News
Letter
The Hague, July 2016 Colombian Independence Day celebration in The Hague, Netherlands
On 20 July, the Embassy of Colombia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands celebrated 206 years of Colombian Independence with a concert from Juan GarcĂaHerreros, also known as SnowOwl, at the Diligentia Theater in The Hague. The Colombian bass player and Latin jazz composer
was a Latin Grammy nominee in 2014 and also awarded at the Global Music Awards in March of the same year. The concert, which was followed by a lively reception, was an initiative within the framework of the Promotional Plan of Colombia Abroad.
The Ambassador of Colombia Juan José Quintana and his wife, María del Rosario Navia, welcomed more than 300 guests, most notably including Dutch government officers, members of the Diplomatic Corps in The Hague, high level representatives of international courts and organizations, entrepreneurs, journalists, artists, academics and
activists. In his welcoming remarks the Ambassador highlighted the historic significance of Colombia’s current context, predicting a promising future of a country in peace and without conflict.
BoletĂn
La Haya, junio 2016
The speech was followed by the opening of the Snow-Owl concert, where an original interpretation of the Colombian National anthem was performed (watch the video here). After the concert, the Embassy offered traditional Colombian snacks during the reception. In the words of the guests, the event was a complete success.
To see the national anthem interpretation, click the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW1ZOYOuoo4 To see the video of the event, click the following link: https://twitter.com/CancilleriaCol/status/755821229945356289
Cooperation between the Autonomous Regional Corporation of Valle del Cauca and the Dutch Water Authorities
for information exchange on the subjects of dike design, operation and maintenance, and ecosystem restoration and maintenance.
Over the last three years the Autonomous Regional Corporation of Valle del Cauca (CVC) has been working on an integrated flooding management plan in the Cauca River with Dutch cooperation resources. As a result of these activities the Dutch Water Authorities signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2015 which will be ongoing over the next 4 years to continue working on the following subjects: integrated water resources management and multilevel water governance, knowledge and experience exchange, as well as input to the operational and infrastructure management model related to the integrated water resources management. As part of this cooperation the CVC had its first mission to the Kingdom of the Netherlands last month. The program included visits to five water authorities
After the visit participants held a meeting on concluding remarks, whose resulting action was to create three guidance booklets for the application of the dike governance model, inspection and maintenance, as well as wetland restauration and maintenance. These will be jointly developed and adjusted to the Valle del Cauca conditions in order to implement them in two CVC priority cases: El Jarillรณn and the Sonso Lagoon Regional District of Integrated Management. This cooperation, without doubt, will further strengthen the institutional capacity and generate environmental benefits for the region.
Manq'a Program for Young Colombian Chefs Gastronomy: A reconciliation opportunity of a country!
In July the Embassy of Colombia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands held a meeting with representatives of the Dutch company Generous Minds, who presented the results of their ongoing project in Colombia under the Manq'a model. Manq'a is a social initiative created jointly by ICCO, a Dutch NGO for cooperation development, the Melting Pot Foundation and Kerk in Actie, which offers free training in gastronomy for vulnerable Colombian youth. The program is made possible with the generous financial support of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). The program has been complemented by the Colombian NGOs Fundación Escuela Taller de Bogotá (School Workshop Foundation of Bogota), Fundación del Pequeño Trabajador (Small Workers Foundation), the Ecomuoba Organic Producers Cooperative and several Bogotá restaurants including MiniMal which all share the common interest of commitment to the community and valuing local products. Both Manq'a and the Dutch company Just Nuts have been developing a new healthy product for the European market
market based on organic, traditional and homegrown Colombian food. The objective of this new product line is to share the positive stories of Manq'a students and Colombia in European markets. This year 30 young individuals from the Patio Bonito neighborhood in Kennedy, Bogotá, an area with demanding social needs due to its high population of displaced families, have been trained as chefs who promote traditional local food.
Furthermore, this year Manq'a will open its second school in the in the Agua Blanca district of Cali. The aim of Manq'a is to open seven schools in different areas of Colombia, taking advantage of the gastronomical variety in order to train 700 young people as chefs. To implement this program, Manq'a has established several partnerships in Colombia with the Unit for Integral Attention and Reparation for Victims, the Colombian Agency for Reintegration (ACR), the Presidential Agency to Overcome Extreme Poverty (ANSPE) which is now part of the Department of Social Prosperity (DPS), as well as the District Institute for Child and Youth Protection (IDIPRON).
MEDITECH International Health Fair: An opportunity to create solutions and innovative products for our Colombian health sector
Between 20th June and 1st July, a group of Dutch entrepreneurs form the health sector participated in the Netherlands pavilion at the 5th annual MEDITECH International Health Fair held in Bogotá, Colombia. The Dutch delegation was made up of 30 health sector entrepreneurs specializing in science and technology. Most notable was the presence of companies such as Returnpool and Spectator Video Technology who are already working with regional offices in our country. During this mission various meetings were held in order to match up the Dutch companies
with Colombian universities and hospitals such as San Ignacio Hospital, Sabana University, Nogales Clinic, San José Hospital, Universidad del Norte, Inmaculada Clinic, Santa Bárbara Clinic, Colombian National University Hospital, Clínica del Bosque, Hospital Universitario Mayor – Méderiand as well as with our Ministry of Health and Social Protection. Finally, the delegation also had the opportunity to participate at Philips Innovation Day where technological developments in this sector were presented. During the Fair the Special Envoy of the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports, Arnoud Boesten, and his Colombian counterpart, Minister Alejandro Gaviria, attended the different activities.
EVENTS
Latin American Film and Music Festival in Rotterdam
Between 17 and 21 August, 2016 the first annual Latin American Film and Music Festival (FLAR) will be held in the Lantaren Venster Theatre (Otto Reuchlinweg 996) in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. More than thirty Latin American films and documentaries released over the past two years will be shown during the festival. The Embassy of Colombia to the Netherlands will participate under the framework of the Promotional Plan of Colombia Abroad. This will include the special presence of Manolo Cruz, the producer, writer and lead actor of the Colombian film La CiĂŠnaga. He will be present throughout the entire festival, especially for the questions and answers session at the end of the film. The Festival will also present the notable Colombian films listed below:
EVENTS
The Rotterdam Latin American Festival (FLAR) will also have musical performances, among which should be highlighted the well known Colombian group La-33, an urban salsa band founded in BogotĂĄ that will perform immediately after the showing of La CiĂŠnaga on Friday, August 19th at 20:30 to combine film and a good salsa concert.
For more information about the event click the following link: www.festivallatinoamericano.nl/index.php/blok Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Flar2016/
EVENTS
Fernando Botero in Rotterdam, the Netherlands Between 2 July and 11 September, Rotterdam will host the exhibition of the world reknowned Colombian artist Fernando Botero. The ongoing exhibition Botero: Celebrate Life! is hosted by the Kunsthal art gallery (Westzeedijk 341, 3015 AA Rotterdam). The Latin Life Sundays program, an initiative from the Kunsthal gallery, will be presenting performances of music, dance and poetry every Sunday of the summer until 28 August to accompany the Botero Exhibition. For more information about the Latin Life Sundays clik the link below: www.kunsthal/LatinLife For more information about Botero: Celebrate Life! click the link below: http://www.kunsthal.nl/en/exhibitions/botero
EMBASSY OF COLOMBIA TO THE NETHERLANDS
TEL (+31) 703 614545 – FAX (+31) 703 614636 Groot Hertoginnelaan 14, 2517 EG. The Hague, Netherlands www.paisesbajos,embajada.gov.co