8,10 and 17. Impacts across other SDGs
material wealth to pursue a productive life; it gives equal empha-
Areas (NKRAs) and takes into consideration the SDGs and other
have also been evident. While Bhutan has done well in terms of
sis to other non-material indicators such as spiritual, cultural and
regional and international commitments. Hence, all goals such
containing the spread of the pandemic and in keeping infection
environmental needs.
as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are mainstreamed
levels low, the implementation of pandemic containment meas-
into the respective FYP development programs. Moreover, all
ures has had far reaching impacts on the overall socio-economic
The GNH Policy Screening Tool implemented by the Gross
development policies and programs are guided by the overarch-
growth, with economic growth being revised to negative 6.1
National Happiness Commission makes sure that all government
ing philosophy of GNH. There is a strong resemblance between
percent in December 2020 from a growth projection of
projects and policies complement each other thereby maximizing
the domains of GNH and the SDGs. The SDGs call for pursuing
6.9 percent for 2020.
GNH. Guided by the philosophy of GNH, Bhutan has consider-
development through a balanced approach on social, econom-
ably improved its economic, environmental, social and governance
situation in the past four decades. We have recorded an
average growth rate of 7.5 percent since the early 1980s and
ic and environmental conditions. Similarly, the development
philosophy of GNH focuses on these three aspects as well as
on the other aspects such as psychological well-being, time
BHUTAN HAS MADE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES
BY BECOMING THE WORLD’S FIRST CARBON
54 55

NEGATIVE COUNTRY: IT TAKES MORE GREEN-
HOUSE GASES FROM THE ATMOSPHERE THAN IT
EMITS. FURTHERMORE, MORE THAN HALF THE
COUNTRY IS PROTECTED AS NATIONAL PARKS,
NATURE RESERVES AND WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES,
ALL CONNECTED BY A NETWORK OF BIOLOGI-
CAL CORRIDORS. HIGHLY VULNERABLE TO THE
EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, HOW IS BHUTAN
ENSURING THAT ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINA-
BILITY, CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION
REMAIN AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE NATIONAL
AGENDA? WHAT IS BHUTAN’S VIEW ON THE OUT-
COMES OF THE 2021 UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE
CHANGE CONFERENCE (COP 26)?
Conservation of environment is one of the four pillars of GNH.
This pillar ensures that Bhutan pursues socio-economic development
programs that do not compromise its environment and
biodiversity. Article 5 of the Constitution of Bhutan mandates
every Bhutanese to ‘serve as a trustee of the Kingdom’s natural
resources and environment for the benefit of present and future
has also been experiencing increasing numbers of forest fires,
glacial lake outburst floods and high intensity erratic rainfall
events. Such incidences are only likely to increase in the future
with increasing global warming. Moreover, more than half of the
Bhutanese population is dependent on the agricultural sector
while the main contributor to the country’s economy is the hydropower
sector. These sectors are highly sensitive to changing
climate. Therefore, understanding the importance of adapting to
the impacts of climate change, Bhutan has ratified all the three
Rio Conventions on Biodiversity, Climate Change and Desertification.
Bhutan also committed to remain carbon neutral for all
times at the COP15 in Copenhagen in 2009 and has ratified the
Paris Agreement on Climate Accord in 2016. Bhutan has successfully
implemented many of the activities under the National
Adaptation Program of Action and has developed a roadmap for
disaster risk management since 2019 to enhance disaster risk
management governance and coordination. Towards achieving
a coordinated national approach in addressing climate change,
the Climate Change Policy of the Kingdom of Bhutan has been
adopted. Furthermore, the National Environment Strategy 2020
aimed at creating a healthy and sustainable environment has
Glasgow Climate Change Conference (COP 26) was convened
in very challenging and unprecedented circumstances, we are
happy that the conference secured important decisions on the
priority areas for the LDCs such as enhancing the NDCs, scaling
up finance for adaptation, renewing focus on adaptation and
resilience, finalization of remaining items of the rulebook of the
Paris Agreement and long-term decarbonization strategy in line
with mid-century net zero commitments.
BHUTAN IS DRAWING IMPORTANT LESSONS
FROM THE PANDEMIC – INCLUDING THE NEED
AND POSSIBILITIES FOR LONG TERM, TRANS-
FORMATIVE AND GREEN SOLUTIONS FOR ITS
FOOD SYSTEM, LOCAL ECONOMY, PUBLIC SER-
VICES DELIVERY, APPROACHES TO LEARNING,
DATA ECOSYSTEM AND PREPAREDNESS FOR
DISASTERS AND FUTURE PANDEMICS. WHAT ARE
THE NEXT NECESSARY STEPS TO BE TAKEN TO
RECOVER FROM THIS PANDEMIC?
in our system and hence given us the opportunity to reform and
strengthen them.
While a primary focus would be on recovering from the pandemic
at a faster rate, importance will also be given to designing sustainable
solutions that will not just help Bhutan recover quickly
but help achieve a high income sustainable economy for all
Bhutanese. Going forward, our primary focus therefore would be
on reforming the education system and the civil service system
towards creating a knowledge based economy and a resilient
and adaptive 21st century workforce respectively, in keeping with
His Majesty The King’s Royal vision for Bhutan. A lot of initiatives
and programs are already underway in Bhutan on achieving this
vision. Furthermore, initiatives are already being taken in Bhutan
towards reforming the Technical and Vocational Education and
Training sector to equip our youths with 21st century skills. The
Build Bhutan Project and Skills Development Program being
implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Human Resources of
Bhutan are specifically aimed at skilling our youths and reducing
the youth unemployment rate which has been further exacerbated
by the pandemic.
generations.’
been recently endorsed.
Bhutan has managed to successfully keep infections from COV-
ID-19 at low numbers. This success has however come at a huge
A key challenge that remains to be addressed is in diversify-
Geographically, Bhutan is located in the eastern Himalayan belt
As the Chair of the LDC Group on Climate Change, Bhutan par-
cost for the country’s economy and has further exacerbated
ing our narrow economic base. Our economy is today largely
and has a fragile mountainous environment. The impacts of
ticipated and led the LDC group in numerous high-level as well
the many challenges the country was already facing. And while
dependent on the hydropower and tourism sector. The impact of
global warming are resulting in loss and damage of properties,
as technical level meetings and negotiations, within and outside
the challenges presented by the pandemic have been huge, it
the pandemic on the tourism industry and hence on our econ-
assets and lives in some cases. Over the past few years, Bhutan
the UNFCCC process, throughout 2020 and 2021. While the
has also made us realize the shortcomings and vulnerabilities
omy has been huge. The pandemic has only heightened our
56 57

need to explore and establish more export products. Promoting
Brand Bhutan (a concept focused on export of high value-low
volume Bhutanese products geared towards high-end markets)
could have a significant impact on the economy of a country like
Bhutan, which doesn’t have the size and scale. Further, using
the unique selling points of Bhutan such as the Gross National
Happiness brand, the high English literacy, highly educated and
young population, political stability, a well-established tourism
industry based on sustainable policies, and the advantage of
being located in between some of the fastest growing economies
of the world, Bhutan should identify sectors of interest to foreign
investors and attract Foreign Direct Investments.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE BHUTAN’S RELA-
TIONSHIP WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU)?
WHAT ARE THE MAIN AREAS OF COOPERATION
AT PRESENT AND WHAT WOULD BE SOME SHORT
AND LONG TERM OBJECTIVES THAT BHUTAN
WOULD LIKE TO ACHIEVE WITH THE EU?
Bhutan and the EU enjoy warm and friendly relations. Bhutan
deeply values its partnership with the EU and we remain fully
committed to this relationship. Bhutan and the EU share common
values on good governance, sustainable development and
climate change and as a result of which we cooperate and work
closely in the UN and other multilateral fora to promote our mutual
interests. The EU is also one of Bhutan’s most important and
remaining development partners. While we have diplomatic relations
with 13 EU members, the EU as an institution also remains
a vital link for us with the rest of its members.
The current areas of cooperation between Bhutan and the EU are
in 1) Climate Change, Green Growth for resilient Bhutan; 2) Good
Governance for inclusive socio-economic development; and 3)
Digital Transformation as a driver for change in education and
public services. Bhutan continues to benefit from the support
received under the EU’s Erasmus plus programme. Bhutan and
the EIB signed the Framework Agreement under which the EIB
can now provide finance for capital investment projects selected
and approved by the RGoB. The framework agreement was subsequently
ratified by the Parliament of Bhutan in December 2020,
formally opening the door to commence financing cooperation
between Bhutan and the EIB. The EU will not only support the
Government but will also continue working with CSOs as they
have the potential to play an active role in development including
by promoting transparent and inclusive governance and gender
equality and women empowerment. The EU has confirmed
continued support to Bhutan’s democratic transition process and
sustainable economic development, even after Bhutan’s graduation
from the Least Developed Country status in the year 2023.
58 59

H.E. HASSAN SOBIR
AMBASSADOR OF THE MALDIVES
In 2005, I came to Brussels as Ambassador to the EU. The year
before, the European Parliament has passed a resolution critical
of the political and human rights situation in the Maldives.
the Parliament. In 2019 we received the visit of HRVP Federica
Mogherini, who addressed the Parliament of the Maldives. This
was, to date, the highest level visit by the EU to the Maldives.
Gerard Huiting Honorary Consul of The Maldives, Barbara Dietrich CEO Diplomatic World
and H.E. Hassan Sobir Ambassador of The Maldives
But we were starting to make the transition towards a multi-party
When I arrived in Brussels, on top of our to-do list was to get
These two issues still are very active, but we have been able to
I would also like to mention that the Maldives has decided to join
democracy, with a new Constitution and renewed penal code in
a waiver for the tuna tariff (the Maldives pays 24 percent for
establish now a parliamentary friendship group at the European
the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific states (OACP).
place. The Maldivian government wanted to highlight this to the
exports of tuna into the European Union) and also work on the
Parliament. Also, on the civil society side we have seen the set-
Alone we are vulnerable, we need to be part of a larger grouping,
European Union and the other EU institutions, in our journey to-
visa waiver for Maldivians to travel freely inside the Schengen
ting up of the Benelux-Maldives Friendship Group. I am also very
to advocate for issues such as climate change and a fair trading
wards becoming a respectable small island democratic country.
zone.
honoured that, for the first, time we have an Honorary Consul
system, to allow our nation to play a bigger role in international
of the Maldives for the region of Flanders, my good friend Mr
fora.
At first, there was inevitable scepticism on both sides on whether
The tuna tariff issue is a very difficult one because the EU insti-
Gerard Huiting.
we would be able to make this transition in a very short period of
tutions kept telling me that it is because of the WTO regulation
In the international arena, the Maldives is also seeking a seat at
time. However, I assured my counterparts here that we were very
that we are considered an upper middle income country, and
With the EU, our cooperation is multi-faceted and multi-layered.
the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the term
committed, and we were serious about the roadmap.
hence we have to pay this tariff. We keep saying that our tuna is
We are actively participating in programmes such as the EU
2023-2025. The Maldives proudly and effectively served in the
harvested in a very sustainable way (through the pole-and-line
Green Deal and the Global Gateway. We are grateful for the help
Human Rights Council for two consecutive terms, from 2011 to
In 2008, the Maldives held its first multi-party election which re-
fishing method) and while we are an upper middle income coun-
of the EU in the times of pandemic, with a EUR 3 million grant to
2016. With your support, we would like to once again seek the
sulted in the election of our first democratically elected president
try, we should not be punished for this and we should be allowed
support our COVID-19 response and support our health sector
opportunity to serve in the Council and contribute to the work
in our history, Mohamed Nasheed.
to participate in a fair trade system.
and tourism industry.
of the Council to promote and protect human rights, while also
making it more dynamic. Our membership at the Council would
The transition, like many expected, was quite turbulent. We
We feel that it is a very unjustified tariff that has been adopted
Furthermore, under the new Multi-Annual Indicative Framework,
help us in our democratic consolidation process and to further
again had an election in 2018 and at that time, when I returned
and that it should be lifted. Sustainability is mentioned in the
we have been allocated EUR 12 million for the period 2021-2024
accelerate the ongoing efforts to modernize our institutions
to Brussels as Ambassador to the EU, the Foreign Affairs Council
WTO regulations but in practice, lip service is paid to it.
for the priority areas of Good Governance and Green Recovery.
and instil a culture of respect for human rights in the Maldivian
adopted a framework for targeted restrictive measures against
society.
persons and entities responsible for undermining the rule of law
As for the visa waiver, Maldives provides free visas on arrival to
Preparations are underway to negotiate a Partnership and
or obstructing an inclusive political solution in the Maldives.
all countries of the world. Our passport is a very strong one, with
Cooperation Agreement (PCA) with the EU. The main advantage
Currently, there are only two Small Island Developing States
However, in 2019, the Council decided to revoke this framework,
very solid security features implemented – including biometric
of a bilateral agreement with the EU is that the outcome will be
(Republic of Marshall Islands and Cuba) in the UNHRC and the
and since then the trust and confidence of the European Union
passports.
tailored-made to Maldives’ unique case, covering the particular
term for Marshall Islands will conclude at the end of 2022. There-
institutions in the Maldives has only grown.
needs of the Maldivian political, economic, and social landscape.
fore, to ensure a full range of views is considered and to promote
Yet, there is only one European country that provides on-arrival
The EU’s decision to enter into PCA negotiations with Maldives
universality and diversity of the council membership, it is vital for
We were able to establish the kind of trust that the Maldives is a
visas (for 6 months) for Maldivian citizens: the United Kingdom.
is a strong signal of the importance of Maldives as a bilateral
the Maldives to become a member of the council to represent
genuine democracy, a government with respect for human rights,
The Maldives does not pose any migratory threat to any country
partner in the Indo-Pacific region.
the voices of SIDS.
which does not put opponents in prison because of ideological
for that matter, because our population is very small (just over half
differences.
a million). Furthermore, Maldivians today travel to participate in
In the years to come, I shall like to see a greater diplomatic
I leave Brussels with mixed feelings, having met many close
various tourism fairs and other activities. Yet, the Maldives is listed
representation of the EU and its Member States in the Maldives,
friends both in the diplomatic circles and outside of it. I shall
With those assurances, we started a new chapter completely. In
under the common list of countries whose nationals must have a
among many other reasons, because we receive half a million EU
cherish my tenure here and wish relations between the Maldives
this new era, there has been a very strong engagement with the
visa when travelling to the Schengen area. So, I believe it is only
tourists on a yearly basis, who may need consular support and
and the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg will keep
European Union institutions: the Commission, the Council and
appropriate to ask for reciprocity from the European side as well.
assistance.
reaching new heights!
60 61

IT IS ALL ABOUT BUSINESS PLANS
AND FINANCIAL MODELS
H.E. BUDDHI K. ATHAUDA
H.E. Buddhi K. Athauda has quite a diverse career. He started
out by joining the tech start-up IRIDIUM LLC in Washington DC,
in USA, the first ever global mobile satellite phone venture, then
became Sri Lanka’s ambassador in the Netherlands and France
INDEED, THE DAYS OF FOSSIL FUELS SEEM TO
COME TO AN END. HOW LONG WILL THIS
TRANSITION TAKE?
and now is back in the start-up universe with a very ambitious
The use of fossil fuels will continue in different ways. But I think
Greentech company. He has been talking to Dieter Brockmeyer,
currently so many new technologies are invented that I believe
co-founder and director Innovation & TIME of the Diplomatic
that the need to burn fossil fuels will become obsolete before the
World Institute, about the global rollout of renewable energy,
already depleted resources run out. I really hope so since it is
which he believes is most likely one of the largest tasks of
useful in so many other ways than burning it. Most scientific
mankind.
institutions predict that it will run out in this century. So, when
looking at the United States, in some states like California
YOU HAVE A VERY DIVERSE CAREER, FROM TEL-
ECOMMUNICATIONS TO DIPLOMACY AND NOW IN
RENEWABLE ENERGY. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?
renewable energies already have a 20 percent share, only 2 to
3 percent in others.
That means this is just the beginning. We are at the beginning of
a truly big transition, and I believe our personal and commercial
I first was in a group of young entrepreneurs trying to build up a
decisions need to be congruent with this change. If you look
first venture in satellite telecommunications. This was the begin-
at the bigger picture, 50 percent of the emissions in the US are
ning of my professional life in a tech start-up. Upon the invitation
coming from the energy and transport sector. We think that 20
of the then Sri Lankan president to join diplomatic services, I ac-
percent of the US energy demand can be compensated by solar
cepted this offer and viewed it as an opportunity to represent the
energy. Together with the new battery technology and wind and
country within the spheres of commerce, diplomacy, and interna-
the other renewables we, at some time, can reach 100 percent.
tional development. I thought I would do it for about three years.
But I ended up doing it for 13 years, from 2007 to 2020. After a
We want to expedite this transition. That is the whole purpose
of our company.
H.E. Buddhi K. Athauda
career spanning over a decade in diplomacy I am now back on
home turf in tech industry, to renewable energy now amidst what
experts are calling the 4th Industrial Revolution. Technology is
my passion. The reason why I’ve chosen renewable energy is
because of my personal conviction towards contributing to a
sustainable world while enjoying building a global company.
IT IS GOING TO BECOME QUITE A BIG COMPANY
AGAIN. DO I UNDERSTAND THIS RIGHT?
Usually, start-ups start small. This was not the case at my previous
one. We raised USD 7.5 billion then. We launched 77 satel-
WORLD LEADERS HAVE AGREED ON THE PARIS
AGREEMENT AS WE ALL KNOW. BUT CRITICS SAY
THEY ARE TOO SLOW ADOPTING TO IT. WHAT
CAN WE DO ABOUT THIS?
The global leaders agreeing to it is a very good starting point.
That is unbelievable. And they returned to their countries and
started on regular frameworks. Visions are transferred into targets
how to get there. Some countries are very cautious because
they fear to lose their industry base; India, China…
BUT THE INFLUENCE OF THE UNITED NATIONS IS
LIMITED AND CHALLENGED BY NATIONAL INTER-
ESTS. IS THERE A WAY TO STRENGTHEN THESE
ORGANIZATIONS?
I think the United Nations needs to integrate the Paris Convention
and its main points into ALL things they do. For example,
when giving help to other countries. This should be based on
whether the country has functioning transition policy in place
or not, and they should provide help to implement these things.
They should give technical assistance and train officials. The UN
can do a lot. But also, institutions like the UNESCO regarding
launch many platforms to support government officials. Therefore,
we plan to provide these tools.
HOWEVER, YOU HAVE NATIONS, LIKE RUSSIA
OR THE MIDDLE EAST THAT WANT TO CONTINUE
TO SELL THEIR OIL OR GAS – AND COUNTRIES
LIKE CHINA OR INDIA THAT INTEND OR NEED
TO GROW THEIR ECONOMIES, CONTRADICTING
A FAST TRANSITION. HOW CAN WE DEAL WITH
THIS?
lites all around the planet to make signals available for the entire
But the European nations I noticed are working firmly on not
science, education and culture could do a lot of things – or the
If you look at how the demand is developing globally you see
surface of planet Earth, enable telephone calls from all around
leaving the mission to voluntary action but instead enforcing
global financial institutions like the World Bank.
that renewable energies have become a global driver. My impres-
the world. So, I got used to large scale projects. Our future goals
compliance through regulatory frameworks. I think once the lead-
sion is that major economies see this as an opportunity to grow.
include becoming a catalyst in the transition from fossil fuel
ers have agreed, the field organizations and global institutions
I know some of these institutions have decided not to fund any
energy production to renewable energy production and to help to
need to execute certain things.
fossil related projects anymore, even in the US that funded the
Even the Middle East has some of the biggest turn around plans.
reduce the carbon emissions by building platforms for solar and
last coal power plant in 2014. There is the lot that can be done
It’s a question of technology – it does not necessarily have to be
wind energy worldwide.
at this end. There is also place for other initiatives. We intend to
solar or wind. For example, the time you use the energy is not
62 63

necessarily the time to use it. Energy storage becomes an important
part of the renewable energy world.
THIS REQUIRES MASSIVE FINANCING – AND A
MASSIVE REGULATORY FRAMEWORK. WHAT IS
ALREADY IN PLACE, AND MORE SO, WHAT IS IN
THE MAKING?
In my last conversation with the king of the Netherlands, HRH
King Alexander, he said that renewable energy will take off the
day when subsidies are not needed anymore – in other words
when your business/economic models do not require subsidies
anymore. And this happens now. We really are living in exciting
and defining times.
NUCLEAR ENERGY IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY
POPULAR AGAIN. MANY COUNTRIES DECIDED
TO CONSTRUCT NEW PLANTS. I THINK THERE
ARE ABOUT 180 PROJECTS GLOBALLY EITHER IN
PLANNING OR ALREADY UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
ONLY NUCLEAR COULD PROVIDE ENOUGH
CARBON FREE ENERGY FOR THE GROWING
DEMAND. DO YOU AGREE IT BELONGS INTO
A “GREEN” ENERGY MIX?
If you are serious about keeping our planet clean you should not
transfer the responsibility to future generations for cleaning up
another toxic storage on our planet. I don’t see a reason for it.
There is plenty of renewable energy. The only reason I can see for
nuclear is when some global leaders from.
THE HURDLES STILL ARE HIGH…
Let me put it this way: When you can match your business model
with the financials this proves that it can be financed. There is
enough money in the world for sustainable causes. Right now,
there is more funding for renewable energy than can be handled.
The problem is there is no expertise to match these business
models with the right place. Countries need to standardize
the approval process, so that the international investors have
confidence investing in faraway countries without any unknown
risk elements due to standards governing regulatory framework.
When you come up with a legal framework where all the risks are
standardized the market will accelerate.
ALSO, BIOFUELS ARE OFTEN CONSIDERED NOT
TO BE THE BEST SOLUTION BECAUSE OF THE
LIMITED AGRICULTURAL SPACE. DOES IT MAKE
SENSE TO DEFOREST THE AMAZON RAIN FOREST
FOR BIOFUELS INSTEAD OF FOR FOOD?
I did not understand from the beginning why people are burning
forests. To me saving forests, the national habitat is imperative.
We intend in our company to allocate some of our funds to
support these issues. In fact, we have designed a system for indigenous
groups living in forests that they don’t need to get their
electricity from cross country transmission lines that cut through
forests to reach remote villages.
LET’S COME TO THE FINAL QUESTION: YOU
INTEND TO MAKE YOUR HOME COUNTRY SRI
LANKA THE HUB FOR YOUR GLOBAL COMPANY.
DO YOU SEE THE POTENTIAL FOR YOUR COUN-
TRY TO BE FIT FOR THIS ROLE?
Throughout my career I have noticed how countries managed to
provide services for the entire world. The example of Singapore
is very inspiring. So are the stories of Samsung and others in
Korea. The US and some industrial countries outsourced work
to the developing countries, and they realized that it has caused
major economic harm in the society without jobs for rural youth.
Each village needs some factories for employment. If you only
focus on white collar jobs this does not solve a country’s issues.
I see myself as a global citizen.
I have been living in five countries and I believe this expertise can
be used as a catalyst for the transition into a net zero society.
As a tropical island Sri Lanka has the chance to become an early
adopter of renewable energies. However, at the time being we
have our focus on projects in Sri Lanka and USA. Many places
including Taiwan will be our next target countries before we also
role out with partners in Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe.
But you are right, people always believe in their perspective.
When you talk to an expert in the coal industry, he still believes
in sustainable coal. He thinks renewable energy is a joke. The
shift of paradigm will come with the new generation that have
an environmental consciousness.
64 65

CHANTAL YELU MULOP
SPECIAL ADVISOR TO
H.E. FELIX TSHISEKEDI
PRESIDENT
OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
A RELAXED CONVERSATION WITH CHANTAL YELU
MULOP, A LADY WITH A GENEROUS AND SUNNY
PERSONALITY, CHOSEN BY FELIX TSHISEKEDI,
THE PRESIDENT OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
OF CONGO TO BE A SPECIAL ADVISOR IN MARCH
2019. SHE IS IN CHARGE OF YOUTH, GENDER AND
THE FIGHT AGAINST VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN.
With a beautiful smile, Chantal Yelu Mulop told us her story
and how being a woman means being a warrior for change and
equality. She was born in Lubumbashi in DRC. She comes
from a family of 7 children, - three boys and four girls who are
now all grown women and mothers. She is second eldest in
this lovely big group of siblings. Her family was amongst the
first wave of Congolese immigrants to Belgium following
independence.
Chantal gracefully continued to share her fascinating tale, that
of a true blood princess. She is a Suku traditional leader, of the
Banvula ethnic group, which has assets of 56 villages and no
less than 3 million inhabitants. They form the largest majority in
the population of Masimanimba (the territory they inhabit).
Her Canadian adventure began at Windsor on the American
Canadian border, and it was here that she obtained her Bachelor
of Nursing with honour, after which she lived in different towns
around Canada.
In Ottawa, she met Felix Tshisekedi, the President of the Democratic
Republic of Congo, during a work meeting while they were
both working on a project in common. After this joint collaboration,
the President decided that she had the necessary potential
that he was looking for in an ally and thus she became the head
of state’s Special Advisor in March 2019.
It is important to mention here some of her main achievements
from this date: the launch of the immediate zero tolerance campaign
against crimes of sexual and gender-based violence, the
holding of the first conference of Heads of State of the African
Union on Positive Masculinity in the DRC, the signing of the
addendum to the joint agreement between the Government of
the Democratic Republic of Congo and the United Nations on
sexual violence related to the 2019 conflict, participation in
several G100 meetings on gender equality, participation in
the G20 meeting and preparation of the DRC President’s
H.E. Felix Tshisekedi the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo
As a little girl her dream was to become a doctor like the father
she so admired, so as to continue the family tradition. He was
and still is a great source of inspiration for her. He was an obstetrician
and an aerospace doctor; this had a great impact on the
multicultural education of all of the children.
She has in fact spent her whole life to-ing and fro-ing between
Africa and Europe and a large part of her education took place in
Belgium. For example she obtained her Bachelor of Science in
Hospitality Management, specialising in Management at I.S.E.E.,
Verviers-spa.
She was then seized with a desire to explore the unknown. She
flew to Canada, which she considered to be a land of opportunity,
and still does. This is where her six children were born and
have grown up.
official statement on the promotion of women’s rights, gender
equality and the fight against impunity.
To end our conversation, just out of curiosity, we asked her what
motivates her every day to continue. Without hesitation, this
mother of six replied: It is the determination of the young, seeing
the potential, creativity and innovation in each one of them. They
contain real resourcefulness and a desire to conquer the world -
this fires her daily inspiration.
We sincerely thank Chantal Yelu Mulop, the magnificent princess,
for having shared with us her force, vitality and infectious joie de
vivre.
Dr Pick Keobandith
Founder and International Director, Inspiring Culture
66 67

H.S.H. PRINCE MICHAEL
OF LIECHTENSTEIN
BETTER INFORMATION HELPS
TO MAKE BETTER DECISIONS
HSH Prince Michael of Liechtenstein is active in many fields;
sources. That is not true. To get that, you need to tap experts.
in wealth management via “Industrie und Finanzkontor”; he
We try to get those who also express their opinion even if it is not
is founder of Geopolitical Intelligence Services a geopolitical
always wanted. We have the problem that newspapers reduce
think thank and the magazine “Der Pragmaticus” as well as a
the number of their correspondents to reduce cost. Also, intelli-
co-founder of a preventive health institution. Diplomatic World
gence services including the U.S. use fewer agents and control
CEO Barbara Dietrich and Dieter Brockmeyer, co-founder and
electronic devices instead. In the 1990s, we should believe to
director for Innovation at Diplomatic World Institute talked to him
get all the information by taping telephone lines. But Osama bin
about the state of the world and possible solutions to solve the
Laden did not use telephones or the internet.
planet’s current problems.
We now also started a publication in German, also based on
YOUR ACTIVITIES ARE IN DIVERSE AREAS.
HOW DO THEY ALL FIT TOGETHER?
the knowledge of experts targeting a wider public in all German
speaking areas. As the philosophy of GIS was visionary pragmatism
we adopted this for the German publication and called it
“Der Pragmaticus”. We launched it last September.
The activities I have are all related to the notion of long-term
perspective, pragmatism, and relevance. The financial company
Two years ago, I co-founded an institution in preventive health
“Industrie und Finanzkontor”, which is the basis of my activities,
in the sector of longevity. This is to be done by applying the
is active in wealth preservation. Wealth preservation is more than
latest scientific knowledge in science and medicine combined
just wealth management. It not only includes management but
with technology to delay or prevent age-related diseases such
also definitions of the objective of family’s wealth and long-term
as cancer, diabetes, dementia, etc. In asset protection, we see
preservation. We strongly advocate that entrepreneurial fami-
that as the main issue, asset preservation is more a responsibility
lies develop structures for long-term protection and growth of
than an entitlement. Similarly, we consider that health is a gift
business and wealth across generations. This is based on the
of very high value and is also a very important personal asset.
conviction that family businesses are the most important driving
Prevention in health, is therefore also a personal responsibility.
force for development and innovation and that private assets and
But besides this responsibility, good health is also fun. In this
property rights are essential for the cohesion of society.
context preservation and responsibility and long-term use of
these activities fit together.
We have a problem at the moment because property rights are
challenged even in our western democracies. Since wealth is
always challenged, one must fully grasp the long-term trends and
developments. Therefore, good and real information are necessary
as a basis for reasonable decisions. Out of this conviction
I founded Geopolitical Intelligence Services. Here we try to build
in a very neutral way based on expert’s scenarios future develop-
AMONG OTHER THINGS, YOU ARE THE FOUNDER
OF GEOPOLITICAL INTELLIGENCE SERVICES, GIS.
HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS OFFER FOR YOU
PERSONALLY?
H.S.H. Prince Michael of Liechtenstein
open-mindedness and respect for different opinions. Better information
helps to make better decisions, and this helps making a
is strongly following and certain NGOs are enforcing their opinion
on the public. Political correctness does not allow opinions in ar-
ments in economics, innovative technologies, politics, security,
All my activities are important to myself, and I identify myself
better world.
eas of climate, environment, gender that differ from the so called
and energy. Through our experts we have access to genuine
with them. The issue of getting the right information, information
“accepted view”. Cancel culture looks at past events from a
information which might not be available in open sources. It is
which is true, critically validated, and relevant. We don’t say we
Today we are living in a quite dogmatic time. The presumption of
present, moralizing point of view. Academics frequently see their
like a pyramid, an iceberg of information. There is only about
want to make a better world as many NGOs do, because this
knowledge – frequently based on ignorance – becomes domi-
roles to be to develop attitudes and ethics rather than to teach
25 percent above sea level, the rest is below.
is dangerous. Because then you follow an ideology claiming
nant and intolerance against other opinions increases. Politicians
knowledge. With Geopolitical Intelligence Services we really want
you know how to create a better world. We want to add value
frequently talk about choices without alternatives. This is a big
to give information. As said before, information from experts and
We believe we can find everything on the internet and in open
by providing better information. That requires a great deal of
mistake but helps to kill a contrary position. Media, unfortunately,
without trying to colour it by issues of subjective value.
68 69

Certainly, values are important for us, but we must also stay realistic.
We do not like the attitude of many ideologists, to give an
illusion of making the world a better place. We want to add value
by better information. And truth, even if it hurts, is necessary for
a healthy progress.
THIS LEADS DIRECTLY TO THE STATE OF THE
WORLD. INCREASING GEOPOLITICAL INSTABILITY
COMBINED WITH SIMULTANEOUS GLOBAL PROB-
LEMS (PANDEMIC CONTROL, GLOBAL WARMING)
WHICH CAN ONLY BE TACKLED WITH A JOINT
EFFORT. CAN THE WORLD STILL BE SAVED?
Unfortunately, I must say politics have become very ideological
and emotional – from all sides. It was much easier during the
Cold War when it was clearly defined who was good and who
was bad, but nobody wanted the neutral distraction. If we look
at the present crisis around the Ukraine, I’m very sorry for them
because they are the ball in this game. I have the impression that
the decisions of the West lack sufficient knowledge and willingness
to try to understand how the Russians think. We do not
need to agree to what they are doing but we need to be aware
how they think. What makes this so difficult is the lack of realism
and pragmatism. We should support Ukraine. I fully agree to that.
But it is not creditable enough.
We should start negotiating – without preconditions. Of course,
there are other issues: China and Taiwan. And not to forget, there
is the economic issue. We have huge problems with the supply
chains, we will face strong inflation – and this is an unsolved
problem especially as we still try to ignore it. This is really dangerous
because inflation hurts societies, it hurts the middle class
and old people. How will our democracies deal with that? I think
we should be brutally honest and clear without trying appeasement
politics. We are going directly into a crisis. I do not want
to be too pessimistic. Mankind needs crisis and we are a very
resistant race. We need this crisis to wake up.
WHILE THE PANDEMIC (HOPEFULLY) SEEMS TO
BE SLOWLY COMING TO AN END, THE CLIMATE
ISSUE IS COMING BACK INTO FOCUS. HOW ARE
WE POSITIONED HERE?
Mankind regularly constructs scenarios about the end of the
world. When the year 1000 after Christ came, many people
believed it would be the end of the world. When the year 2000
approached, we talked about Y2K problem. Mankind has survived
many and very violent epidemics. Covid is therefore not
an exception in history.
Certainly, epidemics spread faster and faster around the globe
through better transportation, but as we can see we learned
to live with it. It might even be a certain warning and help us
to understand that crises can come, and we need a better civil
protection against diseases, catastrophes or other problems like
cyber break downs or electricity black outs. The idea to solve
every issue on super-national, global level is an illusion. Certainly,
global learning is very helpful but as people are different, regions
are different, countries are different, habits are different a lot must
be done on a regional and local level.
Looking for remedies by cartelization and centralisation might
work in a few cases but in general it is a disaster. We must
think more about collaboration than about centralization and
harmonization. A big issue is that so-called climate debate. The
danger of this is that it gets very dogmatic. We have the big need
to contain and reduce pollution and waste. We tried now with a
global top-down approach setting temperature and CO2 targets.
Not everybody will participate and it is also not sure that we can
reach it by human measures. We should rather try a bottom-up
way to contain pollution and waste. Politics in this area is a difficult
issue as certain countries will not follow.
Ideology is another problem because measures are getting
very pragmatic and not measured. For instance, in a dogmatic
way Germany phased-out nuclear. That led to an increased use
of brown coal to produce energy. This is just what should not
happen, but politics sticks to it. General efforts must continue
but it would be very important to find pragmatic ways to provide
energy in a cleaner way also for countries and regions like China,
Indonesia, India and Africa. But on the other hand, nature had
always changed the climate and climate will always change. So,
we must live with these changes. However, we must find ways
to protect the environment. Thinking that we can stop climate
change might be fatal because it does. I would not be too pessimistic.
Although the world and nature never have stability or
safety, the world will go on.
A RATHER GENERAL QUESTION AT THE END: HOW
DO YOU PERSONALLY SEE THE FUTURE OF THE
PLANET?
I think it is always dangerous to be a prophet because you can
be wrong. But at least one must take certain assumptions.
Nature always regenerates and mankind is a resident race. And
if we apply the beautiful phrase of apostle Paul in the second
letter to Timothy: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but
of power and love and a sound mind.”, we can look trustworthily
into the future.
In a world that has returned to great power rivalry, understanding
the grand strategy of these powers is crucial. This book introduces
ten key terms for analysing grand strategy and shows how
the world’s great powers – the United States, China, Russia and
the European Union (EU) – shape their strategic decisions today.
Outlining the steps needed for a less confrontational grand strategy
and a more peaceful and stable world order, this lively and
accessible introduction shows how the choices made in each of
these ten areas will determine the course of world politics in the
first half of the 21st century.
Sven Biscop is Director of the Europe in the World Programme at
the Egmont–Royal Institute for International Relations in Brussels
and Professor at Ghent University. He is an Honorary Fellow
of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC), and an
Officer in the Order of the Crown of the Kingdom of Belgium.
THE PROGRESSIVE POST
This is a timely analysis that – crucially – also manages to feel
both very real for the time it is written and future-proof in terms
of the insights it includes and the lessons it uncovers… a great
contribution to the global debates around the current and future
dynamics of great power politics.
JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES
Elegant and sophisticated .
BEATRICE HEUSER, UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW
A leading European expert giving wise counsel to strategy
makers on both sides of the Atlantic, for a community of values
that has choppy waters behind it, likely to face further rough seas
ahead. Strongly recommended empirically-derived navigation
aids for practitioners!
GENERAL SIR RUPERT SMITH KCB DSO OBE QGM
An excellent and readable book. His analysis is clear and his
suggestions for the future pertinent. He provides a comprehensive
framework for understanding strategies in general, let alone
the Grand Strategies of major powers.
GRAND STRATEGY
AND GREAT POWER POLITICS
PROFESSOR SVEN BISCOP
BARRY R. POSEN, MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE
OF TECHNOLOGY
A timely work accessible to practitioners, illuminating to scholars,
and instructive to students....elegantly combines theory, history,
and current-policy analysis to provide not only a primer on Grand
Strategy, but a guide to how to mobilize the concept to understand
and navigate an increasingly multi-polar world.
HAL BRANDS, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY AND
AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE
This book is both a conceptual treatment of grand strategy and a
prescriptive argument about 21st century geopolitics. While I do
not agree with all of its conclusions, I believe all readers will find
it most stimulating.
BRENDAN SIMMS, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
At a time when it faces a double ‘no deal’ on Brexit and the
Coronavirus Recovery Plan, the European Union badly needs a
strategy. Sven Biscop, who has spent his entire career analysing
the Union’s strengths and weakness is well-placed to help her to
start thinking about one. My recommendation can be summarised
in fewer than ten words: ‘buy this book’.
70 71

AT A GLANCE
THE INTERNATIONAL EVENT IN THE PROVINCE
OF NAMUR IN SPRING 2022
Organized by the Consular Corps of the Province of Namur, the
The Consular Corps of the Province of Namur, in its objective of
AMBASSADOR’S RALLY (29/05/2022) is definitely the interna-
participating actively in economic development, also wants to
tional economic event not to be missed this spring!
include the most disadvantaged. This year, the profits from the
event will be donated to the charities “La Société Royale
In a relaxed atmosphere, the Rally will introduce the most beau-
Moncrabeau” and “Educ’Action”. Help us to help them.
tiful landscapes and assets of the Province of Namur to Ambassadors
from all over the world and will be followed by a GARDEN
PARTY in the prestigious setting of the Château de Freyr.
CORE TEAM
Economic diplomacy at the service of companies is the objective
Magali Dugardin, Chairwomen, Honorary Consul of the
pursued by the Consular Corps of the Province of Namur. What
Republic of Congo for the Walloon Region.
could be better than a friendly afternoon to discuss international
business opportunities with the first representatives,
Ambassadors and Consuls?
The unique opportunity to meet in the same place Ambassadors,
Jérôme Bestgen, Head of Protocol, Honorary Consul of the
Republic of Haiti for the Walloon Region.
David Dannevoye, General Secretary, Honorary Consul of the
Republic of France for the Province of Namur.
MAGALI DUGARDIN, CHAIRWOMEN, HONORARY
CONSUL OF THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO FOR
THE WALLOON REGION
Consular Corps’ Garden Party, emerged as the best way to bring
together members of the diplomatic corps, institutions and business
leaders around a friendly event highlighting the beauty and
richness of Namur’s heritage as well as the quality and creativity
Diplomats, Consuls, entrepreneurs, industrialists, exporters…
Contact and information:
The Consular Corps of the Province of Namur – CCPN – mis-
of our businesses.
Book now your participation in this major event so as not to miss
contact@corpsconsulairenamur.be
sion’s is to develop commercial, economic, cultural and academ-
the opportunity to present your company, your projects, your
www.ambassadorsrally.be
ic relations between the Countries represented by its members
Corps Consulaire de la Province de Namur ASBL
products, your know-how to the whole world!
www.corpsconsulairenamur.be
and the Province of Namur. It is also to promote friendly relations
Palais Provincial – Place Saint-Aubain 2, 5000 Namur
between them and any other stakeholders including colleagues
N° d’entreprise : BE0781.330.545, RPM Liège – Division Namur
from other Belgian Consular Corps. ​
contact@corpsconsulairenamur.be, www.corpsconsulairenamur.be
Created in 2013, the CCPN, whose honorary president is the
Governor of the Province, Mr. Denis Mathen, is today composed
of 47 Honorary Consuls. This number is constantly increasing
thanks to the economic and political role of Namur (Capital of the
Walloon Region) and the proximity to the Walloon institutions in
particular.
Despite the sanitary situation, the CCPN took on added momentum
last year. The idea was to strengthen its footprint to fully play
its economic and cultural diplomacy role and to be prepared to
face new challenges in a post-pandemic context.
Among others, a new institutional not-for-profit structure has
been created to ensure the highest level of transparency and
governance. The CCPN core team joined several working groups
including the International Program of the Province of Namur
(PRIN) and the CCPN is now represented at business and networking
meetings and events.
Last but not least, the Ambassador’s Rally, followed by the
Magali Dugardin, Chairwomen, Honorary Consul of the Republic of
Congo for the Walloon Region
72 73

DUBAI EXPO 2020 SHOWS
THAT WE CAN LEARN A LOT FROM
THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
FOR THE FUTURE
We need to be more ambitious
and think 50 years ahead
The United Arab Emirates has been celebrating its 50th anniversary
with Dubai Expo 2020 in recent months. However, rather
than just looking backwards, the country is looking 50 years into
the future as well. It has a complete plan for 2071 ready and the
first projects are already being implemented. “It’s inspiring how
efficient and decisive the UAE is engaging in very long-term
projects and getting everyone involved,” Living Tomorrow CEO
Joachim De Vos says. Here are the five learnings we have taken
from the Living Tomorrow Presidential Innovation Mission with
more than 80 international decision makers.
THINK FAR, VERY FAR AHEAD
Joachim De Vos
“The United Arab Emirates is not just thinking a few years ahead.
It has plans for the next 50 years. The forward-looking government
has developed a full plan for 2071 to build a well-educated,
positive society with a diverse knowledge economy. All
decisions the country is making are based on this. It is inspiring
and instructive,” Joachim De Vos says. “Forward thinking is no
easy task – Living Tomorrow knows this all too well. When we
predicted the arrival of smartphones, e-commerce and screens
throughout the home with our first House of the Future more than
25 years ago, everyone said we were mad. Many people find it
hard to grasp how innovation will change society. Even now, we
can’t imagine what actual long-term changes will come from innovations
like Artificial Intelligence, real-time internet, blockchain
and virtual reality, but there are techniques for this. For example,
we can engage in scenario thinking and properly capture early
warning signals with regard to new technologies. The government,
businesses and population of the United Arab Emirates
are already fully on board with all this, so the whole country is
moving in the same direction. Of course that doesn’t mean they
are losing sight of what’s important in the short term. For example,
Dubai has incredibly impressive hospitals that look much like
74 75

luxury hotels with state-of-the-art equipment. Occupancy is low,
but again this is an investment in the future. They want to double
their population in just a few years and encourage all kinds of
tourism, including medical tourism. That is why they are now
trying to attract the best consultants with the best hospitals and
the latest equipment. They also see their state-of-the-art hospitals
as a new generation of training centres for the consultants
of tomorrow. It will take 10 to 15 years to see the results of these
training centres, but the plan is definitely going ahead as part of
the country’s vision for 2071.”
BROAD AND DECISIVE ECOSYSTEM
all the data from trains, trams, buses, underground transport,
taxis, water taxis, drones and so on. It can then provide insights
on how taxis can be guided through traffic more quickly and how
congestion in underground stations can be avoided by running
buses differently.
Dubai brings together companies or organisations, people and
data from different sectors to gather a lot of new insights that
lead to innovations. This creates a true ecosystem that fosters a
healthy knowledge economy and innovation. It also allows them
to build historical data series that can be used to turn simulations
and pattern recognition into smarter policy visions. We talk about
it, but they are doing it today, and doing it well.”
“One of the UAE’s main assets is that it has its finger on the
pulse of developments far beyond the country’s own borders.
They get their inspiration from all over the world and then implement
specific plans within their own context. They also manage
to remove or transcend the boundaries between different
sectors, companies and organisations. One example of this is an
integrated command and control centre we visited that combines
SPEED AS THE NEW NORMAL
“Dubai has hardly any income from oil, like the United Arab
Emirates’ capital Abu Dhabi or neighbouring country Saudi Arabia.
Dubai has to make do with trade, tourism and innovation in
all kinds of sectors that they can then market globally.
76 77

It has established innovative free zones where foreigners can
quickly set up their own company to attract leading foreign companies.
Such thematic ecosystems also allow them to bring the
right people together and make decisions more quickly. It is really
remarkable how fast everything happens in Dubai. Very fast.
Major infrastructure works that on average would take 7 years
in our country are completed in less than 1.5 years in Dubai, for
instance. How is this possible? They have a clear framework
to work in and everyone sticks to it. At the beginning of each
project, clear KPIs are set and specific agreements are made
that nobody deviates from. The UAE government also works very
quickly and efficiently. And innovation is paramount. The country
even has specific ministers of AI, Advanced Technology and
Sustainability.”
MORE COMMUNICATION
“To move that quickly, it is obviously important to explain to
people what is happening and what the goal is. That is something
the UAE knows very well. They communicate very well
about everything that is happening to inform people and to get
them on board with the plans. The decision-making processes
are also very transparent. Communication becomes far easier if
you determine well in advance who is responsible for what. They
use the latest media channels to inform everyone about their
vision and how people can participate. Area 2071 is the umbrella
website. It tells you how you can join the innovation ecosystem
that has been set up by the government, the private sector and
a wide range of talented people. It presents Dubai Future Labs,
UAE regulation labs, innovative office complexes and much
more, all at your service.
Bringing Expo 2020 to Dubai was also a very deliberate strategic
communication move. This edition of the World Expo managed
to attract many leading international visitors despite the Covid-19
pandemic. It gave many people including our mission participants
a very different perspective on Dubai and the opportunities
this city and by extension the UAE can offer as a global testing
platform for new services, technologies, infrastructure and
buildings.”
78 79

EXPERIMENT, THEN REGULATE
“Learning by experimentation is the UAE mindset, which has
resulted in free zones and specific labs all working towards
the Vision 2071 ambition. They have large R&D centres for just
about everything. For example, there is an energy test centre
that does a lot of experiments in order to store solar energy or
convert it into other forms of energy. The same R&D centre also
focuses on water and 3D printing, so they can explore integrated
solutions from those three angles, to develop hydrogen energy,
for instance. They can still learn a thing or two from us in terms
of sustainability, though. The first e-drone flights have already
taken place there. The UAE wants to be the first to build a fully
operational hyperloop for both people and logistics. Autonomous
vehicles are already being introduced in Masdar City in
Abu Dhabi. We saw autonomous vehicles delivering meals at the
Expo 2020 site. Many tasks you normally need to visit a police
station or town hall for can now be completed either online or at
smart police stations. I saw for myself how an expat extended his
residence visa at a virtual counter in a matter of seconds.
In terms of data protection regulations, for example, they first
looked at what worked and didn’t work in Europe. Then they
carried out some experiments themselves and only then did they
introduce their own final regulations based on their learnings.
This gave them a sound foundation for introducing their regulations
and gave the population an opportunity to give feedback
before anything is enforced. A very interesting approach.”
“All this is obviously possible because the UAE is a very different
kind of country than Belgium with less history (i.e. less of an
installed base), a higher investment budget and a more centrally
managed policy, but we can conclude that we can certainly learn
from its exciting approach. Even though it brings many advantages,
there are of course also disadvantages and concerns, but
as a pioneer of democracy, sustainability and humane innovation
in the Arab world, Dubai does take these to heart.
I therefore hope that we can soon start putting this into practice
with the many other decision makers who travelled to the Dubai
Expo 2020 with us. Our new Living Tomorrow innovation campus
is of course a crucial part of this endeavour. Ecosystems and
communication are key. Firstly, we offer our partners a platform
to showcase and explain their innovations and gather feedback
from their target groups. And secondly, we bring together
unexpected partners across sector boundaries. We don’t just
inspire with the knowledge we gain in Europe. We also reach out
globally to translate the best concepts and changes in society,
technology, services, products and infrastructure into valuable
insights. It is knowledge and experience our organisations –
our participants – desperately need to prepare for the future.
This cross-fertilisation with tangible results is what Living
Tomorrow is focusing on with our new innovation campus that
is opening next year.”
www.livingtomorrow.com
80 81

ADNAN AL NOORANI
Chairman of the Board of the Private Office
of Sheikh Saqer Bin Mohamed Al Qasimi and Group of Companies,
Founder of The Future Innovation Summit,
CEO of D1 Technologies & LEO Investments
THE FUTURE INNOVATION SUMMIT
Chairman of the Board of the Private Office of Sheikh Saqer
Leo Investments is safety: the company is using a unique invest-
The Future Innovation Summit was initiated in summer 2021
Staff Pilot Stephen A. Toumajan PHD, Asst. Undersecretary for
Bin Mohamed Al Qasimi and Group of Companies, Founder of
ment pool to secure investor, moreover, provides investors with
by its founder Adnan Al Noorani, as the first governmental level
Medical Practice in UAE Ministry of Health H.E. Dr. Amin Hussain
The Future Innovation Summit, CEO of D1 Technologies & LEO
valuable, strong, and profitable projects to invest in.
conference and exhibition gathering the best technologies and
Al Amiri, Managing Director and CIO of Dubai Group, H.E. Khalid
Investments - Adnan Al Noorani.
innovations from all over the world under one roof. Today it has
Al Shamsi, World Bank Association, Royal Families of UAE,
Adnan Al Noorani is also The Chairman of the Board of The
become a proper platform that is working as a bridge between
Government Representatives from Europe, the USA, CIS
A visionary leader and believer, Adnan Al Noorani has worked
Private Office of Sheikh Saqer Bin Mohamed Al Qasimi and
Government and Private sectors.
countries, representatives of the largest companies, such as
to the core of his strengths to bring success to the UAE in the
Group of Companies, a visionary leader who sees the potential
NASA, Roscosmos, Microsoft, Marvel, Disney, Forbes,
form of the Future Innovation Summit. In October 2021, he did
for how the world should exist and then takes steps to get there.
Under the bright leadership of Adnan Al Noorani, the first edition
Bloomberg, VISA, United Nations, UNESCO, and many
not only launch the biggest governmental conference & exhibi-
He has over 18 years of experience on the market. He has been
of the Future Innovation Summit, which took place in October
others into one place to speak about the future of innovations
tion (the Future Innovation Summit) but also made sure that it
working across the Royal Families of the UAE. Well-connect-
2021, brought together UAE key decision-makers from DHA,
and human development.
is a huge success. This was a feat that no one of his calibre or
ed throughout the governmental agencies and Royal Families,
KHDA, Ministry of Energy, Dubai Municipality, DLD, Smart Dubai
age has achieved in the country to date. In the same year, he
Adnan Al Noorani also guides and advises the clients towards
Government, leaders of opinions from all over the world, inves-
In partnership with governments of several countries, such as
successfully founded D1 Technologies, which is a company that
successful avenues to grow in the UAE and abroad. His primary
tors, businessmen, entrepreneurs and start-ups.
Malta and Mexico, Future Innovation Summit is a unique platform
deals in every technological needs of any company including
expertise is Government Market, UAE Law, Finance and GCC
representing the UAE for organizations, businesses, and individ-
blockchain technology & the Metaverse.
Business. Recognized for the humanitarian works, Adnan Al
During the first edition, our experts were sharing their expertise,
uals alike to share their expertise, knowledge, technologies and
Noorani, is well known for investing a sheer amount of faith
knowledge, technologies, and laid the foundation for future vision
lay a foundation for future vision and innovation for the world in
The primary focus of the company is modern technologies and
in the goodwill of the community. By leading The Private Office
and innovation for the world in healthcare, education, real estate,
the industries, such as space, sustainability, and metaverse.
digital transformation. D1 Technologies has become one of the
of Sheikh Saqer Bin Mohamed Al Qasimi and Group of
AI & technologies, telecommunications, blockchain, digital as-
strongest companies-platforms, that supports and develops
Companies, The Future Innovation Summit, D1 Technologies &
sets, and NFT.
For more information, please contact:
blockchain technologies, FinTech, digital assets, progressive
LEO Investments, Adnan Al Noorani has created a better place
E-Mail: exhibitions@hhshkqasimi.ae
IT solutions, NFTs, Metaverse, and many other divisions in the
for investors seeking to invest in GCC and he continues his
For the second edition, Adnan Al Noorani together with the Fu-
Tel.: +971 54 545 9999, +971 54 220 9999, +971 4 326 9999
tech industry. Having all of that on the list, D1 Technologies
journey to establish more global connections and to create a safe
ture Innovation Summit team announced the new topics that will
has become a new tech hub for the companies coming to the
haven for business. His one and only goal is to build a healthy,
be discussed on May 11-12, 2022, during the conference and
UAE. Meanwhile, LEO Investments is one of the top investing
strong future business generation and a healthy economic
exhibition in The Meydan Hotel, Dubai.
brands under the hood of Adnan Al Noorani. The core idea of
environment.
‘We are so excited about the second edition of Future Innovation
Summit. We look forward to meeting the experts from Space,
Sustainability, and Metaverse industries. We believe that together
we will be able to discover new opportunities for a brighter future
of humanity’ - said Adnan Al Noorani, founder of the Future
ne
Technologies
Innovation Summit.
This year the Future Innovation Summit is oriented on the space
industry, sustainability, metaverse, customs, telecommunications,
energy solutions, robotics, investments, security & safety,
and climate change.
The Future Innovation Summit is bringing President of Interpol
H.E. Major Gen. Dr. Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi, General Manager of
National Search and Rescue Center (NSRC) H.E Major General
Adnan Al Noorani
82 83

BELGIAN SPACE WEEK
DIRK FRIMOUT
On 24 March 2022, it will have been 30 years since the first
Belgian went into space. It was on this date that astro naut Dirk
Frimout left for space in the American shut tle Atlantis. The year
2022 also marks the 20th anniver sary of Frank De Winne​’s first
space flight.
THIS YEAR IS A VERY SPECIAL YEAR. WOULD YOU
EXPLAIN US WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN OCTOBER?
So, first the year 2022 is the 30th anniversary of my flight to
space. I was in space in March 1992. We are trying to organise
something related to 30th anniversary of my flight and we want
this to coincide around the same time during which another
Belgian went to space 20 years ago – Frank De Winne. So, we
decided to do it together. It will be the 20th anniversary of his first
flight and the 30th anniversary of mine.
I have invited the whole team that I was flying with back then
– six Americans and myself, the only Belgian on board. For the
Photo: nasa.gov
Dirk Frimout
Photo: nasa.gov
84 85

done around 16 tours around the globe, and you are able to
see all the countries of our planet. I have the feeling that I do
not come from one country anymore, I come from our planet,
because we have seen the whole Earth. In the International
Space Station (ISS), there are different nationalities together,
with different languages, religions and educational backgrounds.
But this diversity is not conducive to problems, on the contrary.
We all have in common that the Earth is our home and once
you experience it in all its glory and it is extraordinary to witness
something like that.
Today, everyone is very eager on getting more of us out there in
space. After the first moon landing, there has been no break in
finding ways to explore or possibly other planets. That is typical
for human beings, they always want to get a little but further, so
now there are talks of going to Mars later on, and other planets.
We have just now started to conquer our whole solar system.
This is something our future generations will tackle.
as friends. We are with 600 but from every region around Earth.
When I go to another country the first thing I think about are
“who are the astronauts from this region?”.
I THINK IT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE COULD INVITE
ALL OF THEM BECAUSE THIS WOULD SEND AN
INCREDIBLE MESSAGE TO THE WHOLE WORLD
Everybody is working together. The Earth is another spaceship
with 7 billion people on it. Once you are in a real shuttle with
around seven people; they all have an important task and assist
one another to reach success. If one fails, all fail and this could
lead to catastrophe. It is the same with people, they all have
their own task here on Earth and they should be doing it for the
well being of the others. We first have to complete all our tasks
to start the next step or reach a new level. Then maybe we can
take steps to find perhaps other intelligent life out there in the
universe and take greater steps.
I am involved in a project with Nicole Stott, an American astronaut.
She is an artist too, she has made some space-themed
paintings, one of which is displayed in Living Tomorrow. She is
working with children with cancer. These children paint on the
clothes of the astronauts.
Thank you so much for the peace message for the world and the
readers of Diplomatic World.
www.belgianspaceweek.be
Dirk Frimout and Jan Engels
I know Nicole and have contacted her. I actually was planning
on inviting her for our Space Week. We first tried to arrange it
around March this year but because of COVID-19 it was not
possible. We wanted to organise a get together with quite a lot of
young people to try and teach them, maybe even persuade them
a little, to join astronauts’ world of technology and science.
20th anniversary we came together as well and everyone who
was on board that day also accompanied me. That was the first
time we had ever been together again since my flight to space so
I am thrilled to live it all over again.
I am the president of a non-profit organization, the Euro Space
Society, and we have a lot of young people who are interested
in our cause. In a nutshell, Euro Space Society has the objective
to promote space and technology to a younger audience. But
because of the COVID-19 crisis, since two years we have not
been able to do any sort of activity because we could not come
together. However, this year we have more room to come up with
ideas so we started the program. We have invited 12 “flyers”
(astronauts and cosmonauts) and together we will visit universities
across Belgium. These participating universities will organise
activities for the young people involved.
FROM WHAT COUNTRIES WILL THE INVITED
COSMONAUTS/ASTRONAUTS BE COMING FROM?
The invited astronauts and cosmonauts that have flown with me
and Frank, are coming from the United States, Russia and
Canada, and there is also one from France.
FOR US SPACE SYMBOLISES PEACE, A SIGN OF
TRANQUILLITY. I FIND IT CRUCIAL THAT YOU
HAVE INVITED ASTRONAUTS FROM VARIOUS
COUNTRIES. THIS IS A SIGN TO SHOW THAT
PEACE ALSO EXISTS ACROSS BORDERS
We have the Association of Space Explorers. Basically, everyone
who has been to space can automatically become a member of
that organization. It is encouraging to have contacts with these
people all around the world. We all have something so incredible
in common, a remarkable connection. We call it the overview
effect, it is something very special and difficult to explain, but we
have all seen the Earth from higher up, from an orbit around the
Earth. Our orbit was circular, at a height of 300 kilometres, fixed
to the sun, but the Earth is turning. And so in one day, you have
We reschedule our Belgian Space week in October and now we
try again to invite Nicole. If she would be free around October
that would be wonderful.
We live in a very big world, however we are all connected
Astronauts and cosmonauts are closely in contact and we may
not have the opportunity to meet at any given moment, immediately,
but we are friends. We have something in common.
I STAND BY YOUR CAUSE AND THE MESSAGE
BEHIND IT. I FIND THIS A VERY INTERESTING
SUBJECT AND I AM HONOURED THAT YOU SENT
OUT AN INVITATION TO DIPLOMATIC WORLD SO
THAT WE CAN BE A PART OF THIS JOURNEY WITH
YOU, TOGETHER
We are a small group of people. There are around 600 astronauts
and cosmonauts who have gone in space and if we meet
somebody, they may come from anywhere, we see each other
Dirk Frimout and Barbara Dietrich
86 87

THE ARTISTIC FACE
OF EUROPE
NEW TRETYAKOV GALLERY
Following its run in Berlin,
The Exhibition Diversity United
has now arrived at the second venue of its tour.
The works of 90 artists from 34 countries showcase
the phenomenal diversity and vitality of the contemporary
European art scene – from Portugal to Russia,
from Norway to Turkey
Greeting by Ambassador von Geyr on the occasion of the open-
others, Mr Windhorst, please accept my grateful thanks.
ing of Diversity United in Moscow.
Professor Shvydkoy, Mikhail Yefimovich, I don’t know how often
Ms Tregulova,
we have met and talked about this project in the last few years.
Professor Shvydkoy,
Thank you so very much for the work you have put into Diversity
Mr Großmann,
United, not least as an important project of the Year of Germany
Excellencies,
here in Russia. I would moreover like to thank you on a very per-
Honoured guests,
sonal level for the good and trust-based working relationship. My
thanks also go to the Russian Ministry of Culture, to you, Minister
Madam Director, Zelfira Ismailovna, this is the third time during
Lyubimova, to Deputy Minister Manilova and to the Russian
our year of Germany that we have opened an exhibition here
Foreign Ministry.
in your Tretyakov Gallery. You have my heartfelt gratitude for a
partnership that is as professional as it is devoted.
I want to say very clearly that this exhibition is also, to a great
extent, the outcome of good and thoughtful German-Russian
I cannot deny that my delight today is particularly great be-
cultural relations.
cause Diversity United, after having been in Berlin, is now being
Petersburg Dialogue. I mention this because the exhibition,
What Europe stands for today – as it has done for millennia – is
launched here in Moscow. More than three years of preparations,
The Year of Germany – I mentioned it earlier – is ending with a
designed as it is to be German-Russian, German-Russian-French
a unique wealth of culture; it means a vast range of experience
with a variety of difficult situations – it was all worth it!
major and powerful climax: Diversity United. In spite of pandem-
and at the same time European, demonstrates what civil society
from outstanding times and from dreadful times; it means lan-
ic-related obstacles and a number of political difficulties, we have
dialogue can do, what it can achieve.
guages, religions, history and histories. What Europe defines is
I am sure that people in Moscow and elsewhere in Russia will
succeeded in putting together over a thousand events in seventy
the fundamental feeling, held by proud nations, that all of this is
find this exhibition a highly interesting encounter with Europe –
Russian cities and regions during this Year of Germany.
Diversity United also is an important project of the Petersburg
what makes us, together, what we are.
and thus with their own selves.
Dialogue here in Moscow today.
A thousand events – that is a thousand opportunities for people
My focus is on the forward perspective. Europe, I am convinced,
Diversity United was the magnificent idea of the Foundation for
to get to know Germany, a thousand opportunities for encoun-
Diversity and unity in a very special balance – that is what distin-
represents a major opportunity, particularly in our globalised
Art and Culture and its Chairman, Walter Smerling. We owe this
ters, for dialogue, for exchange.
guishes our cultural Europe as we confront the big questions of
future – if we uphold and protect the value of our precious diver-
exhibition to his imagination and his determination.
our coexistence, exchange views on them and contemplate them
sity; if we uphold tolerance and respect for one another.
Our priority in all of this is to showcase our country’s diversity,
together, agreeing here, differing there.
I would ask you, Mr Großmann, as head of the foundation’s
to show Germany as it is today, in all the variety of our scientific,
I keep being reminded of a phrase, coined by a Briton, which
Project Advisory Board, to pass on my thanks to Mr Smerling.
business, cultural and, like today, artistic achievements. And
And through all this, we agree on the importance of diversity for
expresses all of this so succinctly: “the dignity of difference”.
the European perspective is central, time and again: Germany is
all of us. Europe equals diversity; the European cultural area has
Support came from many quarters, including Germany’s Federal
firmly embedded in Europe.
learned the hard way how vital it is to accept diversity – meaning
Perhaps it is exactly this that must and hopefully will characterise
Foreign Office – but without sponsors, an exhibition of this
the rich variety of our culture as well as diversity of opinions.
our shared European cultural area more than ever.
calibre could not exist. As chief sponsor and representing many
Part of the inspiration for Diversity United came from the
88 89

Tolerance and respect – without both of them, our cultural
Europe cannot function. This is true for my country as it is for
all others, including Russia. Diversity needs to be protected
everywhere. And since we have gathered here in Moscow today,
I do want to point out that my government and many, a great
many Europeans are concerned by the shrinking of space here
for civil society organisations and for the important cross-border
dialogue at civil society level, including with us – particularly at
this time.
With Diversity United, the artists are now in the spotlight, drawing
on their exceptional perspicacity to show us their thoughts on
Europe.
That’s the strong message of today: the artists are showing us
that cooperation works in their circles. Together, they are showcasing
Europe’s superb contemporary art; they are demonstrating
European civil-society cooperation in its best light. Indeed,
in some sense, these artists are showing our diplomats and
politicians the way forward.
To conclude, therefore, as German ambassador, I am proud that
here in Moscow, after Berlin and before in France, we now have
an exhibition of a truly European character on display: an exhibition
involving 90 artists, some of them world renowned, from 34
countries – with Germans and Russians among them.
I am certain that the people of Moscow and Russia will be curious
about this exhibition and the many discussions and workshops
in the accompanying programme over the coming months,
eager for stimulus, agreement and dissent – the stuff Europe and
our times are made of.
The people of Moscow can look forward to encounters with
Europe and thus with their own selves.
90 91

92 93

BERNAR VENET RETROSPECTIVE
60 YEARS OF SCULPTURE
PAINTING & PERFORMANCE
1961-2021
Kunsthalle Berlin – Tempelhof Airport
“Bernar Venet Retrospective, 60 Years of Sculpture, Painting &
Performance, 1961-2021” is the internationally-renowned French
artist’s largest and most comprehensive retrospective in the
world to date, spanning the entirety of his complex and widely
diverse oeuvre as a sculptor, painter, performance artist – and
radical conceptual artist. The exhibition will bring together over
150 works, reflecting the artist’s uncompromising approach and
natural obsession for constantly shaping his environment through
his art. On view from January 29 – May 30, 2022, the show is the
first in a series of exhibitions to unfold over the next two years in
the Kunsthalle Berlin across the spectacular hangars 2 and 3 of
Berlin’s emblematic Tempelhof Airport.
Organized by the Stiftung für Kunst and Kultur, curated by Walter
Smerling, Bernar Venet, 1961—2021 charts the trajectory of the
artist’s career from his very beginnings in his studio, which was
made available to him by the French army during his military service,
and which form the cornerstone of a body of work that has
repeatedly called itself into question. Venet has consistently affirmed
his concept of art as an attitude which extends far beyond
the formal and the spatial. His aspirations to this day are firmly
rooted in the unbounded desire to simply never accept the world
as it is, instead lending it his own perspective. Landscapes and
spaces suddenly assume a new dimension, allowing the observer
to differently view – and feel – the energetically charged space
in which his signature steel lines, arcs and angles are installed.
The exhibition is a personal homage to Dr. Paul Wember, as
Venet pays tribute to the director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum
in Krefeld – the very first to grant the artist a solo exhibition in
1970 at a time when no gallery had shown his work outside of
group exhibitions.
One of the exhibition’s focuses is Venet’s work from 1966 to
1970 – his conceptual years in the United States – revealing
the extreme radicality of an artistic approach which gave him
international recognition at a very young age. Since 1979, and
the fabrication of his Indeterminate Lines, his work has taken
a turn towards the formalist. In addition to his wood reliefs, he
has developed a unique steel sculpture style which can be seen
today in capitals across the continents. For the show, Venet will
use the sculptural elements of his large-scale installation at the
Louvre Lens (France) to specially conceive four different installations
made of Arcs, Angles and Straight Lines unfolding across
Tempelhof Airport’s spacious, yet seldom invested warehouses.
In tandem with his sculptural work, the exhibition expands
Venet’s complete painting work, from his first 1961 Goudron
(Tar) paintings to his most recent, Equations and Saturations, the
textual and mathematical symbols of which become the defining
elements over richly coloured backgrounds. With these paintings,
Venet rejects formalism as much as the idea of abstraction.
While abstract art commonly refers to what is non-figurative,
these new works function within another category. By presenting
what are usually defined as “mathematical objects” (numbers,
figures, spaces, functions, relations, structures), the works attain
a maximum level of abstraction: the non-referential is pushed to
its extreme limits. In sum, contrasting it to abstract art where a
symbolism of form or colour is implied, Venet offers a maximal
self-referential system, which only a mathematical equation can
offer.
Throughout the course of exhibition Venet will activate the space
with on-site performances, including Domino Effondrement,
first performed in 2021 as part of the Venet Foundation’s annual
exhibition (Le Muy, France), in which he uses a forklift to trigger
94 95

the collapse of a seemingly random array of corten steel arcs
– weighing over 30 tons – leaving them scattered across the
floor, as order and chance grow inextricably bound together in
this clearly visible accident. Also presented are iterations of The
Steel Bar and the Pictorial Memory of the Gesture performance,
which use the line as a tool to intersect the mediums of performance,
painting, and sculpture. Using a steel beam coated in
paint, Venet leaves the trace of the movement of the bar on the
exhibition walls. Calling to mind the subtle asymmetry of inkblots
used during The Rorschach Test, the work pushes the boundaries
of Venet’s oeuvre by demonstrating how the body can be
used as a tool to bring the mathematical concept of the line to
life. Unerringly direct, calculating, convinced of the emotionality
and of the intention to symbiotically marry his existence with
his creative aspirations, Venet once again renders his ultimately
deeply optimistic aspiration not to reinvent the world, but to alter
his viewers’ perception of it.
The exhibition follows the presentation “Diversity United. Contemporary
European Art” in the former Tempelhof Airport from
June 9 to October 10, 2021. Following its successful joint
collaboration, Tempelhof Projekt GmbH and the Foundation for
Art and Culture have agreed to work together and present
future exhibitions in the Kunsthalle Berlin – Tempelhof Airport
at hangars 2 and 3 of the former Tempelhof airport, initially for
the next two years. The project is realized with the generous
support of CG Elementum AG and its CEO Christoph Gröner.
INTRODUCTION TO THE CATALOGUE
BY WALTER SMERLING
Bernar Venet’s concept of art could be described as an attitude
which extends far beyond the formal and the spatial. His aspirations
are firmly rooted in the unbounded desire to simply never
accept the world as it is but to lend it his own perspective. It is
as if he never really left behind his “Sturm und Drang” phase—in
a variation of the Goethean Prometheus: Bernar Venet creates
not people but his very own cosmos. Landscapes and spaces
suddenly assume a new dimension which enables the observer
to view differently, or even feel, the horizon of the landscape and
the energetically charged space in which the steel lines and the
arcs are installed.
In Venet’s works, nature, ratio and emotion combine to form a
symbiosis. Usually weighing tonnes, his sculptures cannot be
moved without the aid of heavy machinery. Yet they are still possessed
of a lightness, like beings suddenly infused with life.
96 97

They exude a fascination both optically and atmospherically,
Accident, Venet’s 1996 performance, that he will be perform
“I am honoured to exhibit my works at Flughafen Tempel-
“Bernar Venet is a sculptor, painter, photographer and also
which initially remains amorphous. His game with the system-
again at the opening in Berlin, is an important example of his
hof, this historic place that my generation has known, over
shows performances. For the first time, we are showing
atic, mathematically and geometrically calculated structure of
artistic position. With his own hand, he triggers the collapse of
the years, due to its various and memorable missions. In
the French artist’s work in its full dimension, starting with
the works, on the one hand, and the seemingly random self-for-
a seemingly random array of metal bars arranged into a wall
these two vast hangars, now adapted to showcase works
his artistic roots in 1961 until today. The constant ques-
mation of the material on the other, generates an overarching
installation. The impact of the action leaves its marks on the wall
of art, I have been offered the possibility of presenting all
tioning of what is happening around us as well as the
tension. Bernar Venet’s uncompromising approach can only be
of the exhibition space; the bars remain scattered across the
the aspects of my work, staging its diversity, from my first
questioning of his own work were and are essential for him
understood through his natural obsession to artistically shape
floor or against the wall and the outcome of the “accident” is
and hypothetical experiments to my most recent paintings
as a conceptual artist. Nature, reason and emotion form
his environment, regardless of where he is located—unerring-
clearly visible. Additionally, Venet will perform another highlight,
and sculptures, which try to impose themselves in this
the symbiosis with which Bernar Venet gives us new per-
ly direct, calculating, convinced of the emotionality and of the
a new work from 2021 named Domino Effondrement (Domino
space, itself so present and physical. It is a challenge on
spectives on space, architecture and our environment. His
intention to symbiotically marry his existence with his creative
Collapse) which is a further development of the Accidents that
a scale that I have not encountered before. It should be
sculptures are real and paradoxical – they convey a certain
aspirations.
contains three distinct states: erecting a set of arcs, a perfor-
seen as a tribute to Germany, which was the first country,
lightness, the lightness of gravity.”
mance in which they were toppled, and the result, a visible trace
in 1970, to offer me a solo museum exhibition.”
The exhibition at Tempelhof Airport, Berlin, coherently charts the
of entropy. In these works, order and chance are inextricably
Walter Smerling, Curator of the exhibition and Chairman of
trajectory of the artist’s career, the various work phases and his
bound together. Material, location and time, traces of our exist-
Bernar Venet
the Board of the Stiftung für Kunst und Kultur Bonn
extensive activities as a sculptor, painter, graphic artist, perfor-
ence, a gamut of emotions – from fear and uncertainty to joy and
mance actor—and ultimately always as a conceptual artist who,
confidence – all collide with one another here. Yet there remains
as he confesses in the conversation with Hans Ulrich Obrist,
the optimistic stance of the artist, who aspires not to reinvent the
had outside art as a model, for example mathematics. Entitled
world but to alter our view of it.
“The retrospective of the lifetime oeuvre of Bernar Venet
For many years now, the CG Elementum AG has assumed
in the Hangars 2 and 3 is a further milestone on the path
social responsibility by long-term funding of social and
of Flughafen Tempelhof to becoming an internationally
cultural projects throughout Germany. By supporting
renowned venue for art and culture. Already, Diversity
the Kunsthalle Berlin in Tempelhof over a period of two
United, last year’s exhibition dedicated to contemporary
years, the company not only wants to make possible the
European art, and the yearly art fairs during Art Week Ber-
excellent major exhibition of Bernar Venet’s work, but also
lin vividly demonstrated how art shows can benefit from
wants to enable a continuing access to culture during the
the historically industrial atmosphere of the large hangar
pandemic. “This is the crucial moment to support culture.
spaces. THF-Flughafen Tempelhof is and can be both:
Firstly, so that people can broaden their horizons and ex-
large-scale construction site as well as partner within a
perience something with the potential to foster their inner
very special event and exhibition location.”
strength. On the other hand, it is equally essential to sustain
artists and their existence livelihood” notes Christoph
Jutta Heim-Wenzler, Managing Director Tempelhof
Gröner, adding “my company and I were immediately cap-
Projekt GmbH
tivated by the idea of establishing a temporary Kunsthalle
at the historic Tempelhof site and are convinced that the
Bernar Venet retrospective will be followed by a series of
singular exhibitions.”
I would like to thank Walter Smerling for bringing art of the
highest quality back to Berlin !
Christoph Gröner, Chairman of
the Board CG Elementum AG
Barbara Dietrich, CEO Diplomatic World
98 99

H.E. ANNE-MARIE DESCÔTES
AMBASSADOR
OF FRANCE TO GERMANY
I am very grateful to Walter Smerling for having given me the
opportunity to inaugurate alongside him this unique exhibition of
the works of Bernar Venet, in the presence of this immense and
singular artist.
It is fantastic that Bernar Venet’s individual retrospective is the
first exhibition of a series in the historic and extraordinary premises
of Tempelhof Airport.
Time and again, Bernar VENET has been making guest appearances
in Germany since the seventies. His sculptures are well
known in many German Länder and have also shaped the
cityscape here in Berlin. Here I am thinking of the sculpture
“Arc de 124,5°” at the Urania, donated to the city by the French
state in 1987 to mark Berlin’s 750th anniversary.
the greatest German contemporary artists: Georg Baselitz at the
Centre Pompidou, Anselm Kiefer at the Grand Palais Ephémère
and Josef Beuys at the Palais de Tokyo. This is a strong sign of
mutual interest at a time when Franco-German cooperation is
so indispensable in all fields. That is why we generally promote
exchanges of artists, which is so important.
Furthermore, in the context of France’s six-month Presidency
of the Council of the EU, culture is fundamental in promoting a
European identity. Our Presidency’s triple motto is “recovery,
strength and a sense of belonging”. Art and culture are key to
mutual understanding and can help to create a sense of belonging
among citizens, especially among young people to whom art
is so meaningful, to which Bernar Venet’s unique retrospective
makes an exceptional contribution.
It is a great pleasure for me to have this exhibition in Berlin. There
are also currently three exhibitions in Paris dedicated to some of
100 101

KOEN VANMECHELEN
UBUNTU
As I was walking down the stately corridors of the Uffizi’s first
and second floor, among the classical statuary, it suddenly struck
me. I was contemplating my new exhibition Seduzione. My
horned iguanas, marble red tiger, my Medusa’s, and all my other
hybrids and fantastical creatures as they interacted with the
masterworks, and together sang a new song.
me something else too. The choir of their ancient voices almost
overwhelmed me. Yet, they helped me understand the magnitude
of absence needed to elaborate their germinating ideas
and transform them for an audience of the future. And even to
deconstruct them to construct something entirely new. And that
is exactly what I did with my exhibition Seduzione.
Passing the old masterworks, I understood that W.H. Auden
rightly referred to the old masters as wise in his well-known
poem Musée des Beaux-Arts. “About suffering, they were never
wrong”, he said. Suffering, yes, sure. But it unexpectedly dawned
on me that here in Firenze, in the vast spaces of this renowned
museum, the old works were also carrying the echoes of times
gone by and things hidden somewhere long ago. The works’
messages transcended their aesthetic value. They whispered to
During the vernissage in the Uffizi Museum, I hoped future visitors
would feel like Piranesi, the fictitious character in Susanna
Clarke’s book. His extended stay in a Uffizi-like universe forced
him to construct a third identity from the remnants of the other
two. The former one constructed in our reality, the other in the
vast House he had been locked away in for years. A true renaissance
is what the third, new identity was. And what I am always
aiming for in my work, a rebirth.
Installation view, Temptation, Seduzione, Koen Vanmechelen, Uffizi Galleries, 2022 Photo: Francesco Allegretto
Connection, Seduzione, Koen Vanmechelen, Uffizi Galleries, 2022 Photo: Francesco Allegretto
102 103

Vesta - Mechelse Cubalaya - CCP11, Seduzione. Koen Vanmechelen. Galleria degli Uffizi, 2022 Installation view, Medusa by Caravaggio (middle) and Koen Vanmechelen, Seduzione, Uffizi Galleries, 2022 Photo: Francesco Allegretto
My installations are meant to encourage a Cosmopolitan Renaissance,
developing new philosophies, ideas, and approaches that
could herald new and better futures. Reason why, interspersed
among Uffizi’s paintings and statues, you can find my Temptation
sculptures: 15 marble busts inspired by the Classical sculptures
of figures such as Augustus, Caesar, Hermes, Niobe, Plautilla,
and Socrates. Emperors, philosophers, warriors, heroes, and
divinities. They all carry a cracked glass egg from which hybrid
creatures spring forth, representing the mind’s freeing and imagination.
They create an evocative and disorienting journey around
the idea of seduction, offering a kind of hymn to the power of life
and the regenerating, although sometimes monstrous, force of
the natural world.
Another realisation hit me when I left the Uffizi the day before the
official opening. Some museums might indeed risk becoming
tombs, offering works without a context, masterpieces that have
just become mere projections of the occasional visitor’s mindscape.
Art always carries the generations and their contexts.
Its meaning cannot be interpreted without knowing the nest it
emerged from.
I stopped at Caravaggio’s Medusa after lingering in front of works
of Raphael, Michelangelo, and the Flemish Painters. The Medusa
was made at the end of the 16th century. The start of science,
of the world economy, of interconnectedness. People from the
Middle East, Europe, Central, South and North America, Asia and
Oceania connected with people from distant cultures. Wars of
ideas were fought. It was the beginning of the Eurocentric and
anthropocentric biases. But it was also a time when nature was
in abundance, the wilderness was not tamed yet, and scientists
in different places and cultures had different systems for naming
life. Then, only a fraction of all the green growth on Earth was
consumed by humans.
One can only truly grasp the meaning of Caravaggio’s Medusa
if one realises this was a time new narratives were being born
and were flooding past ones, when a global movement of genes
and memes was violently kickstarted, giving an opening to the
creation of new worlds. As usual, creations always appear out of
confrontations.
The Renaissance was the start of the effort by humanity to
control the unstoppable forces of nature. They chose not to work
with the planet but to control it. Rob Dunn, in A Natural History of
the Future, puts it like this: “We seek, collectively, to simplify the
living world and channel it into our service, to circumscribe it so
fully within our powers that it ceases even to be visible.”
The Cosmopolitan Renaissance encourages a more loving and
healing embrace of the broader natural ecosystem. This is a particularly
salient and poignant point in the context of our ongoing
pandemic, which is an urgent warning to what could follow.
I quote Dunn again: “Even under the most optimistic scenarios,
by the year 2080, hundreds of millions of species will need to
migrate to new regions and even new continents to survive. We
are reshaping nature at unprecedented scales, and for the most
part, we are absentmindedly looking the other way while doing
so.” Conclusion: we must reshape our minds and perspective
in relation to the world. We have to make a new canvas for ourselves
and the rest of life on our planet.
The question then is: which painting would you like to live in?
Or better yet: in which painting do we live? I remember a mysterious
children’s book about a strange man who took refuge
in a painting in times of need. How big was that other world he
Vesta, Seduzione, Koen Vanmechelen, Uffizi Galleries, 2022
Photo: Francesco Allegretto
104 105

LUXURY AND WARMTH
BROUGHT TOGETHER IN
HOTEL BRITANNIA
Installation view, Ubuntu, Seduzione, Koen Vanmechelen, Uffizi Galleries, 2022
Photo: Francesco Allegretto
stepped into? It fascinated me immensely. Was it oppressive, like
in a Schrödinger box? Or was the painting frame more of a gate
to another dimension than a door to a small, invisible isolation
cell? That the man could get in and out of the painting at his
discretion brings me to here and now, to us.
Surrounded by the splendour of the Uffizi museum, I also had the
feeling that we were living in a specific painting. Definitely not in
a village of Clive Hicks-Jenkins, on a raft of Théodore Géricault,
or an escalator of a Mark Wallinger. No, we currently exist in a
Michelangelo painting. On the tension of the time. Searching,
looking, reaching, struggling. Desire to make a new frame.
We want to break out of the box. In our times of uncertainty and
tension, we try to find what Leonardo da Vinci was looking for.
We also want to fly. Break the frame. We just don’t know how.
The solution, I think, also lies with da Vinci. After all, man’s inventions
did not come out of the blue. They were based on earlier
designs from older cultures. From Greece and Rome, from China,
Egypt and Persia. Da Vinci disassembled their old concepts and
combined them with new technical inventions.
We, too, have to recombine the old recipes into something new,
in the spirit of an open university. A Cosmopolitan Renaissance
can arise from new ideas, new fusions and connections, and
exploring new boundaries. The philosophy that carries that,
for me, is Ubuntu, as propagated by Desmond Tutu and
Nelson Mandela. “I am because we are”. We seek contact with
each other because we do not exist without the other. I am human
because you are human. Together we form a community.
Together we will step out of the old painting. That’s how it felt
when I flew from Belgium to Zimbabwe a week after the opening
of Seduzione. A sense of what the ancient Greeks called koinonia
came over me—a sense of being a community, a society. We are
a group determined to clamber out of the old painting to live in
a new reality. Undoubtedly this too will become a painting. But
indeed, not a garden by Hieronymus Bosch, some heaven by
Jeff Koons, or a diner by Edward Hopper. Something completely
different. Something blazingly new.
WHY DOES KOEN VANMECHELEN HAVE A
COLUMN IN DIPLOMATIC WORLD?
Unlike anyone else, this visionary artist bridges the
divides between cultures, disciplines, communities and
generations. Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen (1965)
is an internationally acclaimed conceptual artist.
His exploration of crucial issues as diversity, fertility and
identity is translated into highly idiosyncratic works and
projects. Decoding and recoding nature’s language,
the artist tackles contemporary issues regarding human
rights, sustainability and multiculturalism.
Knokke-Heist
hotelbritannia.be
106

A TAXONOMY
OF AUTHORSHIP AND THE HAND
OF SIR ANTHONY VAN DYCK
IN HIS FIRST ANTWERP PERIOD 1615-20
IN MEMORIAM DR. ARNOUT BALIS
Univ. Prof. Dr. hc Jan De Maere
University of Art & Design, Cluj-Napoca
Anthonis Van Dyck and Studio,
Cook version, 112 x 11,5 cm, c. 1620
X-ray Cook version
In red, reworked parts in a second stage
of the Cook version
ABSTRACT
teraction, involved in the two best (known) versions of the Family
portrait of Cornelis de Vos and his Family, interdisciplinary exam-
For the first part of van Dyck’s career, when in Rubens’ studio,
inations high-end technological methods, such as X-radiography,
little can be said about the specific characteristics of the best
X-ray computer tomography, mammographic tomosynthesis and
assistant’s paintings compared to these of Van Dyck’s own hand.
macroscopic X-ray fluorescence, can be employed to render the
Some of Sir Anthony Van Dyck’s early paintings exist in different
overpainted layers visible again.
versions. Different versions, copies and replicas of his paintings
are often contemporary, sometimes from his workshop while
Recently, connoisseurship experienced a revival due to the latest
others are later copies by others.
technological developments of the material analysis and history
As Rubens did, Van Dyck had apprentices and assistants (gezellen)
to work on his paintings. The issue of originality, invention
of old master paintings. Nevertheless, technology did not offer
a definite meta-methodological tool 2 replacing the traditional
connoisseurship. It reveals the need of a special kind of interdis-
Anthonis Van Dyck and Studio,
Baron Janssen version, 115 x 111,5 cm, c. 1620
Xray Baron Janssen version
and authorship while acknowledging the status of a painting had
ciplinary connoisseurship 3 .
become a concern since the last quarter of the XVIth century
in Antwerp. Flemish vernacular language developed a nuanced
Technology allows in some cases to refine the distinction be-
vocabulary for artistic replication with a precise taxonomy. The
tween the production of the master and that of his workshop,
analysis of different versions in the light of the ‘hand of the mas-
and between different versions. The actual state of mastery and
ter’ needs categorization in an adequate taxonomy.
authorship in Anthony van Dyck’s paintings is not tethered to the
physical execution of paintings in the same way as in Modernity,
In the art market, the word ‘workshop’ indicates a lesser qualita-
where the polarization of the terms ‘hand of the artist’ and ‘copy’
tive criterium, but in art history it relates to the precise ontological
are the primary locus for authorship.
context of the creation of the painting. An Antwerp studio of a
famous master was an organized industry directed by a skilful
Authenticity in Antwerp in early XVIIth century terms is more
and educated entrepreneur, the master.
anchored in invention than in execution. As in the earlier painting
practices of the XVth and XVIth centuries, collaboration in
He was assisted, even for his autograph paintings by several
famous artist’s workshops, both vertically and horizontally, often
assistants who had to follow his style. Some of them had some-
involved assistant work on the same panel or canvas 4 .
what creative freedom expressed in their individual ‘ductus’, as
the young Van Dyck in Rubens’s studio 1 . His artistic dialog with
‘Multiple hands’ is the rule for the most successful artists of the
Rubens determined the first Antwerp period of his career.
early 17th century in Antwerp, heavily relying on gifted assistants
5 , but the degree of implication of the master determined
1* THE YOUNG ANTHONY VAN DYCK
greatly pricing.
To reconstruct the genesis and the degree of master-studio in-
The young Van Dyck wants to emulate Rubens and to develop
Comparison X-rays, left Baron Janssen version-right Cook version
108 109

at the same time his personal style, but Rubens’s influence is
always present. For history paintings, the young prodigy makes
numerous preparatory drawings or bozzetti, but not for portraits.
In these, he used the support as experimental field, often work-
2* A VERNACULAR ANTWERP VOCABULARY
CONCERNING AUTHENTICITY, LATE XVITH- XVIITH
CENTURY
by the artist, but not always unique or totally by his hand 26 . Some
multiple versions by Veronese or Titian can now be considered
as ‘second originals and possibly with the involvement of the
master’. 27 Such multiple original versions containing multiple
Justin Davis describes: ‘… the absence of any compositional
studies, bozzetti, modelli or head studies’ and ‘It is convincingly
argued that Van Dyck’s thorough and often complex preparatory
thoughts and ideas were worked out on paper and on canvas’ in
ing out several versions in parallel 6 . This is rarer in his early his-
Issues of originality and authorship in paintings had become
hands complicate the statute of the ‘principael’; even if they
Van Dyck’s first period 36 . Angel Veregara shares this opinion 37 .
tory paintings, but well documented for the many versions of the
legal concerns for Antwerp dealers, collectors, and artists.
maintain a close affiliation to the master’s perceived authorship 28 .
‘Martyr of Saint Sebastian’, worked out with a different degree
The Flemish poet, writer, and painter Lucas de Heere (Ghent
It illustrates a sense of responsibility and a guarantee of quality in
In Rubens’s studio, where the young Van Dyck was active 1617-
of studio assistance for each.
1534-1584) was a pupil of Frans Floris I 17 . In an ‘Ode’ c. 1559, he
a legal and qualitative sense, but not necessarily the sole involve-
1620, different hands were involved in portraiture, resulting in
coined the neologism ‘kopie’ 18 , derived from the French ‘copie’
ment of the master.
different levels of ‘handelinghe’ on the same painting, as a con-
There is a relative consistency in 12 early reference works 7 on
to indicate Michiel Coxcie’s replica of Hubert and Jan van Eyck’s
temporary, Dr Otto Sperling, observed in 1621 38 .
plain-woven linen, establishing idiosyncratic modus for Van
Altarpiece, commissioned by King Philips II of Spain.
Even if in the contract between Rubens and Maria de Medici
Dijck’s first period 1613-21 8 . They represent a sample of high-
concerning the paintings for two Luxembourg galleries it was
This is the case c. 1617/18 in the two ‘Portraits of Jean Charles
quality works, even taking in account the negligent autograph
The growth of large-scale art production for the open market was
written that Rubens had to execute everything by his own hand,
de Cordes (inv.2618) and of his Wife Jacqueline van Caestre’
parts in their ductus.
boosted by artist workshops relying on pupils and professional
it was understood that he did not work alone, but assisted by his
(inv. 2619), panel each 72,2 x 57 cm, in the Brussels Museum 39 ,
assistants. This shift in artistic practice and the widening conno-
studio in the usual way 29 . Arnout Balis observes that this fact is
now sometimes attributed to ‘Rubens and his Studio and Van
These differ often only slightly from the weakness in ductus,
tations of the terms ‘originaal’ and ‘kopie’ gave way to lawsuits.
accepted in the Rubens and Jordaens literature but silenced in
Dijck’, as Balis and Van der Auwera think, or following Hélène
indicating assistant’s work 9 . Replicas are of such a high quality
October 3, 1575, the city council of Antwerp passed legislation
the recent Van Dyck publications, even if Roose, Bode, Rosen-
Dubois and Nora De Poorter by the young Van Dyck with studio
that they only become identifiable as such by comparison with
proscribing forgeries, sanctioning them with a fine of ‘drie pon-
baum, Oldenburg and Glück did mentioned it before 30 .
assistance 40 . Both panels share a plank of the same tree 41 . Balis’s
the ‘principael’.
den Brabantsch’ 19 .
opinion is that in the man’s portrait, the head is by Rubens and
‘Naer t’leven’, asserting a stance towards a source, is in Antwerp
the wife’s head by Van Dyck, the rest of both painting’s by at
He innovates technically through his direct demonstrative touch,
The Antwerp city magistrate relied on painters from the Guild of
in the first quarter of the seventeenth century not only a claim to
least two different assistants.
leaving parts of the canvas empty and covering or not in part the
saint Luke as experts in the matter. Gabriele Druet, an art dealer,
objectivity but also to the artist’s creative approach to his model,
earlier layer or preparation. In most cases multiple hands were
questioned, in a court case on January 7, 1576, the authentic-
as we observe in Van Dyck’s ‘Portrait of Cornelis de Vos and his
Joost Van der Auwera and Arnout Balis share this opinion and
also involved in these experiments. See therefore the München
ity of a signed ‘FF. IN. et F.A.’ ‘Cain killing Abel’ presumably by
Family’, since painting as an ’Ars liberalis’ implicates imagination
remarked both independently that the quality of execution of the
Alte Pinakothek head studies c. 1618/20 realized by a least 3
Frans Floris 20 . Frans Pourbus I and Frans Francken I, both former
(uyt den gheest) in Van Dyck’s pictorial strategy (handelinghe) 31 .
man’s cloth is higher than that of the woman’s dress. Two bigger
hands 10 .
Floris pupils, gave an eyewitness testimony.
The young van Dyck started, in the present author’s opinion,
size versions of the same sitters in the Lazienski Palace, belong-
in many cases more than one original to be able to experiment
ing to the Warsaw National Museum (panel 105,5 x 76,2 cm, inv.
The most extensive primary source for Van Dyck’s early career
Frans Francken the Elder admitted he was asked and direct-
thoroughly his ‘handelinghe’ in a sequential approach on more
LKr 840), are recently cleaned. The discussion if they could be
is a trial held from 1660 to 1662 11 . Three of Van Dyck’s former
ed by Floris to paint it ‘doen conterfeiten’, which means as a
than one canvas.
accepted as original is still open.
associates gave testimony regarding the authenticity of a set of
faithful replica considered as an original, and that he has seen
apostle portraits that were attributed to Van Dyck. Jan Breughel
the Younger testified that he had visited Van Dyck in his workshop
in the house the Dom van Ceulen (probably early 1618 until
March 16, 1620).
Floris himself involved in painting it 11 years before, when he
resided with Floris. This reveals a nuanced vocabulary relating
to a replica in which the master was involved. Therefore, it was
considered as an ‘origineel’, it originated directly from the mas-
3* VAN DYCK’S EARLY STUDIO PRACTICE
1617-1620
The difficulty of authentication is also illustrated by the changing
attributions of a portrait of Van Dyck in the Antwerp Rubenshuis,
now by most scholars accepted as by Rubens 42 .
ter’s invention without being totally made by his hand. It was not
It was common practice to start more than one version at one
These examples demonstrate that multiple anonymous hands
Justus van Egmont and Herman Servaes (1598/1601-1674/75)
made to deceive 21 .
time 32 , as we observe in both canvasses c. 1623/25: the ‘Allegory
were implicated in the ‘handelinghe’ of an original portrait in
declared that they had worked as Van Dyck’s assistants there at
of Fruitfulness’ (201,1 x 229,5 cm, Wallace collection London,
Rubens’s studio at that time the young Van Dyck had a super-
the beginning of Van Dyck’s career, contributing themselves to
A ‘weerga’ indicates a faithful reiteration of a painting, of an ob-
inv. P 120) and the ‘Allegory of Fertility’ (180 x 241 cm, MFA
vising function there and when he was allowed there a certain
these original Van Dyck paintings 12 . Scholars dispute the exact
ject, or of a person’s physiognomy, as in a portrait ‘naer t’leven’,
Brussels inv. 119) by Jacques Jordaens. Under the Wallace
degree of economic and creative freedom.
dates for the Dom van Ceulen workshop and the extent to which
a ‘nabeeld’ or ‘afbeeld’. This indicates a sequential relationship
collection painting, an earlier complete version of the Brussels
it was an independent studio or merely a flexible outgrowth of
with a model, in nature or in art. It does not implicate a difference
painting was discovered by X-ray examination. The artist re-
Technical analysis of different versions can shed some light in
Rubens’s atelier.
in quality of execution as there is in the production of unnamed
worked many times the ‘principael’ in the Wallace collection
this matter of complicated connoisseurship concerning Rubens,
studio assistants. Floris’s workshop may have had 120 assistants
London 33 , upgrading it over time at the evolution of style, and this
van Dyck and Jordaens, in which my longstanding friend Arnout
Justus van Egmont (1601-1674) 13 was recorded shortly after
over the years, trained to work ‘naer’(after) the master 23 .
over some decades.
Balis was the ‘primus inter pares’.
1618 as an assistant to Van Dyck, as well as to Rubens. He
made also copies retouched by van Dyck. In 1617/18 Van Dyck
The verbal taxonomy was precise. Karel van Mander referred
Therefore, as Van der Auwera writes: ‘The current periodization
accommodated on Rubens’s property.
to van Eyck’s original as ‘de principaele tafel’ and to Coxcie’s
of his oeuvre and the dating of several works need more nuance
copie as ‘dese geconterfeyte tafel 24 ’. The ‘principael’ (primacy)
and adjustment’ 34 . The ’principael’ remained in the studio as an
Rubens names someone ‘il meglio mio discepolo’ 14 , we suppose
represented the first and best artistic expression of a the several
asset to be copied. Other original versions were initiated simul-
he refers to Van Dyck, but this is not certain. He assists Rubens
iterations of a composition by the master in a large hierarchical
taneously, as we see in Jan Breughel the Younger’s workshop
on the Decius Mus tapestry series and on the ceilings of the
workshop. Assistants were often tasked to copy it, sometimes
register 35 . This was also the case in Rubens, Van Dyck and other
Jesuit church 15 . Rubens often directs clients for portraits to Van
with a certain limited degree of creativity, under (or not) the
Antwerp studios.
Dyck and Cornelis de Vos 16 .
supervision of the master 25 . It was generally regarded as painted
110 111

1
Mirjam Neumeister, Gemälde von Anthonis Van Dyck,
Gemäldegalerie, in Lange & B. U. Münch (ed) Reframing
pp. 522-552. ‘weergaey’ 1627, n°15; ‘copye’ 1627 n° 19;
40
We are grateful to Arnout Balis for his opinion on these paint-
Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, München, Alte
Jordaens, 2018, p. 275.
‘conterfeytsel’ p 524 n°4.
ings in March 2021 and to Joost Van der Auwera in February
Pinakothek Hirmer 2019, p. 25.
17
Karel van Mander, Het Schilderboeck, 1604, Frans Floris
36
Justin Davis in Joos Van der Auwera Justin Davis et al.,
2022.
2
Sheldon L. & Macaro G., Materials as Makers: how useful are
18
Alexander Nagel and Christopher Wood, Anachronic
Jordaens Van Dyck Journal. The Research publication
41
Joost Van der Auwera & Sabine van Sprang, Rubens, een
distinctive materials as indicators of Master or Copist? In
Renaissance, New York 2010, pp. 7-34.
of the JVD Panel Painting Project, I, 7.2021, pp 50 & 53.
Genie aan het werk, Brussels KMSK Cat. Exh. 14.9.2007-
Hermens E, (ed), European Paintings 15-18th century.
19
Jos Van den Branden, Geschiedenis der Antwerpse
37
Angel Vergara & Friso Lammertse, The Young Van Dyck, Cat.
27.1.2008.
Copying, Replicating and Emulating. London Archetype
Schilderschool, Antwerp Buschmann 1883, pp. 230-231
Exh. Museo del Prado, Thames & Hudson London 2013,
42
Katelijne Van der Stichelen et al., Young Anthony Van Dyck
publications 2014, pp. 105-12.
20
Carl Van de Velde, Frans Floris (1519-1570): leven en werken,
p. 55-56.
revisited: a multidisciplinary approach to a portrait once attrib-
3
Nils Büttner, The Hands of Rubens: On Copies and their
Brussel Paleis der Akademien 1975, vol.1 472-473, doc. 78.
38
Joost Van der Auwera & Sabine van Sprang, Rubens, een
uted to Peter Paul Rubens ‘A Rubens for the Rubenshuis’, Art
Reception, in T. Nakamura (ed), Appreciating the Traces
21
Maria Loh, Originals, Reproductions and ‘a Particular Taste’ for
Genie aan het werk, Brussels KMSK Cat. Exh. 14.9.2007-
Matters International Journal for Technical Art History, 6, 2014.
of an Artists’s Hand, vol. II, Kyoto 2017, pp. 41-54.
Pastiche, in Neil de Marchi & Hans van Miegroet (ed.), Mapping
27.1.2008. p.37.
4
Molly Faries, Technical Studies of Early Netherlandish painting:
Markets for Paintings in Europe 1450-1750, Brepols Turnhout
39
Susan Barnes et al., Sir Anthony van Dyck, 2004, pp. 18-19,
A Critical overview of recent developments, in Molly Faries
2006, 237-262.
‘not van Dyck’.
and Ron Spronk, eds., Recent Developments in the Technical
22
Arnout Balis, Rubens and his Studio: Defining the Problem, in
Examination of Early Netherlandish painting: Methodology,
Joos Vander Auwera & Sabine van Sprang (ed.), Rubens
Limitations & Perspectives, Cambridge, Harvard university Art
A Genius at Work, Brussels KMSK 2007, pp. 30-51.
Museums, 2003, p. 30.
23
Harold Deceulaer and Ann Diels, Artists, Artisans, Workshop
5
Lisbet Helmus, Journeymen and Servants. Century Employ-
practices and Assistants in the Low Countries, in Maximiliaan
ment Contracts with Painters from the Netherlands, in Making
Martens & Natasja Peeters (ed.), Invisible Hands? The role and
and Marketing. Studies of painting Process in Fifteen- and
Status of the Painter’s Journeyman in the Low Countries c.
Sixteenth Century Netherlandish Workshops, Turnhout 2006,
1450)-c. 1650, Peeters, Leuven, 2006, pp. 1-32.
p. 203.
24
Karel Van Mander, op. cit. 1604, 60-61, f 200v.
6
Mirjam Neumeister, op. cit. 2019, p. 46.
25
Elisabeth Honig, Painting, and the Market in early Modern
7
A. Hart, G. Van der Snikt, O. Schalm, K. Janssens, G. Blanck-
Antwerp, New Haven - London, Yale University Press,
aertr, The Young Van Dyck’s fingerprint: a technical approach
1998, p. 196.
to assess the authenticity of a disputed painting, Heritage
26
Maria Loh, op. Cit. 2006, p. 239.
Science, Springer verlag 2017, pp. 5-22.
27
Maria Loh, op. Cit. 2006, p. 240-241.
8
L. Alba et al., Introduction to the Technical Studies: The artistic
28
Anna Tummers, By his Hand: The Paradox of Seventeenth
practice of the young Van Dyck, in Angel Vergara & Friso
century Connoisseurship, in Koenraad Jonckheere & Anna
Lammertse, op. cit, 2012, pp. 337-77.
Tummers (ed.), Art Market and Connoisseurship: A Closer look
9
Mirjam Neumeister, op. cit. 2019, p. 44, note 132.
at paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens and their Contemporaries,
10
Mirjam Neumeister, op. cit. 2019, P 81.
Amsterdam University Press, 2008, p. 36.
11
Joost Van der Auwera, The 1660-1661 Antwerp court case
29
Roose, Rubens Bulletin, Jaarboek Antwerp Museum, 1910,
about a series of Van Dyck’s Apostles: two new documents
pp. 216-220
and some reflections on the course of justice and the potential
30
Arnout Balis, op. cit. 1993 p.45 and note 57.
for new discoveries, Jordaens Van Dyck Journal, Brussels-
31
Christopher Wood, Indoor-Outdoor: The Studio around 1500,
Amsterdam 2021, pp. 28-40.
in Michael Cole & Mary Pardo (ed.), Inventions of the Studio,
12
Angel Vergara & Friso Lammertse, The Young Van Dyck,
Renaissance to Romantism, Chapel Hill, University of North
Cat. Exh. Museo del Prado, Thames & Hudson London 2013,
Carolina Press 2005, pp 38-50.
p. 20-28, see notes 75-81. See also Galesloot, 1868,
32
Joost Van der Auwera, Jacques Jordaens and his use of
pp. 603-604.
panels. An Introduction, in Joos Van der Auwera Justin Davis
13
Prisca Valkeneers, Van Timmerszoon tot Schilder aan het Hof.
et al., Jordaens Van Dyck Journal. The Research publication of
De adelijke ambities van Justus van Egmont,
the JVD Panel Painting Project, I, 7.2021, pp. 38-47.
in De Zeventiende Eeuw, vol. 27, n° 2, 2011.
33
Joost Van der Auwera, Jacques Jordaens 1593-1678. Allegory
14
Arnout Balis, Fatto do mio discepolo, Rubens’Studio Practice
of Fertility. The History and Creation of a Masterpiece, Silvana
reviewed: The Flight from Lot and his Family from Sodom,
Editoriale 2016, pp. 45-70. We are grateful to Joost Van der
T. Nakamura (ed), Exh. Cat. National Museum Western Art
Auwera for indicating this publication
Tokyo, 1993, pp. 97-127.
34
Joost Van der Auwera, Justin Davis et al., Jordaens Van Dyck
15
Arnout Balis & Nico Van Hout, Rubens Unveiled. Notes on the
Journal. The Research publication of the JVD Panel
Master’s Painting Techniques, Antwerp 2012.
PaintingProject, II, 12.2021, pp. 70-79.
16
Babette Hartwieg, Formatveranderungen an Holztafelbildern
35
Klaus Ertz, Jan Breughel II. Flämische Maler im Umkreis der
von Rubens. Beobachtungen an der Beständen der Berliner
Grossen Meister, Band I, Luca Verlag Freren 1984,
112 113

SYLVESTER STALLONE
75 TH BIRTHDAY RETROSPECTIVE
OSTHAUS MUSEUM HAGEN
After museum exhibitions at the State Russian Museum,
St. Petersburg (2013) and the Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art
Contemporain, Nice (2015), the Osthaus Museum Hagen, on
the occasion of Sylvester Stallone’s 75th birthday, presents a
retrospective of his works. The complete oeuvre from the late
sixties until today is illuminated, as well as the various artistic
phases of the action star. On view are approximately 50 paintings,
including self-portraits and never-before-seen early works.
Stallone’s paintings are on the one hand “action-packed” and
expressive like his films and on the other hand subtle and multi-layered
in their statements. The Hollywood star with an affinity
for art knowledgeably uses various art forms such as surrealism,
expressionism and abstraction as forms of expression.
Painting has been a close and constant part of Sylvester
Stallone’s creative expressions for the past 55 years, with his
artistic output fueling his cinematic work and vice versa.
Sylvester Stallone: “That’s what I love about painting, it’s the only
true communication you can have. Writing can be manipulated,
painting is the fastest and purest translator of the subconscious.
When something is going on inside you and you hit the canvas,
it’s hard to fake it. The artist on the canvas is number one for me
when it comes to conveying his feelings.”
Stallone’s most famous film character, ROCKY, was first created
on screen long before the movie script and is featured in the
exhibition as 1975’s “Finding Rocky.”
Stallone discovered a love of painting at a young age. His early
works, which he signed Mike Stallone, were very experimental.
However, for financial reasons, he worked as a writer and began
his acting career.
Sylvester Stallone was intensively involved with contemporary
art as a collector and as a painter. At the end of the 1980s he
was particularly interested in the art of Picasso, Gerhard Richter
or Anselm Kiefer. He also dealt with the abstract works of Mark
Rothko and developed his own style. In this way, he created numerous
expressionistic works, some as alienated self-portraits,
others playing with language.
The exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive bilingual
catalogue, with interviews as well as texts by Dr. Tayfun Belgin,
director oft he Osthaus Museum Hagen, Dr. Evgenia Petrova,
scientific director of the Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, and
to Dr. Jérôme Neutres, the former director of the Réunion des
Musées Nationaux-Grand Palais and president of the Musée du
Luxembourg. The catalog will be published in early February.
Copyright: courtesy Galerie Gmurzynska artwork Sylvester
Stallone anf Sabine Brauer Fotos
WHEN ART TOUCHES THE SOUL
SYLVESTER STALLONE IS NOT ONLY
AN ACTOR, HE IS A PERSON WITH
AN INCREDIBLE DEPTH WHO
UNDERSTANDS THE WORLD AND
PROCESSES HIS WORRIES, HIS FEARS
BUT ALSO HIS PASSION FOR THE WORLD
IN HIS WORKS
LOOK AT HIS EXHIBITION
THEN YOU DON’T SEE ROCKY
THE FIGHTER ANYMORE
YOU SEE A WONDERFUL
PERSON AND ARTIST
BARBARA DIETRICH,
CEO DIPLOMATIC WORLD
114 115

116 117

118 119

THE ART OF LEO STOPFER
A ROMANCE BETWEEN
BALLET AND PAINTING
A LOOK AT THE PAINTINGS OF AUSTRIAN ARTIST
LEO STOPFER WHO CAPTURES ON HIS CANVAS-
ES THE BEST BALLET DANCERS OF OUR TIME
Depicting a dance is an almost impossible task.
How to catch a movement with a brush stroke that will inevitably
freeze on the canvas? How to hear music through a painting? For
centuries, artists have been trying to find answers to these questions.
The art of dance and, in particular, the magic art of classical
ballet has always attracted the special attention of artists.
Talking about ballet, it is impossible not to mention the paintings
of Edgar Degas or Pablo Picasso. This tradition is confidently
and consistently continued by Austrian contemporary artist Leo
Stopfer, widely acclaimed as the Painter of the Ballet-Stars.
Working in a realistic, but not in an impressionistic manner, Leo
Stopfer, however, did not avoid comparisons with Edgar Degas.
In contrast, the way he understands and reveals the theme of
ballet is very different from how the French master portrayed
dancers. The great impressionist was attracted by the possibility
of transferring space and forms in this space, plasticity, rhythm
and dynamics, most fully felt in dance. He portrayed young
ballerinas without embellishment, with some kind of sarcasm,
impartially.
120 121

Yakovleva (Vienna State Ballet) or Isabelle Ciaravola and Ludmila
Pagliero (Opera de Paris). A special place in the work of Leo
Stopfer belongs to the collaboration with Diana Vishneva, the prima
ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater. Diana Vishneva is a legend,
who is undoubtedly one of the most talented personalities in the
art of ballet. She won the love of the audience not only in Russia
but also abroad, got recognition and numerous awards.
Ekaterina Shipulina
Leo Stopfer cares about both the external and internal beauty of
a ballet dancer, his paintings are characterised by a completely
different psychology. The spiritual beauty of the ballet, the subtle
spiritual and physical beauty of a creative personality, embodied
through the elegance of lines, the plasticity of forms and the
richness of color palette — this is what is shown in the artworks
of the Austrian master.
Devoting all his work to the study of human nature, Leo Stopfer
always seeks to convey the energy of the living body. The models
depicted by the artist are always characterised by heightened
sensuality and frankness: this is his individual style of perception
of reality, which is revealed in his works — drawings and portraits.
It seems that many of his paintings breathe passion, and of
course, they amaze public with unusual aesthetics.
Leo Stopfer’s ballet paintings are living organisms, representing
a special rhythm of life and grandiose performances on a stage.
The master perfectly knows all the ballet “pas”: he diligently
studied a theory of classical ballet, making sketches in the classrooms
and rehearsal studios of many famous European theatres.
And it is not surprising that these elegant paintings, intriguing
and attracting, diverge all over Europe, taking place in private
collections of connoisseurs of such art.
In earlier years, the artist was painting landscapes in an organic-abstract
style, using a mixed Impasto technique. He combined
earth, sand and stones with acrylic paint to develop a relief-like
texture. Leo Stopfer’s passion for ballet began later, when he met
the ballerina Mitra Nayeri, who inspired Leo Stopfer to create his
first pastels paintings and ballet drawings in the year of 1989.
Another important chapter in Leo Stopfer’s artistic career began
in 2011. On 9 January of 2011 the painter was inspired in the
Vienna State Opera by the performance of two ballerinas — Ketevan
Papava and Marie-Claire D’Lyse in the ballet «Bella Figura».
The dancing bodies fascinated him, initiating a new creative
union. Two weeks later the painter together with the ballerinas
was working on the new masterpiece in his atelier. The result of
this work is the series of paintings ‘Bella Figura’. Later other stars
of the Vienna State Ballet became the models of Leo Stopfer’s
paintings.
Almost a decade later, Leo Stopfer had the big honour to exhibit
his artworks created in collaboration with the ballet dancers of
the Vienna State Opera in the Opera House. The Leo Stopfer’s
personal exhibition “Förderpreisträger und Ehrenmitglieder des
Ballettclubs, Stars des Wiener Staatsballetts” took place at the
Vienna State Opera from November 2019 till February 2020.
Since his first exhibition in 1982, Stopfer’s work has been exhibited
all around Europe, including London, Vienna, Berlin, Moscow,
Luxembourg, Côte d’Azur.
Fascinated by the beauty of classical dance, he made ballet
the main theme of his art, cooperating with many outstanding
dancers of our time for many years. Among them are such grandees
of the world ballet scene as Olga Smirnova and Evgenia
Obraztsova (Bolshoi Theater), Vladimir Malakhov (State Ballet of
Berlin), Maria Abashova (Ballet Theater of Boris Eifman), Maria
Undoubtedly, a personal acquaintance with the dancers and an
incessant dialogue has a particular importance for the artist. The
conversations that arose during the portraiture of great dancers
made it possible to touch on their rich experience, and opened
the spiritual depth of their work. According to Leo Stopfer vision,
the romance between ballet and painting is a story of dramatic
relations between statics and dynamics. And in the end - an
attempt by each of these arts to expand its limits. Thus, ballet
gives the artist inspiration and new subjects for paintings. And
in turn, the fine art takes ballet out of the theatre itself, making it
the destiny of an even wider circle of people. It could be said that
paintings by Leo Stopfer at different times also act as a way to
popularize ballet in society, to form its positive image.
Photos: Claudia Prieler
Diana Vishneva in Woman in a room
Leo Stopfer with Diana Vishneva
122 123

KILIAN SAUERESSIG
PEACE, LOVE AND LIGHT
CHÂTEAU PAPILLONS DES ARTS DE ST. MORITZ
KOEN VANMECHELEN
GUY PIETERS GALLERY
Zeedijk - Het Zoute 755
8300 Knokke-Heist
124 125

WM GALLERY BY PATRICK DECLERCK
SUPPLIER OF GOOD TASTE
DER EWIGE MENSCH
ULRIKE BOLENZ
Ten years after the passage of Custode Samurai
V in the MAS Antwerp, and two successful exhibitions
at WM Gallery, the worldwide renowned
Italian artist Matteo Pugliese is coming back to
Antwerp with the solo exhibition ‘A matter of
trust’, featuring new, impressive, and never-
before-seen artworks.
On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of
his art career, he is showing, for the first time, a
sculpture that does not fight the wall, but confidently
surrenders to fate. It links to the game of
trust in which the person lets himself fall backwards
into the arms of the person he trusts.
MATTEO PUGLIESE
A MATTER OF TRUST
There are so many artists whose works instil admiration in me.
I only knew Ulrike Bolenz’ work in fragments, partly from a visit
to her studio, where there were mostly recent, large-scale works
on display, together with numerous intriguing sketches. However,
from these fragments it is easy to deduce that they are part of a
larger, coherent and, as far as I am concerned at least, awe-inspiring
whole.
There is nothing better than a monograph to absorb this larger
whole, to allow it to slowly seep into the deepest layers of
consciousness. The pleasure of wandering through a vast body
of work also increases in direct proportion to the care taken in
its publication. In this sense, Ulrike’s recently published monograph
can be considered a climax. The beautiful and captivating
design, the rich and varied choice of images, the luxurious print
- everything shows how much care this book was made.
Above all, it is the whole concept of the book that offers added
value. Where most monographs offer a chronological overview of
an oeuvre, and try to extract the common thread from the logical
sequence of the works, this monograph offers a much more
dynamic perspective on Ulrike’s oeuvre.
It is not so much a thematic presentation, nor an order in style
or colour, but rather its own storyline, which springs from a
careful examination and understanding of the entire oeuvre. The
sequence in the book feels more like a major solo exhibition by
Ulrike in a major museum. Here you have a room with some key
works, there some smaller thematic rooms, a bit further on some
works that resonate with each other in terms of style and feeling,
though the whole thing remains respectful of the artist’s own
stamp, the progression she has made in her practice over many
years, and the central theme of her oeuvre (“She does not dramatise,
but puts her brush in the wound of human fatality”, Willem
Elias beautifully writes in the accompanying text) ...
The book was actually and masterfully curated by Bruno Devos,
director of the Stockmans publishing house. The result is simply
amazing...
I can’t claim to have read all the art books published this year,
but of those that I have held in my hands, this one is certainly the
highlight...
Fréderic De Meyer, The ArtCouch
The sculptures of Matteo Pugliese (Milan, °1969)
enjoy world fame. The exhibition in Antwerp follows
exhibitions in Rome, London, Hong Kong
and New York, among others.
In September 2013, Pugliese had the opportunity
to overhaul the interior of the legendary Caffè
Florian in Venice’s San Marco Square. Matteo’s
work can also be admired in starred restaurants
such as Zilte (Antwerp) and Contraste (Milan).
WM Gallery is very honoured to be able to show
Matteo Pugliese’s sculptures in exclusivity for
BeNeLux permanently in its collection, and this
for more than a decade.
Expo from Saturday 23 April to Sunday 12 June 2022
WM Gallery by Patrick Declerck - Supplier of good taste
Wolstraat 45, 2000 Antwerpen - +32 475 25 14 02 - info@wmgallery.be - wmgallery.be
Open from Thursday to Sunday, continuously from 1 to 6 pm, or by appointment.
126 127

NELSON MANDELA’S PORTRAIT
BOOSTED THE ART CAREER
OF ARTIST PETER ENGELS
WHEN MANDELA TURNED 90, ARTIST PETER
ENGELS PAINTED MANDELA’S LARGE PORTRAIT.
THE PAINTING ENDED UP ON THE WORLD’S
LARGEST BILLBOARD IN TIMES SQUARE, NEW
YORK, ON MANDELA’S BIRTHDAY. THIS BOOSTED
PETER ENGELS’ ART CAREER.
MANDELA IN TIMES SQUARE
Since the Reuters news agency inaugurated the world’s largest
billboard in Times Square with the Mandela portrait by Peter
Engels, the Belgian portrait painter has enjoyed increasing art
attention. “Times Square has really accelerated my career,”
Engels says. “The attention just kept coming. Washington Post,
Los Angeles Times, the British The Independent, New York Daily
News, Sun Herald, Forbes, San Francisco Business Times. I even
made it to the elite Chinese art scene. Wonderful to get all that
positive response from all over the globe.”
The Mandela portrait travelled to various exhibitions. For Peter
Engels, the number of international exhibitions increased as well.
For several years now, works by Engels have been on display
during the Art Basel Miami art week. He personally travelled to
an exhibition in New York. Fortunately, because it was there that
he met Karl Lagerfeld and painted his portrait.
After a few exhibitions the Mandela painting was then sold to a
Mandela fan and art collector who said: “Rarely we have encountered
an artist who was able to create such a remarkable portrait
of an icon.”
MANDELA’S VIVID LOOK
When Mandela died the painting was used in his obituary. “This
portrait is a painted tribute to one of the greatest men ever. In
the painting, in spite of his respectable age at that time, Nelson
Mandela has a vivid appearance,” Peter Engels says. “Time and
a turbulent life have indeed engraved his face, but in this painting,
he will keep that friendly look forever. The stars in his eyes
will twinkle eternally. His smile is warm, and he has a glowing
charisma. For me it was a real pleasure and humbling honour to
paint him.”
MADIBA PAINTED WITH THE ENGELS’ SIGNATURE
Barely a few months after he made the press with the very last
portrait of tenor Luciano Pavarotti, Peter Engels astonished the
world with Mandela’s impressive portrait. Peter Engels paints
with the pallet knife. The paint is applied in a thick layer to the
canvas and gives the art a nice texture. His colour palette is sober.
Engels himself calls his paintings “Vintage Portraits” because
of the sepia colour use. The portrait of Mandela is painted in this
same way. Tens of thousands of strokes of the pallet knife in exactly
the right position form a harmonious and glorious portrait.
Just like the Mandela portrait, all the character heads that Peter
Engels creates are large close-ups painted with the pallet knife in
sepia tones. Together with the separate positioning of the head
on the canvas, this is his personal and unique signature.
THE AMAZING WALK BACK EXPERIENCE
The Nelson Mandela portrait has the Engels’ characteristics.
When you get the chance to see his work, it is intriguing to do
this exercise: look at the work from up close and then gradually
step back and view it from a distance. The effect is impressive!
From a short distance the knife strokes are large, and the painting
seems abstract. Walking backwards one can perceive the
portrait in all its glory and in all its detail. If you take a few steps
sideways, Mandela’s eyes continue to look at you, they follow
you. The amazing effect is that the eye of the viewer is unconsciously
focused on the face. Peter Engels definitely wants to
paint a bright, lively look. This gives the portrait a real soul. That is
exactly what Karl Lagerfeld said: “Peter Engels painted my soul”.
128 129

Be a member of ANADE
FROM SOUTH AFRICA TO MONACO
The fact that the Mandela portrait was unveiled to the world in
Times Square also inspired Prince Albert of Monaco to purchase
a work by Peter Engels. At an auction in Monaco, the Prince was
engaged in a fiery bidding duel with the mayor of the neighbouring
France coastal village of Eze. They were both interested in
the large portrait of Princess Grace by Peter Engels. The Prince
and the mayor kept bidding against each other until the mayor
stood up in the back of the auction room and, and with a broad
and courteous gesture, he left the final bid to the Prince. “I would
have given it to the Prince anyway,” he said.
The Mandela portrait opened many doors for the artist, and he
set out to paint and, if possible, even meet more famous character
heads. Peter Engels met and painted 007-actor Roger Moore,
jazz legend Toots Thielemans, Belgian Princess Astrid and
fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld. Actress Nicole Kidman shortly lived
in Peter Engels’ village where he painted her portrait.
MANDELA’S CHARMING INNOCENCE
Just like Nelson Mandela, the Greek philosopher Hippocrates
has a charming innocence about his personae. Peter Engels
studied the few well-preserved marble sculptures of Hippocrates
and painted his true portrait. Peter Engels was commissioned
to paint the portrait of the late cosmetics tycoon Estée Lauder
to revive her villa in Cannes, South of France. Peter Engels was
commissioned to create an art piece for the Jordan Queen Rania,
a metal portrait sculpture that was flown to Amman.
Peter Engels was commissioned to create the sculpture of
Michelin star chef and father of ‘nouvelle cuisine’ Roger Vergé.
The large sculpture was positioned in the marketplace of the
medieval village of Mougins, South of France. A miniature of the
large sculpture serves as the award for Vergé’s yearly international
chef’s contest.
MANDELA’S FRIEND RICHARD BRANSON
“Meeting your model gives an extra dimension to a portrait,”
Peter Engels says. Fortunately, the artist was able to meet
Mandela’s friend, Richard Branson in person. In fact, Branson
even wanted to pose. But not too long. What better moment for
portrait painter Peter Engels to have Virgin boss and business
tycoon Richard Branson model ‘live’ for him than during a twoand-a-half-hour
interview?
Peter Engels: ‘It seemed the perfect opportunity to have Richard
Branson pose for me. A charming lady interviewed him, but
most of all, she easily kept Richard Branson smiling for a couple
of hours, which was just enough for me to finish the painting.’
In front of an international audience of 1,600 journalists, politicians,
students and entrepreneurs, Peter Engels painted Richard
Branson’s portrait on a large canvas. It was a stressful session
for the artist, but incredibly memorable. The painting was signed
by Richard Branson himself, making this artwork an even more
desirable collector’s item in the charity auction that followed.
COMMISSIONED PAINTINGS WELCOME
But if you think that Peter Engels only paints celebrities, you
are wrong. Because more than half of his paintings are portraits
of lesser-known people. The reveal of these commissions are
always emotional moments of happiness.
www.peterengels.eu
130

Alexander Mordvintsev
Researcher and Artist in Living Tomorrow
BACK TO THE FUTURE
INNOVATION, VISUALIZATION,
INTERPRETATION AND UNDERSTANDING
Artists: Koen Vanmechelen, Sarah Fabergé - Gary James
McQueen, Paul Van Hoeydonck, Frederik De Wilde, Nicole Stott,
Gary James McQueen, Alexander Mordvintsev, Fred Eerdekens,
Peter De Cupere, Panamarenko, Nick Ervinck, Sergey Dozhd,
Ulrike Bolenz, Liudmila Norsoyanand, Louisa Burnett-Hall,
Patricia de Solages, Felix Roulin and Hergé
Curator: Barbara Dietrich
The exhibition is devoted to the future of Art and Humanity and
one of the main ideas is the humanitarian aspects of the Art
uniting different countries from around the world.
Innovation, the value of memories, global prosperity and world
peace. If there is anything certain about our future, it’s that technological
progress will rapidly be creating change of a dimension
mankind never before experienced. This will provide tremendous
opportunities for global prosperity and world peace – but also
huge risks! Some experts speculate that, in less than 20 years,
we will have a “singularity”, meaning that computers and the human
brain may have the same capacity. This fosters many fears,
exceeding today’s fears, about Artificial Intelligence (AI) that most
jobs will soon be gone. However, others are saying that AI is only
based on algorithms without a conscious mind. Machines follow
mere logic, not knowing what – or why – they are doing something
and – of course – without questioning the ethics of what
they are doing. They conclude that man will always be on the
driver’s seat. Unfortunately, this does not reduce related fears in
our societies. All innovations can be used either for good or bad.
That’s nothing new to learn – other than that, in the past, the
outcome often was random.
These innovation cycles can’t be stopped or reverted! However,
if we want our future to be good, we need to tackle the fear.
This can only happen through information that is available to be
accessed by and debated within the wider public. Understanding
takes away fears and leads towards action – in a positive sense!
I like Emergent Phenomenas, Machine Learning, Computer Graphics and Vision.
I like to visualize things. DeepDream is my most known creation. I'm working at Google Research on
Deep Neural Network visualization, interpretation and understanding.
Alexander Mordvintsev invented Google DeepDream, launching an entirely new subgenre of
art using neural networks – and transforming how we visualize images in AI.
132 133

BRASSERIE BRISTOL
INTERVIEW WITH
ANN DECUYPERE & CHRISTIAN DELACOURT
HI CHRISTIAN, HI ANN. FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU
FOR WELCOMING AND SPEAKING WITH US.
THREE GENERATIONS. PERHAPS EVEN A
FOURTH?
Christian: My wife made me (he laughs)!
Ann: No. They don’t want to (she smiles).
TOGETHER, YOU RUN BRASSERIE BRISTOL IN
KNOKKE-HEIST, A REMARKABLE RESTAURANT
WITH AN EQUALLY REMARKABLE STORY.
Christian: That’s right. Brasserie Bristol, known previously as the
OH DEAR. DOES IT UPSET YOU THAT THERE WILL
BE NO SUCCESSOR?
Christian: Yes and no. It’s a difficult job, plus I want my kids to
find their own way. At Brasserie Bristol, you can often end up
Ann: For me, it all began as a student job (she blushes). That’s
how we met. What would you call that nowadays? After we got
HOW DO YOU GUARANTEE SUCH HIGH QUALITY?
Hotel Bristol, has occupied the same site since 13 May 1927.
working around the clock. That, combined with the difficulty of
married, I stayed on at the hotel, eventually going on to work
Christian: No plate leaves the kitchen that hasn’t passed by me.
We therefore have deep roots here in Knokke-Heist. The hotel
finding motivated staff, isn’t something I’d want to burden them
front of house in the restaurant. Sometimes, I also help think up
It helps, of course, that I’m surrounded by a strong, competent
was founded by my three great aunts. As unmarried women, the
with.
new menu ideas, albeit just as someone to bounce ideas off.
team. Fortunately, even with the pandemic, we haven’t had to
three sisters would have had plenty of time to put into the hotel.
Chris is the creative one.
cope with any staff turnover. I also make sure to question myself
Ann: Plus, even if your kids do end up working in the business,
every day. For example, if we take our five-weekly suggestions
Christian: During the Second World War, the hotel was requisi-
you wouldn’t ever actually get any respite. ‘Mum, can you
Christian: The entire team play their part. Brasserie Bristol
menu, by week five, I’m already asking myself ‘is this still good
tioned by the Germans and used as an arms depot. After the war,
help us?’
wouldn’t enjoy its good reputation and high level of quality with-
enough?’
my great-aunt Alice went to personally plead her case with the
out a strong team behind me.
Ministry of Reconstruction in Brussels. My grandmother – and
the fourth sister – Paula also joined the family business during
this time.
AND YOUR PARENTS PASSED IT DOWN TO YOU,
IS THAT RIGHT?
Christian: Yes, the third generation (he proudly declares). We very
much grew up in the hospitality world. In 2005, we took the decision
to demolish the old hotel and build a new residence, only
Christian: I want to carry on cooking at Brasserie Bristol for as
long as I can, as this really is what I enjoy doing. If it stops after
me, so be it.
SO CHRISTIAN, WHILE YOU’RE IN THE KITCHEN,
ANN OVERSEES FRONT OF HOUSE?
Christian: Yes, having trained as a chef at the Koksijde hotel
school, I spent five years interning at ‘t Molentje, before eventually
working for my parents at the hotel. While the hotel was being
NATURALLY, WHAT WAS PREVIOUSLY A RU-
DIMENTARY HOTEL KITCHEN HAS COME A
LONG WAY, BECOMING A PLACE RENOWNED
FOR HIGH-QUALITY FINE DINING, ACHIEVING A
STRONG GAULT & MILLAU SCORE OF 14.5/20.
Ann: Yes, of course! Up until 2005, Bristol was a mishmash of
everything, so to speak (she smiles). A hotel, a terrace, a restaurant,
a pancake house, and so on. When we started up again
WHAT IS THE MOST POPULAR DISH?
Ann and Christian, both in unison: ‘Tomate aux crevettes’
(Belgian shrimp-stuffed tomatoes)!
AH, A BELGIAN COAST CLASSIC. WOULD YOU
AGREE THAT KNOKKE-HEIST IS UNLIKE ANY
OTHER COASTAL MUNICIPALITY?
keeping the ground floor as a restaurant rather than part
renovated, I spent a brief period working alongside my now good
in 2008, we didn’t quite know which direction we wanted to
Ann: Yes. For us, Knokke-Heist is unique. We couldn’t imagine
of a hotel.
friend Bart at Bartholomeus. I learned a lot during my time there.
take, so we went with ‘Brasserie’. Since then, however, we have
running our business anywhere else. It is a municipality with both
moved more towards quality, high-end fine dining.
personality and a true sense of authenticity. A metropolis with a
134 135

eally folksy feel, it has something for everyone. As such, each
and every borough still retains its own personality. Here in Heist,
you can still hear local dialects being spoken in bars. At Tussen
Land en Zee [a local bar], for instance, local folklore societies still
often meet up at the back.
Christian: Not to mention, they have the best draught Stella
Artois!
WHAT PLACES WOULD YOU RECOMMEND
VISITING IN KNOKKE-HEIST?
Christian: I sometimes enjoy browsing the local interior design
shops, such as Final Touch and Bea Items on Kustlaan, or that
interior design shop by the roundabout on Zoutelaan... what’s it
called again?
Ann: Karlijn Wolters!
DO YOU ALSO GO OUT AND SAMPLE THE
LOCAL COMPETITION?
Christian: What competition (he laughs)? No, just kidding.
We don’t see the other restauranteurs in Knokke-Heist as competitors,
simply good friends. Everyone has their own style. We
don’t copy or look down our noses at one another. As a result,
we all have our own customer bases and are able to happily
coexist.
Ann: Christian even goes cycling every week with the so-called
‘competition’.
Christian: Oh yes (he says looking excited)! Together with a few
other restauranteurs, we sometimes go cycling. This is convenient,
as we naturally tend to be closed on the same days. I often
go with the people at Bartholomeus, Le Boudin Sauvage, Escabeche,
Cuines 33... I hope I’m not forgetting anyone (he frets).
APART FROM RIDING BIKES, WHAT DO YOU GUYS
GET UP TO IN YOUR FREE TIME?
Ann: We enjoy going for walks. Of course, Knokke-Heist has a lot
to offer walkers. You can drink in the fresh sea air on the beach
or head for the natural surroundings of Het Zwin. Chris also likes
to surf.
Ann: During our annual holiday, we always go skiing. We definitely
prefer snow to sun. The nature, the outdoors, the sport, the
food after all that exercise... pure bliss! And now, as there is no
après-ski because of the pandemic, we actually end up coming
back well rested for once. If not, I suppose we could always give
the sun a try!
DO YOU PREFER WINTER TO SUMMER? IS THAT
ALSO THE BEST TIME OF YEAR IN KNOKKE-HEIST
FOR YOU GUYS?
Christian: Definitely! The peace and quiet, seeing our regulars,
taking long walks on the beach with our terrier Ronnie romping
around in the dunes... nothing compares to a relaxing walk on
the beach on a cool, clear winter morning in Knokke-Heist.
Ann: And a hot waffle in the afternoon from the Marie-Siska
tearoom!
Christian: Knokke-Heist also makes a real effort to put events
on throughout the year. There’s always a reason to come to
Knokke-Heist. Last Christmas, for example, we had the Light
Art Festival, a wonderful initiative that brought together light and
art. And we benefit from it too. From visitors to local traders,
Brasserie Bristol was full every night.
Ann: Knokke-Heist is also home a lot of second-home owners.
With teleworking becoming more established following the pandemic,
we hope to see them come stay both for longer and more
frequently. By working during the day and enjoying Knokke-Heist
in the evening, every day can feel like a holiday!
136 137

YOU BRIEFLY MENTIONED ART. IN KNOKKE-HEIST,
YOU HAVE MORE THAN 90 DIFFERENT ART GAL-
LERIES, A LOT MORE THAN SOME BIG CITIES
EVEN. ARE YOU ART LOVERS YOURSELVES?
WOULD YOU CHANGE ANYTHING ABOUT
KNOKKE-HEIST?
Ann: The parking facilities. We do love it here, but when you
have all the allure of a big city in terms of gastronomy and leisure
SUCH DEDICATION AND NO MICHELIN STAR (YET).
DOES THAT BOTHER YOU?
Christian: No, I don’t really want a star, nor do I harbour any
ambitions of getting one. I simply want to keep doing what we’re
SPEAKING OF WHICH, YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE
THE SEA FROM YOUR KITCHEN (BRASSERIE
BRISTOL OCCUPIES A UNIQUE SEAFRONT LOCA-
TION, PAIRED WITH A MODERN OPEN KITCHEN).
Christian: Yes. I myself am a great fan of art and enjoy visiting the
activities, you also need adequate parking facilities.
doing without creating excessively high expectations. Being
Christian: I rarely look up. I’m always too preoccupied with each
galleries or photo exhibitions at the Scharpoord Cultural Centre
consistent in our quality, that’s the aim. That’s why Knokke-Heist
dish to have time to look at the sea, however close and beautiful
here in Knokke-Heist. We’ve even gone as far as to work with
certain galleries. For example, I was once inspired by a piece in
a local art gallery for a magazine article, with the resulting dish
channelling the piece’s colours and overall composition. I had a
lot of fun doing it!
DO YOU DREAM OF RUNNING ANOTHER
BUSINESS ELSEWHERE?
Christian: No. Absolutely not. Our focus is solely on Brasserie
and Brasserie Bristol go so well together.
WHAT DO YOU PERSONALLY LIKE TO COOK?
it may be (he smiles).
Ann: We deliberately opted for an open kitchen so that customers
could enjoy a unique behind-the-scenes glimpse during their
visit.
Bristol and Knokke-Heist. As a chef, you cannot be in two places
Christian: I enjoy working with seasonal produce. For this, we
Ann: Some artists have even become regular customers,
at once. Nor can I duplicate my team.
rely on quality, local suppliers. Take our shrimps, for example. We
Ann, Christian. Thank you so much for this fascinating insight into
although I won’t be naming any names!
actually source these directly from a local shrimper. Serving the
your wonderful business, Brasserie Bristol, and for giving us your
sea on a plate in all its goodness, that’s what motivates me.
recommendations in Knokke-Heist. All the best for the future!
138 139

WWW.BARE-JEWELRY.COM
@BARE_FINEJEWELRY
Photo: Istock
140

INTERVIEW WITH
THE PROMISING
BELGIAN TENNIS TALENT
ALESSIO BASILE
I AM VERY HAPPY TO BE HERE WITH ALESSIO
BASILE IN THIS MOMENT, BACK FROM
AUSTRALIA TO MEET AND HAVE A CONVERSA-
TION. HOW WAS AUSTRALIA?
HOW DID YOU FEEL PLAYING WITH OTHERS THAT
HAVE SUCH A HIGH RANKING?
I mean, every player out there is very good at it. So I knew if I
wanted to win rounds there that I had to beat those good players
First of all, it was an amazing experience to be there and to play
that were high on the rankings. It is something normal. If you are
my first grand slam. So that was something new for me and I
there and you win, like against higher players of course it feels
enjoyed every minute. I have never played such a tournament in
good but that is what we are all there for to get better and end up
my life up until now.
higher in the ranking and that is only achievable by beating the
ones already above you.
It was probably the best experience I have ever had. I am very
grateful that I could have played such a tournament but I am also
glad to be back home and share it with everyone else. As for
future goals that I set myself, we try to continue and work hard to
achieve many more goals.
HOW ARE YOU FEELING/PREPARING FOR THE
NEXT BIG TOURNAMENTS COMING UP?
For the moment I am number 61 of the worlds under 18 in jun-
injured and it might not be a drastic change but on the other
Every new tournament and country that I visit or am going to
iors. In Belgium I am number three under 18 and of my age
hand who knows if the injury will get far worse so for me it is
play at is very exciting and it adds to the experience. Next week
category. In the future, I want to try to get in the top hundred
more like a backup plan. I am going to try to study as long as I
for example, I am going to Russia, it is something new because
of the men’s pro circuit which is basically the goal from the
can but this year I should be done with secondary school and
I have never been there before. I think I am very fortunate to
beginning, because I mean, everybody wants to say they want
then we will see what the future holds.
visit those places and also do something I love in the meantime,
to be number one and I would be lying if that is not what I want
competing in these tournaments. I will be going there to try and
eventually.
My ultimate goal would still be making a living out of something I
get as many wins/points as I can so that I am qualified for the
love to do which is playing professionally but that does not take
Grand Slam.
However, for now we have to set some realistic goals. It would
away that my studies are also important. Not only for myself but
be already nice to get into the top hundred later on and then try
my parents encourage me with it too.
DID YOU HAVE MUCH TIME TO ACTUALLY
EXPLORE THE COUNTRIES IN QUESTION OR
WERE YOU MOSTLY TRAINING?
We do not have as much time as we would like to be visiting
the city the whole day or even most of the trip because most
of the time we are on the tennis court or we are in the hotel to
rest. However, from the moment that we are done with training
and tournaments we have more time to focus on such things as
sightseeing so we do try to explore the area around us. It is a
great opportunity to have so if we can we like to make the most
of it.
to aim as high as possible in that moment. For that there is still a
long way to go and a lot of steps that need to be taken beforehand.
I will work on this goal and try to achieve it because tennis
is my passion and one of the end goals would be to win a Grand
Slam title.
HOW ARE YOU COMBINING YOUR PASSION WITH
YOUR STUDIES?
I am also pretty satisfied by the fact that I am still able to combine
my studies with all the additional aspects that come to
tennis and going pro. So I am still combining those two and for
the moment, I am holding on to it.
THE PROMISING BELGIAN
TENNIS TALENT ALESSIO BASILE
NUMBER 61 OF THE WORLD UNDER-18
NUMBER 3 UNDER-18 OF BELGIUM
NUMBER 40 OF BELGIUM
ALL AGE CATEGORY
TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR RANKING AND HOW
YOU PLAN ON GETTING HIGHER?
I think it is very important to hold on to your education because
you never know what might happen in the future. You can get
142 143

SASHA LUND
CHALLENGES FOR FAMILY BUSINESSES
IN TODAY’S CHANGING WORLD
“CONTROL IS GOOD, BUT TRUST IS BETTER”
Sasha Lund is a true cosmopolitan. Daughter of a Russian
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FOR FAMILY
BUSINESSES IN TODAY’S CHANGING WORLD?
mother and a Swedish father she lived in many places around
I truly believe that the main challenge is the realisation that a
the world and speaks 11 languages. She is a successful podcast
family business starts with the family itself. In many family busi-
host of Legacy Talks with Sasha Lund and advisor to business
nesses, the company is often considered “child number one”.
families and family offices. Sasha talked to Dieter Brockmeyer,
It is the one thing that is often prioritised. Hence, the children, the
co-founder and director of Innovation TIME of the Diplomatic
real people, are often neglected. If you are not seen or heard, it is
World Institute about challenges family legacies face in these
inevitable that conflict will arise, which often leads to strong egos
times of rapid global change.
being developed and in conflict.
YOU CONSULT BUSINESS FAMILIES AND
FAMILY OFFICES ON HOW TO PRESERVE THEIR
LEGACY. ONE WOULD EXPECT THAT “OLD”
FAMILIES KNOW HOW TO DO IT. HOWEVER, IT
SEEMS THERE IS PLENTY OF DEMAND FOR
YOUR SERVICE. WHAT IS THE REASON?
When I started working in the family office field, I quickly became
interested in the family dynamic side of these family businesses.
Just like you said, I was unable to comprehend why these
well-established names would have any difficulties at all with
legacy preservation. But one needs to understand that a family
business is made up of two sides and often these two sides are
intertwined: the business and the family itself.
Creating an environment in which family members understand
the business and see what each and every individual could
potentially contribute to it, is key. I want to be clear on one point,
however. By saying “contribute,” I do not necessarily mean that
each and every family member needs to play an active role in the
family business machine. But for the machine to stay well-oiled
and for it to run smoothly, each and every component needs to
know its place. This is best done if the business is discussed
with the family members from an early age. And not just the business.
Listening to the needs, wants, and desires of each family
member is crucial. Like in any family, if you want to raise happy
children, you need to learn to let go and let them take their own
decisions and make their own mistakes. Simultaneously, the next
generation needs to show respect and understanding for what
the generations before them have achieved.
YOU ARE OPERATING IN A QUITE CONSERVATIVE
ENVIRONMENT. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO OPERATE
SUCCESSFULLY?
Conservative? Both yes and no. I work with all generations, meaning
that one day I am advising an older patriarch or matriarch,
just to be talking to the teenage granddaughter a few days later.
Thinking about it, I strongly believe that being an effective advisor
in this field requires two main components.
Sasha Lund
SOME OF THESE FAMILIES GROW THEIR FOR-
TUNE OVER MANY GENERATIONS. THIS CAN BE
CONSIDERED SUSTAINABLE. HOWEVER, THIS
HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HOW WE DEFINE THE
TERM “SUSTAINABILITY” TODAY. IN A WAY, THIS IS
A STEREOTYPE BUT DOES “SUSTAINABILITY” IN
THE WAY WE DEFINE IT TODAY HAVE AN IMPACT
ON FAMILIES?
This is an interesting question and I think it really does start with
To grasp the challenges better, over the years I have interviewed
Sharing an aligned family vision, mission and purpose helps
Trust is one: This is much easier said than done, since it usually
the definition of the term sustainability itself. I see it two-fold:
hundreds of business family members and conducted plenty of
these business families to accept and even embrace the differ-
takes a long time to build long-lasting trusting relationships. Hav-
both from a family business and a financial perspective. Mean-
research. I am also constantly reading and publishing articles. It
ences of the family members. At the same time, it allows them
ing said that, I still believe this is the most important component
ing: how do you create sustainable family values and how do we
did not take long until I came to the realisation that – no matter
to really be honest with each other, which translates into easier
of any kind of relationship, be it personal or business. If the trust
ensure that the investment portfolios are impactful?
where in the world and what culture you belong to – the main
and more sound business decisions. But, at the end of the day,
is non-existent, it does not matter how knowledgeable you are
problems and challenges are always the same. More often than
it comes down to one word. A word that is very powerful and not
you. You will be doomed to fail. I always live by the motto: Control
I actually do believe that there is such a thing as a recipe for
not, the dynamic between people, between the family members
easy to gain. However, once you have it, it becomes immensely
is good, but trust is better. The ability to listen and truly hear
success. The “secret sauce” is exactly in those values mentioned
themselves, is a crucial “make or break it” factor.
powerful: Trust.
someone is the other: Working with multi-generational businesses
above. Talking with your children about these values from an ear-
requires you to have a thick skin, and to understand the history
ly age will help the next generation understand why the patriarch
There are several surveys and statistics that have come to the
Last year I started a podcast called Legacy Talks with Sasha
and cultural eras that have and are surrounding the family member
or matriarch works so hard and what meaning this work has both
same conclusion: Over 90 percent of family businesses fail in the
Lund, where each week I have intimate conversations with lead-
you are talking with. A family member who lived through WWII will
for the family and for the individuals involved in the business. We
third generation. This, in turn, is mostly not due to bad invest-
ing members from multi-generational family businesses. Together
most likely have a different approach to a problem than a GenZ.
need to teach our children the importance of trust. What values
ments or faulty investment strategies, but because family mem-
with my guests, we explore the successes and pitfalls that make
Allowing both to express themselves and then looking at the best
are important. And we need to raise them to have a healthy
bers often have quite complicated or sometimes even non-exist-
or break a legacy. The more people I talk with, the more I realise
solution from a non-biased perspective is very important and
relationship with money and finances. If you manage that, then
ent relationships. How do you expect to run a family business in
that trust really is the basis of everything.
much harder than it sounds. It requires time and patience. Howev-
our children and their children will see the world from a different
harmony if you cannot get your home in harmony?
er, often decisions have to be made quickly and time is limited.
perspective, allowing them to act differently, making decisions
144 145

accordingly. This will have a ripple-effect, since we know that
when wealthy, well-established dynasties make decisions, these
decisions often influence a large number of people.
WELL, THIS SOUNDS LIKE A TRULY CHALLENGING
PERIOD
I knew plenty about the problems business families face because
of the literature and the time I had spent talking with families
globally, and I had been reading, but I did not have any actual
What drives me forward is a never-ending curiosity and desire
to leave my footprint behind in the most impactful way. I am a
people’s person and I always strive to serve. What is the quintes-
It was. Having said that, I consider myself incredibly fortunate,
experience in the field and I told them so. Then I heard the sen-
sence that keeps me going? Amor fati!
THIS LEADS ME TO THE SECOND POINT ABOUT
INVESTING IN AN IMPACTFUL, SUSTAINABLE WAY.
HOW DOES THIS WORK?
since these adversities gave me the opportunity to have conversations
with some of the brightest minds and artistic souls of
this planet. My grandfather was a famous Russian film director,
whose movie The Commissar took the world by storm in the late
80ies and early 90ies and won multiple awards in renowned film
tence that stayed with me forever and led to me opening my own
consultancy firm. The daughter was silent for a moment and then
said: “We trust you”. That moment I realised that trust is often
more important than knowledge.
Amor fati is a Latin phrase that can be loosely translated to “love
of one’s fate”. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche made
it central to his philosophy with the imaginary notion of “eternal
recurrence”. Imagine running your life back over and over again
I increasingly see that the rising generation wants to take on a
festivals globally, such as the Berlinale’s Silver Bear in 1988.
Years down the line, and I now have both the knowledge and the
where everything recurs indefinitely in the exact same way,
more active role in the investment portfolios, demanding more
The German organisation DAAD, which is the German Academic
trust-relationships that have allowed my consultancy company
every pain, every obstacle, every pleasure. One should embrace
sustainable, long-term impact investments. Even the next
Exchange Service, invited him and my grandmother to be honor-
called Core Values Consulting to grow organically. I currently
and celebrate everything that happens in life, being useful, vital
generation family members who do not possess the required
ary citizens, and so they moved to Germany. Hence, I was lucky
work with five multi-generational business families from different
and necessary for one’s development, and choose to re-live life
knowledge to choose their own investments, turn more and more
to be raised in a “bubble”, where we constantly had the crème
parts of the planet: Asia, Europe, and the USA. We focus family
again in the exact same way. Embracing the painful moments will
to advisors and chief investment officers for assistance. The
de la crème of academia and arts in our apartment. All these
dynamics, succession planning and family governance to secure
only help you grow and become stronger.
sustainable mindset is there; the thinking and wanting to change
interesting conversations had an immense influence on me and
healthy generational continuity and longevity.
something. Hence, if you manage to build a bridge between the
triggered a deep curiosity for understanding human psychology,
Life can be beautiful when you salute it. And good will come to
“old way” of viewing sustainably and the “new way”, meaning
embracing the family values while creating impactful investment
portfolios, not only will the family thrive, but also the business
and the many individuals who are part of the entire ecosystem,
leading both to positive long-term change and financial results.
behaviours, needs, and wants.
Berlin also gave me plenty of opportunities, including getting
heavily involved with the Berlinale Film Festival, leading to me
being a jury member at a very young age in several international
IF YOU ARE ASKED TO SUMMARISE YOUR LIFE
SO FAR, WHAT IS THE QUINTESSENCE AND WHAT
DRIVES YOU FORWARD?
you!
film festivals. I also started dancing ballroom and Latin American
YOU COME FROM A HIGHLY INTERNATIONAL
BACKGROUND, AND YOU SPEAK 11 LANGUAGES.
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS BACK-
GROUND
competitively and enjoyed it tremendously.
Eventually, I moved to the UK where I attended King’s College
London, graduating in Modern Foreign Languages with
Education and Film. I also got a Cambridge University
CELTA-qualification and moved to Barcelona for two years
I am quite the nomad and love exploring different countries and
where I did Shakespearean Studies at the Universitat de
cultures. I was born in Moscow, back when it was the capital
Barcelona.
of the Soviet Union, today Russia. It always makes me laugh to
realise that I was born in a country that no longer exists. The first
three years of my life, I practically lived on the theatre stages of
Moscow and I was a regular at the Bolshoi Theatre. Those years
THIS SOUNDS LIKE A PERFECT NOMAD’S LIVE
were crucial in shaping my love for poetry, acting, literature, film,
As life of a nomad has it, I ended up putting down roots in sunny
and the arts in general.
Cyprus, which has been my home for the past decade. I started
working for a big global event organiser, producing exclusive
At the age of three, we moved to Sweden. My father is Swedish,
B2B events for Family Offices and High Net Worth Individuals
my mother Russian. Then, when I was eleven, I moved to Berlin,
globally. That is how I first entered the world of family businesses.
Germany, to live with my grandparents where I stayed until my
high school graduation. I often get asked why I moved to Berlin
A few years in, I had built quite a substantial global network of
at such an early stage without my parents. Well, they understood
business families that I was in touch with on a regular basis.
very early on that I have an affinity for languages and cultures
Then one day I was approached by a Mediterranean family. The
and that I possessed deep emotional intelligence. When my
patriarch had suddenly passed away, leaving the three children
Russian grandparents moved to Germany, my parents saw a
clueless as to who the successor of the business should be. The
chance for me, in a way. It was the perfect platform to learn
bereaved included a daughter in her early 20ies and two older
German. I grew up multilingual, speaking Swedish and Russian
sons. The daughter was the only one who had the necessary
at home, while living on the border to Norway. Thus, at the age of
qualifications and knowledge required to take over the business.
eleven, my life took me to Berlin. As all beginnings, the start was
However, her two brothers disagreed. They called me for advice
very challenging, but I was a fighter and ended up staying
when they had already almost reached a breaking point.
in Berlin until my high school graduation.
Group with Laura - Ulrike Bolenz
146 147

OPTIMISM
IS A MORAL DUTY
Rudy Aernoudt
Professor
University of Ghent & Nancy
We are overwhelmed by messages claiming that our planet is in a
compare the world as it stood one generation (70 years) ago in
very bad shape, that inflation has returned, meaning that people
1950, with today.
can no longer pay their bills – and in particular their energy bills
– and that a new Cold War is looming over the horizon. People
born in the 20th century are seen to be the cause of all these ills
and are expected to be ashamed of their behaviour. But is there
ZERO HUNGER
such a thing as a guilty generation? And is indeed the world
Today, the UN World Food Programme’s live Hunger Map
worse off?
aggregates 957 million people – almost one billion – across 93
countries who do not have enough to eat. This is, of course, un-
DOES PERCEPTION MATCH REALITY?
acceptable. David Gregg, an Oxford economist, estimated that in
1950, our reference year, 850 million people experienced hunger
sometime during the year, corresponding to 34 % of the world’s
Posing this question to people leads to surprising results. Very
population. Although in absolute figures, we nowadays have
few people (only 4%) think the world is getting better whilst a
100 million people more, they represent ‘only’ 12 % of the world
majority (70%) consider that the world in getting worse (data
yougov). To illustrate, most people (52% - data Ipsos) are
population. The percentage has come down from 34% to 12%.
This is relative progress, but these figures nevertheless remain
Rudy Aernoudt Professor University of Ghent & Nancy
convinced that poverty has drastically increased over time. So,
shocking. Therefore, it is not surprising that this is a priority for
indeed, the world is perceived as going worse. And this negative
the general population and should be the first priority of govern-
Economic growth has proven to be the best way to reduce pov-
most all economies went into a temporary lockdown that resulted
perception leads us to have little faith in the future.
ments all over the world.
erty. If this growth can be achieved with relative equality, extreme
in negative economic growth – the most significant in the last
poverty can be eradicated. Without venerating economic growth,
hundred years aside from the two World Wars.
But, we all know, thanks to the father of the Enlightenment
Immanuel Kant, that what we comprehend as the external world
is a facet of our mental life. So, the question is if this perception
POVERTY
we can state with a mathematical certainty that, ceteris paribus,
increased population accompanied by zero-growth would have
led to increased extreme poverty. The reduction of extreme pov-
Without trivialising, let’s put the COVID crisis in a larger context.
The Black Death was an epidemic which ravaged Europe
corresponds to reality. Therefore, let’s take a view from nowhere,
“Less than 1.9 USD a day” is considered by most researchers
erty from 75% to less than 10% in the space of 70 years can be
in the second half of the 14th century. It was a disease spread
as the American philosopher Tomas Nagel puts it, and look at
as the level of extreme poverty. Based on that approach, in real
considered a very impressive collective achievement.
through contact with animals basically through fleas and other
pure facts and figures.
terms of course, in the mid of the twentieth century (data 1950),
rat parasites. As rats often coexisted with humans, the disease
three-quarters of the world experienced extreme poverty. One
For the readers of Diplomatic World preferring absolute figures:
could spread very quickly. The resemblance between both virus
THINGS THAT MATTER MOST
would expect, as outlined in the previously discussed perception,
that since, given the huge increase of population, this would
have become even worse. However, figures from the World Bank
in the last 70 years, over 100,000 people were lifted out of extreme
poverty every day. It is true that the fact that one out of 10
people lives in extreme poverty today is unacceptable, but from
diseases is that the Black Death, just like COVID, has been dealt
with through the implementation of quarantines; amazing.
To analyse if the world is better off, we should try identifying the
show that in 2021, less than 10% of the world population was
statistical point of view the world is definitively a better place to
But there the resemblance stops: the Black Death killed an
determinant of ‘being better off’. A recent survey of the World
living in extreme poverty.
live in than 70 years ago.
estimated 25 million people, almost a third of the continent’s
Economic Forum, conducted in May 2021, concluded that there
population. COVID has killed 0,06% of the world population, or
was a remarkable consensus among citizens from all regions of
the world. In all countries analysed, the top priorities for the global
public were zero hunger, no poverty and good health. Other
This is of course due to the enormous world economic growth
that we have seen since 1950. Economic growth, based on
increased productivity, innovation, and free trade, means that
HEALTH
five 500 times less than the Black Death. The difference is that in
a just couple of months, we succeeded in developing vaccines.
This example should enable us to see the progress made and
priorities that were identified by most countries were economic
world production increases, and this is a blessing for everyone. It
The COVID-19 crisis has put health back on people’s priority list.
show us that we are often unaware of how bad the past was.
growth and quality education. Therefore, we will concentrate on
is worth noting is that this economic growth took place follow-
And, of course, COVID is dreadful, and anyone dying as a result
those things that matter most. And to measure the evolution of
ing productivity gains, with better working conditions and fewer
of an invisible virus is one death too many. Five million people
Not convinced yet? Infant mortality, the death of children under
the world, we will consider the timespan of one generation and
working hours.
have died throughout the world. To reduce further loss of life, al-
the age of one year, was 27%, worldwide, 70 years ago.
148 149

Nowadays, the worldwide average is ten times lower at 2,3 %.
At the other end of the spectrum, the global average life
expectancy is today 72.6 years (United Nations data) – the global
average today is higher than in any country back in 1950, when
the average was 46 years. Modern medicine, sanitation and
housing conditions and improved nutrition all made this possible.
Yes, on health the world is definitively better off.
ECONOMIC GROWTH
We discussed the positive impact of economic growth on
poverty. Of course, economic growth has an impact on employment
and well-being. To date, we can complain of the impact
COVID-19 on economic growth, with a negative growth of 3% in
2020 worldwide and even up to 7% in the US and EU. But the
year 2021 was a grand-cru and 18 months after the big negative
impact, most countries are back on track. This shows that the
world is resilient. Yes, we still must deal with supply disruptions
and the fear of inflation. Instead of complaining we should
remember that economic growth is not linear and that crises
are an integral part. Kraisis is a Greek word referring to seeing
opportunities.
The global literacy rate for all males is 90.0% while the rate for all
females is only 82.7%.
The next challenge to be addressed is the digital divide. Six in
ten people around the world are now online, with almost five
billion people using the internet. But did you know for instance
that 7% of the Americans and 10% of the Europeans have never
gone online? This is of course even more prevalent in the elder
generation. A quarter of the American adults aged 65 and older
report that they never go online. A European survey revealed that
in the EU, 98% of the Europeans aged 16-24 used the internet in
the last 3 months against 61% of those aged 65-74.
So, the digital divide is an inter-generational divide. And of
course, here again we have regional disparities. More than 1
billion people remain unconnected across just three countries –
India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan – and data reveals that women
– once more – make up the majority of these unconnected
populations. But of course, the progress in the last seventy years
is infinite. Internet opens still unexplored opportunities for education
skills in general and is a powerful tool for literacy and female
emancipation.
ENJOY THE UNIQUE EATING EXPERIENCE
OF THE BISTRONOMY
The crisis accelerated mega-trends such as online conferences
or telework and had a positive impact on the climate. The world
gross domestic product rose from USD 5.3 billion in 1950 to USD
94 billion in 2021. In real terms, inflation corrected, GDP rose
almost by five while the population at the same time increased
by 250%. In consequence, the GDP/capita doubled. In terms
of welfare, collectively we are better off. Rising inequalities, for
example in the US, China, India, and Russia do of course offset
the impact on collective welfare. Inequality has grown moderately
in Europe and remained stable, unfortunately at extremely high
levels, in the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa and Brazil.
QUALITY EDUCATION
If you were born in 1950, there was almost one chance in two
that you remained unable to read and to write. Illiteracy leads
to exclusion. The literacy rate at world level has increased by 5
percentage points every decade on average, from 55.7 per cent
in 1950 to 86.2 per cent in 2021. This is progress but still one in
seven people in the world are illiterate. Still far too many.
Of course, one should always be careful with averages as they
hide regional disparities. In countries like Ukraine, Finland, Latvia,
Lithuania, Estonia, Czech Republic, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan, just to name a few, the literacy rate is close
to 100%. At the other end of the spectrum, countries like Chad,
Guinea, South Sudan, Niger and Mali all have a literacy rate below
35%. Moreover, there is an amazing gender disparity as well.
BY WAY OF CONCLUSION
Yes, there is still a long way to go and still a lot of progress must
be made to achieve an inclusive world. But what has already
been achieved, for the things that matter most to people, is impressive.
Never, on a world level, has such an achievement been
realised. The willingness to progress, the technological evolution
and the economic growth made this world a better place to live.
These facts and figures show that perception doesn’t correspond
to the reality. One of the reasons that the world is perceived as
getting worse, as previously explained, is that the media prefer
reporting on war, hunger and dead, and pay hardly attention on
how the world has been reshaped in the last century. The realisation
of the past should give us belief in the future.
Based on what we achieved, I am sure that, yes, we can make
this world CO2 neutral. Yes, we can further eradicate poverty,
reduce inequality, and increase literacy. Taking into consideration
the evolution over the last seventy years, this should allow all
of us to look positively to the future and be an actor for further
change. As the Austrian-British philosopher Karl Popper stated:
“Optimism is a moral duty”.
Indringingsweg 1, 1800 Vilvoorde-Koningslo, Belgium - +32 2 263 01 31 - info@thebistronomy.com
150

EUROPE:
A LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES
“CRISES ARE THE GREAT UNIFIER”
JEAN MONNET, FOUNDING FATHER OF THE EU
tion process, with its roots in the aftermath of a major crisis.
Again, COVID-19 can have this effect. The next generation
project is an unprecedented injection into the real economy. The
financing through European loans would never have been possible
without COVID-19. But floating on that intoxication, let us
now celebrate Europe, not for its 65th anniversary, but through a
reflection on the future role of Europe. Europe must be big in big
things, but small in small things.
interested in the European market but do not want to respect the
environmental and social values that go with it.
Values, that is what matters. In the coming decades, values will
be central. They will determine which economies have a future.
America looks enviously at Europe’s socio-economic model in
which poverty alleviation goes hand-in-hand with competitiveness.
China cannot survive as a one-party state where its economy
only flourishes under the yoke of politics.
A lot of books are published on Europe. The book “Europe: a
look behind the scenes”, published in French (l’Europe, vue de
IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE …
CHANGING THE EUROPEAN MINDSET
Europe should be proud of our Europe instead of torpedoing it
“If we continue to build our internal market, we align our economic
policy more closely with monetary policy, we develop a
social policy worthy of the name, then Europe can become the
l’intérieur) and Dutch (Europa, een blik achter de schermen) is
On content, Europe has proven that it can realize what was
again and again. Space policy is a good example here. Europe is
best place in the world for quality of life of the citizens” claims
different on aspects and tone.
considered by a lot of people as impossible. The internal market,
a global player in Earth observation. Europe realized the mon-
the author.
although not fully achieved, has become a feat that many envy.
etary union. Many observers claimed it was impossible and yet
First, it is written by a person on the inside, who is active within
And yes, the process is slow. Rome was not built in a day. And
the Euro has existed for 20 years, survived financial crises and
Or as Henri Malosse, President of the Jean Monnet association
the European institutions at various high-level posts such as
yes, construction errors have been made, such as the decoupling
proved to be more stable than ever.
and former President of the European Economic and Social
chief of staff and special advisor to the EU presidency. This
of monetary and economic policy.
Committee states: “The gap between citizens and the European
explains the title of the book. Secondly, the topic is described
Europe has 500 million consumers, with considerable purchas-
Union today is so deep that it can never be bridged without the
in an exciting way and full of spicy anecdotes but does not
But the European project has proven to be solid, and capable of
ing power and with a much better distribution of income than its
author’s pragmatism and his twelve proposed works.”
lose the rationale behind the proposals. And finally, it describes
navigating through turbulent waters and crises. Moreover, crises
counterparts. Stop thinking of ourselves as the continent where
often appear to act as an accelerator for the European integra-
the sun sets, claims the author; Europe should have the confi-
Barbara Dietrich
an original vision of what the role of Europe should be within
dence to impose its values on other superpowers who are only
Europe and the world.
FROM PASSION TO PRAGMATISM
Whilst reading the book, you feel the author’s passion for Europe,
but without falling into the pitfall of what is done on a European
level is done better. On the contrary, between Euro-optimists and
Eurosceptics, he refutes a status quo and chooses a third way:
Euro-pragmatism.
Europe is, in the eye of the author, neither a deus ex machina,
nor a scapegoat, but it can make a real difference to the
European Citizen in certain areas. The European citizen is the
real stakeholder of the European (hi)story. Europe must focus on
those areas where it can really make a difference to the Citizen.
Let us be pragmatic. Focus on the large voluminous works. He
recalls the Labors of Hercules. Using analogy, he enumerates the
twelve works that should be the twelve priorities for Europe.
At the same time, he clearly identifies what Europe should no
longer do. From that point of view, he pleads for a lean and mean
structure claiming that the European institutions have been victim
of what the German sociologist Max Weber calls the inflation
of bureaucracy, with a mushrooming of services and external
agencies. A reshaping is hence necessary, and the best way to
reconnect with the European citizens.
152 153
Photo: Istock

2021 was the International Year of Creative Economy for
Sustainable Development. Diplomatic World explored and
highlighted through two articles what cultural diplomacy can
look like through lenses of sustainability, cooperation, mutuality
and solutions on global challenges.
The question “Can the International Year of Creative Economy for
Sustainable Development bring innovation to cultural diplomacy?”
was also asked and two articles highlighted different international
collaborative projects with actions and results aligned
with several of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This article looks back at the year and provides some food for
thought on questions like “Did the year influence policy?”
“How has it reached culture and creative sector professionals?”
“What has been done during this year?”
We also talk to Emmy-winning film-maker, curator and Founder
of Create2030 and The ARTS x SDGS Festival, Lisa Russell.
CONTEXT: THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF
CREATIVE ECONOMY FOR SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
In 2019, a United Nations resolution created the International
Year of Creative Economy for sustainable development and the
UN mandated the United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD) to implement it.
UNCTAD has been the lead agency driving the events and
observations of the year, alongside UNESCO (United Nations
Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation), WIPO (World
Intellectual Property Organisation), UNIDO (United Nations
Industrial Development Organization), the WTO (The World Trade
Organization) and others.
LOOKING BACK
AT THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR
OF CREATIVE ECONOMY
FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Many different policy discussions and exchanges have taken
place during the year. There was for example, the Culture Summit
in Abu Dhabi, with participants from governments, policy and
other institutional representatives. Representatives from the art
world were also invited. The UNESCO 14th Intergovernmental
Committee of the 2005 Convention for the Protection and
Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions focused,
among other things, on the international year. There was a UN
high-level event on culture and sustainable development for
Member States where for example experiences were shared
on crisis-response measures to support the creative economy
during the pandemic, how to identify implementation gaps and
solutions and call for strengthening strategic cross-sectoral partnerships
to unlock the transformative potential of culture.
Many of the events have surely increased awareness of creative
economy among governments. It would be interesting to do
an analysis and evaluation of all policy dialogues having taken
place within the context of the international year to see what
the outcomes are. One interesting highlight announced at the
World Conference of Creative Economy in December 2021 by the
UAE government was that they have placed creative and culture
industries at the centre of future growth and they have created a
10-year strategy around this.
There are two upcoming interesting follow-ups in regards of the
international year.
The first is the upcoming session of the UN General Assembly
where UNCTAD and UNESCO will “inform about the implementation
through a dedicated section of the Creative Economy
Outlook, elaborating in particular on how the resolution is aligned
with, and advances, the 2030 Agenda, including recommendations
on concrete actions that would help Member States and
the United Nations system to accelerate their efforts in the implementation
of the Agenda”.
The second one is a UN resolution on Culture and Sustainable
Development from November 2021 that calls for a report of implementation
for the same topic for its 78th session in 2023.
These kinds of policy events and dialogues may be seen as abstract
for practitioners. It is clear that there is a need to balance
high-level meetings with practitioner dialogues and events. It is
a problem if sector professionals do not know what is happening
in terms of policy development.
ARTISTS AND CREATIVES PARTICIPATION
Lisa Russell is an Emmy-winning film-maker, curator, founder of
Create2030,and equally founder of The ARTS x SDGS Festival.
This festival brings together members of the growing creative
economy with UN/NGO agencies, the private sector and academia
in support of the SDGs. The first festival was held in
April 2020 and it continues as a gathering for socially conscious
artists and creatives.
Lisa says that she was enthusiastic when the international year
was announced. She had known about it since 2018 and she felt
that the year was going to amplify the important role artists and
creatives bring in helping to solve some of world’s greatest problems
– not just as entertainers or “cheerleaders” for the SDGs,
but to utilize the inherent creative thinking and problem solving
skills to help develop innovative solutions and to help “translate”
the SDGs to a wider audience.
LISA, WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE
INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF CREATIVE ECONOMY?
As 2021 started, I hosted an online event welcoming the international
year that was attended by hundreds of artists, cultural operators
and policy experts interested in ways arts and creativity
could support sustainable global development.
Although unplanned, it also became a year where I began to
strongly advocate for the rights of artists at the UN – in support
of respecting intellectual property rights and ensuring artists
were compensated.
As the Founder of Create2030 and curating many working class
artists, I felt it was my responsibility to push for responsible and
meaningful participation of arts and to also speak out about the
various initiatives and campaigns that were hurting artists at the
height of the COVID-19 pandemic when many of us lost work.
For example, there were numerous UN-led “creative briefs”,
“arts contests” and “calls for art” that were asking for artists to
contribute artwork for free but then were given pro-bono to mega
corporations like Facebook and BBC. I know I made a lot of
people uncomfortable but these were very harmful initiatives that
were created not out of “bad intentions” but because policy and
programme experts who develop these initiatives don’t always
understand our work cultures or our industry standards.
That is why in 2022, I continue to advocate for artists representation
at the United Nations in order to create more ethical policies
regarding engaging artists in sustainable development. I did
my third TEDx talk on why the UN needs an Arts Envoy for the
international year.
I also created a new Change.org petition with an Open Letter to
the UN Secretary-General on the need for artist representation at
the UN.
After speaking at the second World Conference on Creative
Economy hosted by the Government of UAE, it became apparent
to me that arts and storytelling must be at the heart of the SDGs.
In order to do this, we need to train artists how to effectively
work in the global diplomacy space, and we need to train UN/
NGO entities how to effectively work with professional curators
to engage artists in a responsible manner.
WHY DID YOU START THE THE ARTS X SDGS
FESTIVAL?
The Festival was conceived of in late 2019 to be held in and
around the United Nations as a place where artists and UN/NGO
actors could come together in support of the SDGs. The first festival
was scheduled to occur April 15-21, 2020 to coincide with
World Creativity and Innovation Week.
When COVID-19 was on the rise, we made the decision to pivot
to an online gathering and with the support of Earthx Film, we
hosted a very dynamic one-week, online festival filled with art
showcases, daily webinars and weekend workshops for creatives.
As a creative practitioner in the UN/NGO space (I work as contracted
film-maker and arts curator), I felt it was necessary to
host an artist-led gathering to help tailor the festival to an artist
audience. While we invited policy and programme experts to
present and attend, our intent was to really tailor to artists and
storytellers interested in working in the sustainability space.
The reason why it is important to support artist-led gatherings it
that we speak a “different language” and have a different work
culture so we tailor the festival to meet artists where they often
congregate. Often that is not conferences but rather spaces
where creativity, free thinking, and critical thinking are emphasized.
As COVID-19 continued to financially impact artists and creatives,
we continued hosting the online gathering every 4-5
months and have just completed our fifth edition. The focus
shifted to provide members of the creative economy who lost
gigs and were struggling financially, with skills-based workshops
and discussions to focus on uplifting livelihoods.
154 155

Once the pandemic subsides, we hope to host the festival live in
and around the United Nations and then have regional festivals in
different UN cities.
The important purposes of raising awareness of the SDGs, create
opportunities for artists or of giving artists a voice are not the
only good reasons to organise dialogues in parallel to high-level
meetings. It is also important to co-define the creative economy
agenda and talk about what creative economy development is,
and why it is important for different sector professionals.
Artists and designers are crucial participants in the creative
economy development. Beyond their intrinsic value, these
sub-sectors are of important economic and instrumental value
because of their skills that are needed in the innovation economy.
This can lead to a very much-needed business model innovation,
both in the arts sector and in the wider economy.
Johanna Kouzmine-Karavaïeff, Ambassador for Culture, External
Relations & Development, Diplomatic World Institute
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Photo: Shutterstock
M E M B E R O F T H E E N G E L S G R O U P
156

This article aims to dwell on the immunity that is granted to
international organizations (IOs) on the international level.
Therefore, the first paragraph defines what is understood by an
“IO” for the scope of this article. Given certain circumstances
that will be further elaborated below, an IO and its officials profit
from immunity. Accordingly, the second paragraph defines and
situates the concept of institutional immunity, a term often used
to describe the immunity of an IO. The remainder of the article
is organized along the lines of the distinction between immunity
from jurisdiction and immunity from execution. Within the chapter
covering immunity from jurisdiction, a particular emphasis lays
on the scope of the immunity that is granted to IOs, as this is still
a topic with diverging state practice on the international level.
WHAT IS AN IO?
There is no universally accepted legal definition of an IO, but for
the scope of this article, it can be stated that an IO is characterized
by the following features. Firstly, an IO is an association
of subjects of international law (e.g. states and/or other IOs).
Secondly, an IO is founded by a treaty or another instrument
governed by international law. Thirdly, the members of an IO
pursue a common goal. And last but not least, an IO consists of
one or more organs which are capable of generating an “autonomous
will” distinct from the members of the IO 2 . Now that it is
clear what is understood by “IO” for the scope of this article, the
concept of “immunity” needs further elaboration.
A VARIETY OF IMMUNITIES
In international law, there are various forms of immunity that
each have particular implications depending on the subject that
is privileged to the protection 3 . Four prime forms can be distinguished:
the immunity of states, the immunity of diplomats and
other representatives, consular immunity and the immunity of
IOs. These immunities are granted due to their special status as
subjects of international law 4 .
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
The present article sheds light on institutional immunity. This immunity
is not limited to the IO itself. Given certain requirements,
Often immune
from jurisdiction and execution,
Rarely from criticism in that regard
LEGAL SERVICES FOR DIPLOMACY
its officials may profit from it as well. However, the immunity for
IO officials falls outside the scope of this paper.
Billiet & Co lawyers advices and represents States, International Organizations and their
diplomatic missions in Brussels — as well as members of their staff, international civil servants,
government officials, leading multinational corporations and non-governmental organizations.
The common thread through this article is the (lack of) similarities
between the immunity of IOs and the immunity of states. After all,
sovereign states are seen as the prime subjects of international
law, possessing the totality of international rights and duties 5 .
We understand that you require unique and sensitive services, and we are uniquely placed
to provide them, in a range of languages such as English, Dutch, French, Russian, German,
Spanish, Greek, Ukrainian, and Romanian.
Topics that will be discussed below are among other things: the
rationale and scope of the immunity and the fact that immunity is
sometimes at odds with article 6 of the European Convention on
Human Rights (ECHR).
at protecting the IO from interference of the state where its headquarters
are situated or where the IO is operating. 10
The firm has wide experience in legal issues surrounding Seat Agreements, Rights and
Obligations of the guest mission and its hosting State, Investor-State disputes, Inter-State
IMMUNITY disputes and FROM all kinds JURISDICTION of legal questions VS IMMUNITY involving International Organizations. We represent Institutional immunity thus serves another rationale than state
FROM clients ENFORCEMENT
before national and international courts and arbitral tribunals.
immunity, as state immunity is rather based on the principle of
sovereign equality. 11 This principle of sovereign equality is also
Prior to a more thorough comparison between state immunity
and OUR immunity LEGAL of IOs, SERVICES it is important FOR to make DIPLOMACY a distinction
between immunity from jurisdiction and immunity from enforcement.
Legal compliance with Belgian, European, International laws and regulations
Diplomatic immunity / Consular support
Public International Law / EU Law
Immunity Trade and from WTO jurisdiction law, treaty refers interpretation to the situation and trade where negotiations a court
is barred International from establishing Arbitration and its adjudicatory Dispute Resolution jurisdiction when
a subject Enforcing enjoying International immunity Arbitral is sued Awards before in Belgian it. Immunity Courtsfrom
execution, Enforcement on the proceedings other hand, against prevents State entities measures of constraint
Sanctions law and Export controls
with regards to subjects enjoying immunity (e.g. arrest or seizure
Global fraud and Asset Recovery
of assets of the IO). 6 Hence, when an IO enjoys immunity from
Foreign Direct Investment in Belgium, EU, Russia and CIS countries
International Employment and Labour law
Immigration and International Mobility
Avenue Louise 146 | Brussels | +(32) 2 643 33 01 | info@billiet-co.be
jurisdiction, it will enjoy immunity from execution as well. When
an IO does not enjoy immunity from jurisdiction, it may still profit
from immunity from execution 7 .
IMMUNITY FROM JURISDICTION
RATIONALE
In 1944, McKinnon Wood stated that IOs need immunity because
of: “the danger of prejudice or bad faith in national courts, the
need of protection against baseless actions brought from improper
motives, and the undesirability of national courts determining
the legal effects of acts of the organization, possibly in
diverging directions”. 8
Institutional immunity is generally founded on the principle of
functional necessity. It is deemed necessary for the IO in order to
be able to perform its functions in an effective and independent
manner. 9 After all, as opposed to a sovereign state, an IO cannot
rely on its own territory or population in order to ensure its proper
functioning. The immunity for IOs thus aims, among other things,
reflected in the adage “par in parem non habet imperium”, which
means that a state is not subject to the jurisdiction of another
state. 12 While sovereign states are thus formally equal in international
law, IOs are formally different. The principle of functional
necessity then guarantees that they will be immune as well, when
operating their various functions. 13
IMMUNITY FROM JURISDICTION
LEGAL BASIS OF THE IMMUNITY
Institutional immunity usually originates in the constituent instrument
of IOs (e.g. article 105 UN Charter). As the constituent instrument
of IOs generally remains on the surface with regards to
the immunity of the IO and its officials, these general provisions
KEY CONTACTS are often complemented by a specialized treaty on the immunity
of the IO and its officials. Members that prefer staying out of
Johan Billiet
these multilateral treaties, may discuss a bilateral treaty with the
johan.billiet@billiet-co.be
IO as well, i.e. a headquarters or host agreement. 14
Dr. Konstantinos Adamantopoulos
konstantinos.adamantopoulos@billiet-co.be
Philippe Billiet
Some states transpose these international agreements to national
law. Others prefer to adopt autonomous legislation without re-
philippe.billiet@billiet-co.be
Vladimir Lincautan
ferring to the existing international agreements. 15 An example of
vladimir.lincautan@billiet-co.be the latter is the International Organizations Immunities Act (IOIA)
in the US. The IOIA regulates, inter alia, the immunity of the UN.
As the US refused to become a party to the multilateral treaty of
the UN related to immunity for IOs at the time, the importance of
this national legislation is not to be underestimated. 16
Whether immunity for IOs can be deducted from customary
international law or general principles of law, is still disputed.
This question arises e.g. in the absence of an applicable treaty
provision. 17
IMMUNITY FROM JURISDICTION
SCOPE OF THE IMMUNITY
The main issue concerning the immunity from jurisdiction for IOs
relates to the scope of this immunity. Central to the debate is the
question on whether IOs should be granted restricted or absolute
immunity. As the US’ viewpoint shows below, a comparison
between state and institutional immunity is insurmountable on
this point.
The US issued the IOIA in 1945. This Act grants IOs “the same
immunity from suit and every form of judicial process as is enjoyed
by foreign governments”. 18 As sovereign immunity was still
absolute at the time, this act meant that IOs enjoyed the same
absolute immunity in the US. 19
However, the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 (FSIA)
limited the immunity of foreign governments to “acta iure imperii”
which refer to sovereign acts of the government. These acts
need to be distinguished from “acta iure gestionis” which refer
to acts of the government that are of a commercial or private
nature. 20 By only referring to foreign governments, and thus not
explicitely mentioning IOs, the FSIA resulted in 2 conflicting lines
of precedent. 21 On the one hand, some argued that the FSIA
introduced restricted immunity, not only with regards to states,
but to IOs as well. On the other hand, some stated that IOs continued
to enjoy absolute immunity, regardless of the FSIA. While
foreign governments thus only would enjoy a restricted immunity
from the FSIA onwards, IOs would still fall within the scope of the
unchanged IOIA, which granted them absolute immunity.
This conflict was eventually settled by the US Supreme Court
in 2019, where the Court decided that the FSIA also applies to
IOs and IOs are thus subject to the same restricted immunity as
foreign governments. 22
The tendency to put IOs on equal footing with states when it
comes to immunity, is not universally accepted. 23 In fact, the US
seems to stand alone in this regard. While immunity of IOs is
always described as functional, it is often stated that it de facto
boils down to absolute immunity, as opposed to state immunity. 24
Of course, exceptions to this rather absolute immunity of IOs do
exist, but they have to be expressly provided for in the international
agreements granting the immunity. 25
158 159
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IMMUNITY FROM JURISDICTION
IF THE COURT CANNOT CONTROL THE IO;
WHO CAN?
Immunity for IOs is increasingly being questioned, because of the
tensions it creates with regards to the right of access to a court. 26
As opposed to states, who enjoy immunity but can be sued before
their national courts, not all IOs dispose of a judicial organ.
In that regard, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)
decided that the granting of immunity from jurisdiction is only
allowed if reasonable alternative means to protect the interests of
individuals are provided. 27
IMMUNITY FROM EXECUTION
Immunity from execution seems to be broader than immunity
from jurisdiction, when it comes to IOs. There is still a lot of
controversy on where the line is to be drawn between assets that
are necessary for the institutional purposes of an IO and assets
which are not. The current tendency seems to be that the entire
property of an IO is needed to let it effectively fulfill its functions.
28 The distinction between acta iure gestionis and acta iure
imperii that is also made with regards to immunity from execution
when it comes to states, is thus not transposable to institutional
immunity from execution. 29
CONCLUSION
IOs enjoy immunity from jurisdiction and execution on the
international level. This immunity originates from the constituent
instrument of the IO or from multilateral or bilateral agreements
with the host country. Institutional immunity is aimed at protecting
the effective and independent functioning of the IO. However,
the exact scope of the institutional immunity is still unclear. While
the US seems to regard IOs as being on a par with states when it
comes to immunity from jurisdiction, the rest of the world seems
to be against such analogy. As to immunity from execution, there
is little discussion, due to the rather absolute character of the
institutional immunity in that regard.
SOURCES
Legislation:
European Convention on Human Rights.
International Organizations Immunities Act, § 2(b), ch. 652, 59
Stat. 669 (1945).
Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, 90 Stat. 2891 (1976).
Case law:
ECtHR 18 February 1999, Waite and Kennedy v Germany
nr. 26083/94.
International Court of Justice 11 April 1949, Reparation for
Injuries Suffered in the Service of the UN (Advisory Opinion),
nr. 4, 180.
US Supreme Court 27 February 2019, Jam v International
Finance Corporation, 586, Opinion of the Court 9.
US District Court for the District of Colombia 9 November 2020,
Rodriguez v. Pan American Health Organization (Opinion of the
Court), nr. 20-928.
Hof van Cassatie België 21 december 2009,
Siedler v. West-Europese Unie, ILDC 1625, nr. S.04.0129.F.
Hof van Cassatie België 21 december 2009, Secretariaat ACP
Groep v. Lutchmaya, nr. C.03.0328.F, ILDC 1573.
Hof van Cassatie België 12 maart 2001, Liga van Arabische
Staten v. TM, nr. S.99.0103F, ILDC 42, 610.
Hoge Raad Nederland 20 December 1985, Spaans v.
Iran-United States Claims Tribunal, NJ 1986, nr. 12627, 438.
Legal doctrine:
BLOKKER, N. en SCHRIJVER, N. (eds.), Immunity of International
Organizations, Leiden, Brill, 2015, 363p.
BONAFÉ, B. I., “Italian Courts and the Immunity of International
Organizations”, IOLR 2013, Vol. 10, nr. 2, 512.
BORDIN, F. N., “To what immunities are international organizations
entitled under general international law? Thoughts on
Jam v IFC and the ‘default rules’ of IO immunity”,
Questions of International Law 2020, 5-28.
COLLINS, R. en WHITE, N. (eds.), International Organizations
and the Idea of Autonomy: Institutional Independence in the
International Legal Order, Abingdon, Routledge, 2011, 464p.
RIOS, G. en FLAHERTY, E., “International organization reform or
impunity? Immunity is the problem”, ILSA Journal of International
& Comparative Law, 2010, 433-455.
VIRZO, R. en INGRAVALLO, I. (eds.), Evolutions in the Law of
International Organizations, Leiden, Brill, 2015, 547p.
WOOD, H. M., “Legal Relations between Individuals and a World
Organization of States” in Transactions of the Grotius Society,
Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1944, vol. 30, 143–144.
WOUTERS, J., RYNGAERT, C., RUYS, T. en DE BAERE, G.,
International law: a European perspective, Oxford,
Hart Publishing, 2019, 1038p.
Online sources:
ARATO, J., “Equivalence and Translation: Further thoughts on IO
(consulted on 26 July 2021).
1
Both law students at the Catholic University of Leuven,
expressing particular thanks to Billiet & Co, a Brussels -based
law firm specialized in legal services for diplomatic missions.
2
J. WOUTERS, C. RYNGAERT, T. RUYS en G. DE BAERE,
International law: a European perspective, Oxford,
Hart Publishing, 2019, 256-257.
3
J. WOUTERS, C. RYNGAERT, T. RUYS en G. DE BAERE,
International law: a European perspective, Oxford,
Hart Publishing, 2019, 500.
4
J. WOUTERS, C. RYNGAERT, T. RUYS en G. DE BAERE,
International law: a European perspective, Oxford,
Hart Publishing, 2019, 500.
5
International Court of Justice 11 April 1949, Reparation for
Injuries Suffered in the Service of the UN (Advisory Opinion),
nr. 4, 180.
6
J. WOUTERS, C. RYNGAERT, T. RUYS en G. DE BAERE,
International law: a European perspective, Oxford,
Hart Publishing, 2019, 500.
7
M. F. ORZAN, “International Organizations and Immunity from
Legal Process: An Uncertain Revolution” in Evolutions in the
Law of International Organizations, Leiden, Brill, 2015, 377.
8
H. M. WOOD, “Legal Relations between Individuals and a
World Organization of States” in Transactions of the Grotius
Society, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1944, vol.
30, 143–144.
9
N. BLOKKER en N. SCHRIJVER (eds.), Immunity of
International Organizations, Leiden, Brill, 2015, 2;
E. DE BRABANDERE, “Immunity as a guarantee for
institutional autonomy” in
International Organizations and the Idea of Autonomy:
Institutional Independence in the International Legal Order,
Abingdon, Routledge, 2011, 278.
10
§10 Hof van Cassatie België 21 december 2009, Siedler v.
West-Europese Unie, ILDC 1625, nr. S.04.0129.F.
11
E. DE BRABANDERE, “Immunity as a guarantee for
institutional autonomy” in International Organizations
and the Idea of Autonomy: Institutional Independence in the
International Legal Order, Abingdon, Routledge, 2011, 279.
12
N. BLOKKER en N. SCHRIJVER (eds.), Immunity of
International Organizations, Leiden, Brill, 2015, 2.
13
J. ARATO, “Equivalence and Translation: Further thoughts on
IO immunities in Jam v. IFC”, https://www.ejiltalk.org/
immunities in Jam v. IFC”, https://www.ejiltalk.org/equivalenceand-translation-further-thoughts-on-io-immunities-in-jam-v-ifc/
equivalence-and-translation-further-thoughts-on-ioimmunities-in-jam-v-ifc/.
14
G. RIOS en E. FLAHERTY, “International organization reform or
impunity? Immunity is the problem”, ILSA Journal of
International & Comparative Law, 2010, 436; M. F. ORZAN,
“International Organizations and Immunity from Legal Process:
An Uncertain Revolution” in Evolutions in the Law
of International Organizations, Leiden, Brill, 2015, 366.
15
M. F. ORZAN, “International Organizations and Immunity from
Legal Process: An Uncertain Revolution” in Evolutions in the
Law of International Organizations, Leiden, Brill, 2015, 377.
16
US District Court for the District of Colombia 9 November
2020, Rodriguez v. Pan American Health Organization (Opinion
of the Court), nr. 20-928.
17
Pro: Hoge Raad Nederland 20 December 1985, Spaans v.
Iran-United States Claims Tribunal, NJ 1986, nr. 12627, 438;
M. WOOD, “Do international organizations enjoy immunity
under customary international law?” in Immunity of International
Organizations, Leiden, Brill, 2015, 31-32. Contra: Hof van
Cassatie België 21 december 2009, Secretariaat ACP Groep
v. Lutchmaya, nr. C.03.0328.F, ILDC 1573; Hof van Cassatie
België 12 maart 2001, Liga van Arabische Staten v. TM, nr.
S.99.0103F, ILDC 42, 610; B.I. BONAFÉ, “Italian Courts and
the Immunity of International Organizations”, IOLR 2013, Vol.
10, nr. 2, 512; M. F. ORZAN, “International Organizations and
Immunity from Legal Process: An Uncertain Revolution” in
Evolutions in the Law of International Organizations, Leiden,
Brill, 2015, 365-372.
18
International Organizations Immunities Act, § 2(b),
ch. 652, 59 Stat. 669 (1945).
19
G. RIOS en E. FLAHERTY, “International organization reform or
impunity? Immunity is the problem”, ILSA Journal of
International & Comparative Law, 2010, 438.
20
J. WOUTERS, C. RYNGAERT, T. RUYS en G. DE BAERE,
International law: a European perspective, Oxford,
Hart Publishing, 2019, 502.
21
BORDIN, F. N., “To what immunities are international
organizations entitled under general international law?
Thoughts on Jam v IFC and the ‘default rules’ of IO immunity”,
Questions of International Law 2020, 5.
22
US Supreme Court 27 February 2019, Jam v International
Finance Corporation, 586, Opinion of the Court 9.
23
E. DE BRABANDERE, “Belgian Courts and the Immunity of
International Organizations” in Immunity of International
Organizations, Leiden, Brill, 2015, 217.
24
E. DE BRABANDERE, “Belgian Courts and the Immunity of
International Organizations” in Immunity of International
Organizations, Leiden, Brill, 2015, 216.
25
E. DE BRABANDERE, “Belgian Courts and the Immunity of
International Organizations” in Immunity of International
Organizations, Leiden, Brill, 2015, 216.
26
Article 6 ECHR.
27
§68 ECtHR 18 February 1999, Waite and Kennedy v
Germany, nr. 26083/94; M. F. ORZAN, “International
Organizations and Immunity from Legal Process:
An Uncertain Revolution” in Evolutions in the Law of
International Organizations, Leiden, Brill, 2015, 374.
28
M. F. ORZAN, “International Organizations and Immunity from
Legal Process: An Uncertain Revolution” in Evolutions in the
Law of International Organizations, Leiden, Brill, 2015, 378.
29
E. DE BRABANDERE, “Belgian Courts and the Immunity of
International Organizations” in Immunity of International
Organizations, Leiden, Brill, 2015, 379.
By Raffaela Amelia Stoilas & Camille Verstraete
Both law students at the Catholic University of Leuven, hereby
expressing particular thanks to Billiet & Co, a Brussels -based
law firm specialized in legal services for diplomatic missions,
where they conducted a summer internship in this niche field.
160 161

DIFFERENT WAYS
FOR DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY TO END
Throughout the years there have been a number of incidents
regarding diplomats who violate the laws in receiving states.
(For example: a Chinese consul who was caught drunk driving 2 ,
an Estonian consul who collected intelligence incompatible with
his diplomatic status 3 , the murder of Yvonne Fletcher when she
The question arises as to what courses of action are available
if a foreign diplomat commits a mistake or an infringement, or
even a crime, in the host state. Of course, where possible, it is
recommended to try to find an amicable solution. If not, there are
various possibilities. 9
Overall, a waiver of immunity has been unusual, certainly when it
comes to criminal cases. 17 Although, Zambia quickly waived the
immunity of an official at its London embassy who was suspected
of drug offences in 1985. 18
When the sending state consents with the waiver of immunity, it
means that the receiving state may exercise its jurisdiction. 19 This
way the foreign diplomat can be tried in court for the offences
he/she committed. Asking to grant a waiver of immunity can be
a better option than declaring a diplomat persona non grata 20 , as
this can make the relationship between two states go sour. 21 A
difference must be made between a waiver of immunity from ju-
Sanctions law and Export controls
Global fraud and Asset Recovery
Foreign Direct Investment in Belgium, EU, Russia and CIS countries
International Employment and Labour law
Immigration and International Mobility
Avenue Louise 146 | Brussels | +(32) 2 643 33 01 | info@billiet-co.be
KEY CO
Johan Billi
johan.billie
Dr. Konsta
konstantin
Philippe Bi
philippe.bi
Vladimir L
vladimir.lin
was fatally wounded by a shot fired from the Libyan embassy by
risdiction and a waiver of immunity from execution. 22 This means
an unknown gunman 4 ).
In principle, the inviolability prevails the national law of the host
that if a sending state waives the immunity from jurisdiction, the
state. But article 41 of the Vienna Convention is strengthened
judgement of the court following this waiver cannot be enforced
Not all victims and/or relatives of the victims were sure to get
by additional rules, designed to prevent abuse of immunities,
without a separate waiver for the immunity from execution. 23
Most of the time diplomatic agents follow this with due diligence,
AD-BillietCo.indd 2
compensation or get justice because of the diplomatic immunity
privileges and/or inviolability. Those rules provide administrative
but there have been circumstances where diplomats have
and inviolability of the diplomats. Diplomats are internationally
protected individuals according to Article 1 of the Convention on
the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally
and deterrent restrictions. The administrative restrictions can be
found in articles 4 to 11 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic
relations. Those rules can be used by the host state to counter
PERSONA NON GRATA
crossed the line. 26
When a diplomat has committed an offence abroad, the courts
Protected Persons, including Diplomatic Agents.
the abuse of inviolability and immunity by the diplomatic agents
In the case of “waiver of immunity”, the host state is dependent
are competent to hold a national accountable when this is an
on their territory.
on the sending state. Persona non grata refers to a foreign per-
offence in the sending and the receiving state. 27 The purpose is
This article aims to offer an introduction to the limits of diplomat-
son who’s remaining or entering in a country is prohibited by that
to make sure diplomatic agents who are recalled to the sending
ic immunity.
We will further discuss three main ways that diplomatic agents
country. The person can then no longer function as a diplomat
state can’t prevent being prosecuted as they have no immunity
can ‘lose’ their immunity.
on the territory of the receiving state, and must return to the
in their home country; although sending states are not obliged to
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IMMUNITY AND
INVIOLABILITY
WAIVER OF IMMUNITY
sending state. A country can declare a member of a diplomatic
staff persona non grata at any time and without having to explain
its decision. 24
prosecute their diplomatic agents. 28
1
Both law students at the Catholic University of Leuven,
expressing particular thanks to Billiet & Co, a Brussels -based
There is a distinct difference between immunity and inviolability.
First of all, waiver of immunity is one of the common features of
This instrument can be used in case of abuse of the special
law firm specialized in legal services for diplomatic missions.
This difference is important when it comes to prosecuting diplo-
international immunity. The modalities in which a waiver of immu-
protection position. A diplomat who abuses his immunity- either
2
K. SARAH, “ Chinese diplomat in Gwangju denied immunity in
matic agents and holding them accountable for their acts. Immu-
nity can be asked and granted depends on the kind of immunity
for personal gain or to jeopardise the welfare and security of the
DUI case”, joins, Chinese diplomat in Gwangju denied immuni-
nity and inviolability don’t go together automatically. For exam-
and the person who’s asking the waiver of immunity. 10 Article
host state- can be declared persona non grata and, if necessary,
ty in DUI case (joins.com)
ple, in spite of article 29 of the Vienna Convention of Diplomatic
32 of the Vienna Conventions gives the circumstances in which
can even be arrested or deported. The sending state is obliged
3
X., “Estonian consul Mart Latte declared persona non grata by
Relations (“VCDR”), inviolability can be subject to exceptions, but
immunity can be waived.
to recall the diplomat, but the host state still doesn’t have the
Russia”, The Baltic Times, Estonian consul Mart Latte declared
immunity of criminal jurisdiction remains in place even in those
authority to prosecute him.
persona non grata by Russia (baltictimes.com)
exceptional cases. 5 Inviolability is the duty of a state to hold itself
In article 32(4) VCDR we can see that immunity from criminal
4
S. TENDLER, “Fletcher, Yvonne Joyce”, Oxford DNB, Fletcher,
from taking coercive measures towards certain persons. 6 When
jurisdiction is broader, which means diplomatic agents have
When a diplomat is declared persona non grata by the receiv-
Yvonne Joyce (1958–1984), police officer | Oxford Dictionary of
a person only enjoys inviolability, but no immunity, a prosecu-
more protection regarding criminal cases. If a sending state
ing state, this will often result in a countermeasure being taken
National Biography (e-bronnen.be)
tion and even a conviction seems possible to the extent that it
wants to ask for a waiver of immunity for a specific person, then
by the sending state based on the principle of reciprocity. For
5
Int. Ger. 24 mei 1980, Teheran Case, § 86; E. DENZA,
can be taken without coercive measures. 7 When a person only
she needs to do this expressly. 11 But a diplomatic agent cannot
example, Sweden banned a Russian diplomat a few years ago
“Diplomatic Law: A Commentary on the Vienna Convention on
enjoys immunity without inviolability, the court will declare the
invoke his immunity from jurisdiction with respect to a counter-
for violating the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. In
Diplomatic Relations”, British yearbook of international law,
case inadmissible and no trial can take place. But this doesn’t
claim directly related to the main claim , when he/she starts legal
response to Sweden’s persona non grata declaration, Russia
1999, 218-220; J. SALMON, Manuel de Droit Diplomatique,
mean that no procedural acts and acts of investigation in criminal
proceedings .12
did the same to a Swedish diplomat in Moscow as a counter-
Brussels, Bruylant, 1994, 292-296.
procedures can take place. Immunity often is temporary so those
measure. 25
6
E. DENZA, “Diplomatic Law: A Commentary on the Vienna
acts can be valuable in the future.
The waiver is done by the head of the mission, who is deemed
Convention on Diplomatic Relations”, British yearbook of
The diplomatic agent who has the nationality of the receiving
state or has his permanent residence there, enjoys inviolability
only on criminal and executive level for official operations during
to have the authority 13 , or by the minister of foreign affairs of the
sending state. 14 Also important to note is that waiver of immunity
does not belong to the individual concerned, but to the sending
state who can use it for her benefit. 15 Immunity in itself is the
PROSECUTING UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF
THE SENDING STATE
international law, 1999, 112.
7
Article 31 a-c VCDR.
8
P. LAMBERT, “Diplomatic and parliamentary immunity” ​in X.,
Postal Memorialis - Lexicon criminal law, criminal procedure
the execution of his function, unless there are additional privileg-
right of the sending state, so only the sovereign can waive the
For one person to have immunity, means to have the duty to
and special laws, Brussels, Ced. Samsom, 1987, D85(03) 87.
es and inviolabilities granted by the host state. 8
immunity of its diplomatic representatives. 16
respect the laws and regulations of the receiving state.
162 163

9
J. WOUTERS en F. NAERT,International immunities in Belgian
legal practice, Brugge, Die Keure, 2002, 41.
10
J. WOUTERS en F. NAERT,International immunities in Belgian
legal practice, Brugge, Die Keure, 2002, 7.
11
Article 32(2) VCDR; Public Prosecutor/Orhan Olmez, 87 ILR, p.
212; E. DENZA, Diplomatic Law: A Commentary on the Vienna
Convention on Diplomatic Relations, p. 335.
12
Article 32(3) VCDR.
13
E. DENZA, “Diplomatic Law: A Commentary on the Vienna
Convention on Diplomatic Relations”, British yearbook of
international law, 1999, 275; J. SALMON, Manuel de Droit
Diplomatique, Brussels, Bruylant, 1994, 333-334.
14
J. SALMON, Manuel de Droit Diplomatique, Brussels, Bruylant,
1994, 333-334; E. DENZA, “Diplomatic Law: A Commentary
on the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations”, British
yearbook of international law, 1999, 275;
15
M.N. SHAW, International Law, Cambridge, Cambridge
University Press, 2017, 582-583; E. DENZA, “Diplomatic Law:
A Commentary on the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations”,
British yearbook of international law, 1999, 284;
16
M.N. SHAW, International Law, Cambridge,
Cambridge University Press, 2017, 583;
17
M.N. SHAW, International Law, Cambridge,
26
K. SARAH, “ Chinese diplomat in Gwangju denied immunity
in DUI case”, joins, Chinese diplomat in Gwangju denied
immunity in DUI case (joins.com) ; X., “Estonian consul Mart
Latte declared persona non grata by Russia”, The Baltic Times,
Estonian consul Mart Latte declared persona non grata by
Russia (baltictimes.com)
27
M. MOUTZOURIS, Sending and receiving: Immunity sought
by diplomats committing criminal offences, Rhodes, Rhodes
University, 2019, 113.
28
G.V. MCCLANAHAN, Diplomatic Immunity: Principles, Practices,
Problems, New York, St. Martin’s Press, 1989, 136; V.L.
MAGINNIS, “Limiting diplomatic immunity: lessons learned
from the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities
of the United Nations”, Brooklyn Journal of International Law,
Brooklyn, Brooklyn law school, 2002, 1004.
Zoë De Mey & Gisèle Verelst
(Both law students at the Catholic University of Leuven, hereby
expressing particular thanks to Billiet & Co, a Brussels -based
law firm specialized in legal services for diplomatic missions,
where they conducted a summer internship in this niche field.)
Cambridge University Press, 2017, 583; E. DENZA, “Diplomatic
Law: A Commentary on the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic
Relations”, British yearbook of international law, 1999, 284.
18
G.V. MCCLANAHAN, Diplomatic Immunity: Principles,
Practices, Problems, New York, St. Martin’s Press,
1989, 157-7.
19
M. GOGNA, S. HLOBIL, M. PODSIEDLIK, Diplomatic and
State Immunity in Respect of Claims of Embassy Employees
and Domestic Workers: Mapping the Problems and Devising
Solutions, Amsterdam International Law Clinic, Amsterdam,
Amsterdam international law Clinic, 31.
20
Article 9(1) VCDR.
21
M. GOGNA, S. HLOBIL, M. PODSIEDLIK, Diplomatic and
State Immunity in Respect of Claims of Embassy Employees
and Domestic Workers: Mapping the Problems and Devising
Solutions, Amsterdam International Law Clinic, Amsterdam,
Amsterdam international law Clinic, 16.
22
Article 32(4) VCDR; M.N. SHAW, International Law, 8th edition,
Cambridge, p. 582-583.
23
M. GOGNA, S. HLOBIL, M. PODSIEDLIK, Diplomatic and
State Immunity in Respect of Claims of Embassy Employees
and Domestic Workers: Mapping the Problems and Devising
Solutions, Amsterdam International Law Clinic, Amsterdam,
Amsterdam international law Clinic, 17.
24
Art. 9 VCDR; X., “What does it mean to be declared persona
non grata?”, Made for minds, What does it mean to be
declared persona non grata? | News | DW | 06.03.2019
25
X., “Stockholm Expelled Russian diplomat breached 1961
Vienna Convention”, Russia beyond, Stockholm: Expelled
Russian diplomat breached 1961 Vienna Convention - Russia
Beyond (rbth.com).
Palace of Justice - Brussels, Belgium Photo: Shutterstock
Palace of Justice - Brussels, Belgium Photo: Istock
164 165

www.ozenreserve-bolifushi.com
OZEN RESERVE BOLIFUSHI
AN INDIAN OCEAN HAVEN WHERE EVERY
EXPERIENCE IS EXCEPTIONAL
Every dream you’ve had of a tropical paradise comes alive at
OZEN RESERVE BOLIFUSHI. Expansive white beaches and
turquoise waters fringe the lush island resort.
Where sophisticated luxury blends with rustic, barefoot charms
for a uniquely Maldivian experience. Bespoke adventures allow
for blissful relaxation. Every experience is meticulously crafted to
indulge you with a romantic escape or a joyful family getaway.
DINING
OZEN RESERVE BOLIFUSHI offers memorable fine-dining experiences
in singularly unique settings. Relish delicious beach grills.
Revel in romantic dining in an elegant overwater restaurant.
Gaze on Maldives hues as you enjoy delicious seafood. Travel
the world through exquisitely crafted culinary journeys!
VILLAS & RESERVES
Experience paradise at your doorstep! Gorgeously decorated
suites and villas create luxurious island stays. Lose yourself in
vast interiors. Soak in the sun on cosy wooden sunbeds.
A blissful island heaven – just for you!
166 167

168 169

www.ozenlive-maadhoo.com
OZEN LIFE MAADHOO
LOCATION & GEOGRAPHY
Maadhoo Island is situated in South Malé Atoll - just a short
45-minute luxury speedboat ride away from Malé International
Airport. The perfectly North-South Island of Maadhoo with guest
villas facing due east and west offer stunning Sunrises and even
more amazing Sunset views. The large pristine lagoon overlooking
the horizon, with exotic marine life all around offers the
discerning traveler a true Maldives island experience!
spaces are created with utmost Luxury & Comfort in mind, whilst
incorporating a seamless fusion of modern design, nature and
vibrancy! LIFESTYLE LUXURY at its best!
VILLAS & SUITES
Spread over an expansive turquoise lagoon, OZEN Life Maadhoo
features 41 Beach-front villas, idyllically positioned on a soft
& pristine sandy beach, overlooking the horizon. Additionally,
49 over-water villas, built on creatively designed stilts, offers a
romantic & mesmeric experience, truly unmatched… All living
170 171

SLEEP COMFORT | INTERIOR
BED & BATH LINEN
OUR STORY STARTS WITH YOUR DREAM
At Marie-Julliette our customers satisfaction is of paramount
importance, we are always looking for the best interior pieces
from the wide range of high-quality brands we operate with.
By continuously working with these brands, exchanging knowledge
of materials and customer experiences, we can guide you
in the best way possible. Finding a quality, durable table, trendy
chair, accessories or a cosy atmospheric lamp that suits you
and your home is certainly not unfamiliar to us.
We like to share our renewed vision in shaping timeless and
trendy interior. We do not only deliver interior pieces but also
create your dream, your home. Because what is more enjoyable
than coming home to an ideal interior after a hard-working day?
TURN YOUR BEDROOM INTO A LUXURIOUS
HOTEL SUITE
A good night's sleep starts with a good quality bed. Our partner
Nilson – an exclusive brand from the Netherlands, specialised
in beds – has been working for several years on designing and
producing the finest beds possible, with an eye for valuable
ingredients of nature combined with the character of materials,
and precision of craftmanship. In fact, each Nilson is crafted
and assembled by hand in the Netherlands!
The combination of our expertise in sleep- and interior advice
with the high-quality materials we work with, enables us to create
the bedroom you deserve. We go to work with your desires
and preferences to choose the most fitting bed and its accessories.
In addition, to a comfortable bed to spend the night in, we
offer an assortment of duvets and covers, pillows, fitted sheets,
and so much more, for a night of pleasant and healthy sleep.
At Marie-Julliette we feel that you deserve the best care to start
the day of right and well-rested.
ABOUT US
Our strength lies in our personal approach. As a family business
(mother and son) we know each other like no other, this
helps us guide our customers with an identical vision. The
combination of Karolien's years of expertise in sleeping comfort
and Mathias's passion and talent for dressing an elegant and
sophisticated interior form the base of the unique concept of
Marie-Julliette. Be sure to visit our shop. We would be delighted
to treat you with a drink while we shape your dream together!
If you would like to decorate your bathroom and be able to
select high quality and elegant bath linen made from natural
products, you have come to right address. In our carefully
selected range, you will without a doubt find what you are
looking for based on you personal style preference. On top of
that, customization and personalization (with name, logo,...) are
among the options.
GET INSPIRED
Marie-Julliette:
Vilvoordsesteenweg 7D Bus 1
1850 Grimbergen, Belgium
Instagram: @mariejulliette_
Mobile phone: +32 478 71 08 50
Email : info@marie-julliette.be
OUR BRANDS
Sleeping comfort: Nilson
Bed linen: Mirabel Slabbinck, Yves Delorme, Christian Fischbacher,
MissoniHome, Snurk, Marc O’ Polo, Essenza, Sognoblu, Casilin,
Libeco, Cassenz (duvets and pillows), Formesse
Interior: Saba Italia, Miniforms, Spectrum, Oluce (lighting), Woud,
Gelderland, BeClassics, Magis, Menu, Studio Zar (glasware)
Decorative cushions and plaids: MissoniHome, Iosis, Lanerossi,
Christian Fischbacher, Marc O’ Polo, Essenza
Scented candles: Trudon, Lumira
Beauty: L’Objet (soap, bath salts, hand and body lotion, room
spray, etc.), Il Profvmo
Bath linen: Abyss Habidecor, Yves Delorme, MissoniHome,
Mirabel Slabbinck
Bathrobes: Lacoste, Hugo Boss, MissoniHome,
Ralph Lauren, Royal Touch, Mirabel Slabbinck
Table linen: Libeco, Mirabel Slabbinck, Yves Delorme, Marc O’Polo
172 173

MARIE’S CORNER
DESIGNING EMOTIONS
We are craftsmen and proud of it
In barely 25 years’ time, Marie’s Corner imposed itself as a referential brand in the sofa universe.
Both Belgian and international, the company has always outclassed itself by its power of adopting
the different European influences to create its own style and its unique touch.
Cosy and contemporary. Chic and elegant. Marie’s Corner offers unique, endlessly customizable armchairs
based on production according to traditional methods. And with only one obsession in mind:
comfort, comfort and comfort! 200 exclusive models, more than 1.000 finishings and
an infinity of possible combinations, turn each piece into a unique creation.
Simultaneously ageless and ahead of its time, Marie’s Corner has always developed iconic models,
designed to adapt to the anyone’s desire. Included in the BEL (Brussels Exclusive Labels) since 2015,
the company has joined the 80 most iconic representatives of the capital city of Europe.
The main markets are Belgium, Germany, France, Russia, Netherlands, England, Switzerland and Norway.
Marie’s Corner model ‘Wilmington’ and the new “AXO” tables
© Laetizia Bazzoni
THE MANAGING DUO
INNOVATIVE, UNIQUE AND ENDLESSLY
CUSTOMIZABLE
Find your happiness among an abundant choice of models in a
France, Germany, Luxembourg and The Netherlands. In order
to activate the free warranty, the customer is asked to register
online by specifying the order number of the piece of furniture.
Serge Silber manages the Belgian entity (commercial, marketing
unique style, cozy an elegant: a family armchair XXL, office chair,
Upon demand of the customer, Marie’s Corner sends a team of
and human resources departments), while Philippe Vanhemelen
stool, armchair, couch, sofa... Marie’s Corner always has
specialists to the customer’s home where they will give the piece
manages the financial department and the production factory
a solution to offer.
a deep clean.
in Spain. Together they manage as such the entire entity.
This explosive and complementary binomial is head of a team
Amongst the new models in 2020 we find the ‘Baldwin’ armchair,
www.mc.care
of 20 persons in Waver (Belgium), of 35 craftsmen in the
the ‘Axo’ tables, the ‘Napa’ chair, the ‘Hartford’ sofa and the
production workshop in Zaragoza and of a network of
‘Tennessee’ longchair.
15 European distribution agents.
Even though the development of new models, purer and more
MC CARE, PROTECT WHAT YOU LOVE
contemporary, contributes to rejuvenate the brand range, the
For Marie’s Corner, the customer’s satisfaction is the absolute
managing duo does not wish to stay on site and are bringing a
priority. MC Care is a free 5-year anti stain warranty with
new dynamism to the company: increased visibility through large
unlimited on-site intervention. It offers the absolute certainty
real estate projects (decoration of hotels, golfs and prestigious
of fully enjoying a Marie’s Corner piece of furniture.
restaurants), creation of corners in new stores (presence in
mega-stores) and reinforcement of the sales network.
Each piece made by the Master Upholsterers is treated with a
highly water-repellent product against stains that protects fabrics
The ultimate dream of the duo would be to open a hotel signed
by preventing liquids from penetrating inside the fibre. A quick
Marie’s Corner in one of the European capital cities in the near
wipe on the spilled liquid and all is forgotten.
future.
On top of the treatment, Marie’s Corner gives the possibility to
www.mariescorner.com
the customer to call upon the unlimited on-site intervention ser-
Serge Silber and Philippe Vanhemelen, the managing duo of Marie’s Corner
vice. This service is valid for any residential purchase in Belgium,
MC Care is a free 5-years anti-stain warranty
© Laetizia Bazzoni
174 175

BMW Loft 7 in Brussels, decorated by Marie’s Corner
Thanks to the collaboration with the Belgian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, and their valuable trust, Marie’s Corner had the honour
and pleasure to contribute to the furnishing of many of their
Embassies in the last 10 years.
Marie’s Corner fine comfort seating’s have been selected by
some Ambassador’s themselves to accommodate their private
residence as well as the embassy itself. It is a great honour for
the brand to have been selected as Belgian Representative
for their comfort seating’s.
Some of the worldwide references of Marie’s Corner are
residences of the Belgian Ambassador to the Permanent
Representative to the United Nations or The Hague, residences
of the Belgian Ambassadors at Tokyo, Havana, Kinshasa,
Mexico, Nur Sultan, Teheran, Oslo as well as the residence
of the Belgian General Consul in Cologne.
Marie’s Corner is also the proud partner of numerous prestigious
hospitality establishments, co-working spaces and business
clubs.
presentations and culinary evenings. So, the perfect spot to
let your mind prosper. And all this in a historical, monumental
building with classic halls and a modern atmosphere.
Surrounded by rich art and culture. Marie’s Corner produced
Denver-F chairs Custom benches.
The challenge faced for the restaurant Bon Bon in Brussels
(in collaboration with the architect Michèle Verhelst
(MV ARCHITECT), was to offer style and comfort for an
exceptional moment, commensurate with the gastronomic
quality of this starred restaurant of Chef Christophe Hardiquest.
The choices for this project fell on the Dartmouth armchairs for
the reception area and the Manchester chairs and armchairs for
the restaurant proper, and Marie’s Corner developed the same
Manchester model in high stool for the bar-kitchen area.
The BMW ‘Loft 7’, was for a few months one of the most
exclusive attractions of Brussels. A place where the pleasure of
the eyes, an exquisite restoration and many sensory experiences
have amazed many of us. ‘Loft 7’ was a very unique concept!
Dedicated to prestige, elegance and refinement…
Koninklijke Industrieele Groote Club is a lively business & social
club right in the heart of Amsterdam where as a member you’ll
keep company with an eclectic mix from the (inter)national
business community. Where you and your guests are able to
attend more than 160 lectures per year, often given by the best
in the industry. Your go-to place for luncheons, dinners and
meetings. Including other activities such as jazz nights, book
A sublime and ephemeral place for the presentation of the
BMW series 7 where guests have experienced the rare, savour
the exceptional, in an incomparable setting in the heart of
Brussels, on the 77th floor of the BMW Brand Store Brussels.
For this reference, Marie’s Corner produced Anniston armchairs,
Charlotte highchairs, Dakota sectionals, Pebble tables, Sonoma
chairs and Springfield dining tables.
176 177

THE FUTURE IS IN THE STARS
IN THE BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GTC V8,
TRACKING DOWN URSA MAJOR –
THE GREAT BEAR
A SHORT DAY’S LONG JOURNEY
THROUGH THE NIGHT
There it is. The very first star of nightfall. A planet actually. Venus.
Lit up by the sun which is now leisurely slipping below the horizon,
unhurriedly. Its last remaining rays breaking up a few solitary
clouds. One by one they disappear until the darkening sky is
wiped clear. And the last lights of the scattered houses and cottages
begin to go out, too. We switch on the headlamps of the
Continental GTC and glide through the Alpine pasture landscape
at a measured pace.
It’s grown dark by now. Dark, but not sombre, because the many
twinkling stars appearing, coming out here, there and everywhere
to let the stream of the Milky Way emerge, are joined by the
shining moon. She washes over the white Conti with gentle white
light as it begins its journey across the nocturnal firmament. And
here, in the Star Park on the Winkelmoosalm mountain pasture
near Reit im Winkel in Bavaria, some 1,200 meters above sea
level, this firmament appears to stretch particularly far. Lined by
clear-cut silhouettes of the forests and mountains, where the air
is purer than pure.
One typically drives a convertible in the light of day, under the
bright sun in a warm season – at least in central Europe. England
doesn’t conform to this. The British island, from which our travelling
companion on this star journey hails, knows no fixed season
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for driving a convertible. That season is always. And at night as
well. Thanks to sophisticated heating and ventilation, it’s a highly
pleasurable experience to be enveloped in heat and perfectly
shielded from cool or icy winds.
Seen like that, one drives through a starlit night under the
sunshine of many thousand suns. As Manuel Philipp, our guide
through the world of celestial bodies, points out so concisely:
the sun is a star. And every star is a sun. Six thousand of them
are present for us to observe at night – 400 billion of them in our
galaxy alone.
disc). That, while we follow along in amazement as models of
the sun and galaxy are used to explain these things, and as we
follow the laser pointer and appear to be standing in a specific
place, we are in fact moving. Or rather, being moved. Constantly.
Through the Earth’s rotation, at a speed of 1,200 km/h, and at
over 100,000 km/h, too, as the Earth circles the sun.
Which means nothing ever stands still. Ever. Everything is in
motion. Always. We, too, then set off again, on the move, setting
out at around midnight to track down the Great Bear in its full
expanse.
There, our solar system, within which the earth rotates on its own
axis while orbiting its central star, is hardly bigger than a piece of
confetti, and our planet, a microscopically small speck of dust in
comparison. According to current astronomy wisdom, there are
two trillion galaxies in existence. Astronomical figures which are
hard to grasp.
That’s also why our guided tour of the stars focuses on that
which lies near, or at least nearer. We find out that the moon,
which is closest to the Earth, is at a distance of 400,000 km from
us. That our solar system with all its planets – Mercury, Venus,
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune – is in fact a disc
(shedding new light on the outdated concept of the Earth as a
Because at this moment, a portion of it is still hiding behind a
hill. It’s one of the few astral constellations that is always visible.
One point of orientation in the night sky is the North Star, also
called Polaris, which is at the end of Ursa Minor – the Little Bear.
It always points north.
We follow the Great Bear for part of the way. We’ll never catch up
with it – it will always lie ahead of us. Even though it moves by a
mere four minutes each day, from our earthly viewpoint.
Time, however, is relative: a fact that becomes somewhat clearer
when considering that the light of the Great Bear took 80 years
to reach us tonight. This stops us in our tracks and we dim the
headlights of the Continental to parking lights, so as not to disturb
this light from the stars.
Our growing humility in the face of this seemingly endless shining
world above our heads becomes deeper still with Manuel
Philipp’s final statement, “This Bentley is made of stardust”.
Add incredulity to amazement and humility. It seems an all too
far-fetched comparison. And yet, the astronomer and physicist
argues that everything on planet Earth – all material – comes
mainly from the “belly” of a giant star.
everything that we’ve brought forth comes from one and the
same place. This lends far deeper meaning to the surname of
David Bowie’s alter ego, Ziggy Stardust.
So our origins are written in the stars. Just like our present. And
even more so, the future. At Bentley, our future will take shape
under an electric star. When we return to the Star Park next year
for a night-time visit, our companion will be able to glide through
the alpine pastures in electric mode. And soon thereafter, as an
all-electric vehicle.
According to current knowledge, this giant star exploded in the
context of a supernova at some point in the distant past. The
stardust it generated was carried into a nearby cloud of gas. It
was from this stardust-enriched cosmic cloud that, several hundred
million years later, our solar system developed with the sun
as its central star and orbited by eight planets.
Photos: Bentley
Thus, everything in and around us is pure stardust, matter that
was created from the nuclear fusion that occurred inside that
giant star. And without whose existence we would not exist –
because the ball of rock we now call Earth wouldn’t have
emerged from thunder and lightning. On the Earth nearly
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