Posts in English
Listening to a female Syrian refugee
Reina Buijs, Syria, The Netherlands
19 Jul 2017
Last week I went to Egypt and Jordan on a two-day gender trip. I met many inspiring people. One of them is Najwa. I met Najwa in Zarqa, Jordan. She […]
When I arrived in Turkey almost four years ago, the Arab Spring was over and new conflicts had emerged, especially in Syria. The tragedy of Syria is chilling, figures sadly […]
Girls’ rights are human rights
Pascalle Grotenhuis, Mozambique
29 Jan 2017
Eliminating Child Marriage in Mozambique – A Duty Shared by All “Ending child, early and forced marriage is critical because the impacts of this practice are so profound and to […]
CROSSING BORDERS / CROSSING BOUNDARIES
Hans Wesseling, Russia, St.Petersburg
8 Jul 2016
Two years ago decided Dmitry Zaitsev, director of HPL factory in a far district of Rzhevka in St. Petersburg to reorganize the vacant space of his factory site into a […]
Anne Frank: ‘History for today’
Jurriaan Kraak, Bosnia and Herzegovina
13 Jun 2016
In Bosnia this spring, a travelling exhibition, is going from city to city. It is called ‘Anne Frank – History for Today’ and I was present at the openings in […]
Courage is what it takes…and perseverance
Dewi van de Weerd, Albania
27 May 2016
IDAHOT, the yearly Day Against Homophobia has transformed into a full Week of Diversity in Albania. Catering to all tastes, participants can do a bike ride, go to exhibitions, watch […]
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU Membership Application: what happens next?
Jurriaan Kraak, Bosnia and Herzegovina
23 May 2016
While checking the media for public statements by politicians, pundits and press hounds on the EU membership application of Bosnia and Herzegovina, I came across quite a few misunderstandings and […]
The Netherlands and the EU – A No-Frills Presidency
Jurriaan Kraak, Bosnia and Herzegovina, The Netherlands
23 May 2016
On January 1st, the Netherlands took over the Presidency of the European Union. I know it is not the most exciting topic and, since the Lisbon Treaty, this responsibility is […]
Contributing to a just world/elimination of extreme poverty
Robert Schuddeboom, Turkey
10 Feb 2016
Sustainable Development Goals, the post 2015 development agenda, involvement of companies, John Ruggie, UN and where Turkey and The Netherlands team up. Why does a person have a job, why […]
Social Media, diplomats and Turkey
Robert Schuddeboom, Turkey
13 Nov 2015
No tweet, no result; no picture, no meeting; no #hashtag, no professionalism. Blogging is hip, infographics are already mainstream and every respectable company has a CDO (Chief Digital Officer). I […]
Pera Palace – fin de siècle in 2015
Robert Schuddeboom, Turkey
4 Nov 2015
My wedding ring? I gave it to my wife in Pera Palace. Where else? Several of my blogs are about the rapid modernization of Istanbul’s infrastructure. Istanbul however is also […]
Groundwater: The invisible part of the cycle
Hugo Von Meijenfeldt, USA
2 Nov 2015
photo: The Dutch ‘Polderlandschap’ Almost all parts of the natural water cycle are visible: clouds, rain/snow, surface water in rivers and oceans. People are able to connect flooding and drought to […]
