The Philippines

The year 2021 is an auspicious time to commence a diplomatic assignment in The Hague as it marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Philippine-Netherlands diplomatic relations. Notwithstanding the pandemic, the two sides conducted a bilateral consultation meeting in June, which resulted in a joint work program for the coming months and years, with emphasis on cooperation in trade and investments, water management, maritime matters, agriculture, and science and technology.

TThe commemorative activities culminated in a webinar organized by the Philippine Embassy titled “Philippines-Netherlands Connections @70: Reconstructing History and Forging

Ahead” on November 9-10. It featured senior government officials, business leaders, historians, and other distinguished personalities with the aim of assessing the relations and contributing to a roadmap to strengthen and scale up cooperation. The book “Crossroads,” a compendium of the bilateral agreements signed from 1946 up to the present, was also launched during the webinar.

Being the acknowledged “legal capital of the world,” The Hague has always had a fascination for me. As a lawyer-diplomat and former head of my foreign ministry’s treaties and legal affairs office, I had visited a number of times for conferences and meetings. With this assignment, I also feel like coming full circle as I had advocated for, and worked in 2010, on the Philippine accessions to the

Convention on the Pacific Settlement of

International Disputes, which governs the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and the Statute of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, which spearheads efforts towards the harmonization of rules in private

BY H.E. J. EDUARDO MALAYA, PHILIPPINE AMBASSADOR TO THE NETHERLANDS international law. The Philippines has been actively engaged with these organizations, as well as with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the Common Fund for Commodities, and other Haguebased international organizations. Significant best practices, soft norms, multilateral conventions, and jurisprudence are continually being shaped and developed here, and these have a significantly beneficial CRISTINA AND I ARE ALSO LOOKING FORWARD TO THE impact on the Philippines and the rest of the world. It is thus crucial to have a seat at the conference table and be actively involved. COMPLETION MID-2022 OF THE RENOVATION OF THE EMBASSY CHANCERY Cristina and I are also looking forward to the completion mid-2022 of the renovation of the embassy chancery at Laan Copes van AT LAAN COPES VAN Cattenburg. Once done and post-pandemic, CATTENBURG art exhibits, trade expositions and musical performances are planned. Filipinos are known for our warm hospitality and love of music. There is perhaps no better way to deepen friendships and spread goodwill than through personal engagements and music.