ministries
Blog entry | 25-09-2021 | BZ members worldwide
Queen Máxima, Nikkie de Jager and the Prime Ministers of Aruba and the Netherlands in New York, while the minister participates from the studio in The Hague. How do you ensure that everyone is in the right place in time to get the positions of the Dutch Kingdom on the UN agenda? Coordinators Martijn Engels and Frans van der Straaten keep a diary.
–
In the first part of their diary, Martijn and Frans gave an insight into the preparations.
–
Monday 20 September: ready for the start
On both sides of the ocean, the teams are logged in for the virtual kick-off of the UNGA. Joke Brandt, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, summarizes how challenging the preparations have been with the summit taking place partly online while heads of state and ministers also travel to New York. It is unclear until the last moment which delegation will board the plane. But the first person has arrived: Thijs van der Plas, Director-General of Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Physical presence is important at the geopolitical event of the year. In between the official program moments, representatives of the highest level work on mutual trust.
–
–
Tuesday 21 September: a new choreography
“But we are not hopeless. Or helpless. We have a path to recovery. If we choose to take it.” Of course I wholeheartedly agree with these words of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’, says Frans. The coordinator watches the opening of the General Assembly from home, while he keeps an eye on his mail. The Prime Minister of Aruba decided last night to travel to New York. ‘We have two days left to arrange for Prime Minister Evelyn Wever-Croes to be picked up from the airport, put on the accreditation list for an access pass, prepared for the various meetings, and her security ready. The Prime Minister of Aruba will join the conversation of Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Antonio Guterres on Friday. In consultation with the Aruban authorities, we are changing the choreography of that meeting.’
–
–
Martijn also watches the opening from the screen – due to the corona measures, the Netherlands only has four access passes for the main hall. Every year the order is the same: first the UN Secretary-General has the floor, then Brazil and then the host country. “It’s great that President Joe Biden is addressing the importance of working together. If we operate as a collective, it is ultimately better for the individual. That’s how the Netherlands views it too.’ Behind the scenes, Martijn keeps an eye on whether everything is going well. ‘I am the troubleshooter.’ Yet he is not stressed. ‘The preparations are going fairly smoothly.’
–
–
Before Queen Máxima arrives, Martijn has a meeting with makeup artist Nikkie de Jager, better known as Nikkie Tutorials. Tomorrow the influencer will participate from New York in the LGBTI event that the Netherlands is organizing together with Argentina. That event radiates what the Netherlands stands for: equal rights for LGBTI people; everyone can be who they are. Martijn: ‘It strikes me how modest Nikkie is, while she has an enormous influence and can mean a lot in disseminating our message. At the same time, we speak a completely different language. Refreshing to have her here. With her questions – what exactly does a resolution mean and what do you achieve with it? – she keeps us on our toes. We must articulate our message and commitment clearly.’
–
At that time, Frans focused on women and girls in Afghanistan. How can we support their future? From the World Forum in The Hague, Minister Tom de Bruijn emphasizes that 20 years of international involvement should not be lost and that everyone has the right to education. The Netherlands organized this event together with Italy.
–
–
Wednesday September 22 – an important day
‘The minister has to put her camera on NOW. No, like: NOW NOW!‘ When Frans looks behind the scenes at the technicians, he hears how small problems are solved, such as ministers who switch on their camera too late when dialing in. A professional production team supervises the broadcast from the studio in the World Forum. Together with the organization CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality, the Netherlands is organizing a virtual meeting in which youth representatives and decision-makers discuss how gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights are the keys to the SDG agenda. Minister Tom de Bruijn is the host. Frans: ‘Everything is going well. I’m really proud of my team.’
–
On the other side of the world, the side event about LGBTI is on the program. The meeting on decriminalization of sexual orientation and gender identity as a precondition for achieving the SDGs will be broadcast from the new SDG Studio. Special guest is Nikkie de Jager, from her role as UN Goodwill Ambassador of the Netherlands Association of the UN. Like LGBTI activists from Guyana, Botswana and Bhutan, Nikkie shares her personal story. The UN announces a comprehensive strategy for LGBTI people to combat discrimination and violence. Martijn: ‘Once a week, Nikkie will give LGBTI organizations and activists the opportunity to share their story on her platform. With 15.2 million followers on Instagram, she reaches a wide audience.’
–
–
Frans will accompany Minister Tom de Bruijn and the former Afghan Minister for Women’s Affairs Dr Massouda Jalal in the World Forum. Frans joins the conversation. “When the Taliban came to power, Dr. Jalal thought her life was over. The moment she was pulled over the fence at Kabul airport, she knew she could continue her fight for women’s rights. Impressive to hear a story like that first hand, from someone who was evacuated less than a month ago.’
–
–
–
Thursday September 23 – fitting and measuring
‘Queen Máxima is almost going home’, says Martijn. As a special advocate of the UN Secretary-General, she presented her annual report. This week, Queen Máxima met with other other Vietnam, Bangladesh and Nigeria to propagate her agenda: inclusive financing for development. Martijn explains that the queen operates independently, his team only facilitates. At the moment his attention is on the matching puzzle. Will everyone hand over their pass tomorrow in time so that the Prime Ministers of Aruba and the Netherlands can be on time at the bilateral meeting with the Secretary-General? “It’s fitting and measuring.”
In the Netherlands, Frans follows the Food Systems Summit from home. How can food systems be healthier, more sustainable and more equitable? That question is central to this summit. A substantive agreement was already concluded during the pre-summit in Rome. ‘Today there is a nice bow around it and everyone officially commits themselves,’ says Frans, while he glances at the clock. The General Political Reflections are still going on. Is Prime Minister Rutte going to catch his flight to New York?
–
–
Friday September 24 – Afghanistan, climate and recovery after the corona crisis
193 countries participate in the UNGA, each country is given fifteen minutes to make a statement. Today it is Prime Minister Rutte’s turn. What he is going to say is no longer a surprise for the team in The Hague. The substantive preparation already started six weeks ago. Frans: ‘We often want to say something in such a statement about many subjects because everything is important. This year the Dutch representation in New York and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and General Affairs have agreed that we choose three priorities: climate, post-covid recovery and Afghanistan. I’m glad about that, because three messages stick better than thirteen.’ Experts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have provided input, speech writers from General Affairs have made a statement about it. That version was approved – with a few adjustments – by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and subsequently submitted to the Prime Minister.
–
–
Martijn’s team has ordered pizza. Pizza boxes are also on the table in the ministry on Rijnstraat, while Prime Minister Rutte delivers his speech. Two years ago, Frans also coordinated the contribution of the Dutch Kingdom and did accompany the delegation to New York that year. That year, King Willem-Alexander made the national statement. ‘The Dutch bench must be continuously occupied, with every speech from every country. King Willem Alexander was in conversation with the Secretary-General of the UN, and I was ‘on duty’ in the General Assembly Hall. Besides following the broad lines of the statements of other countries, I also had an important task: to keep an eye on the time and to warn the people around the King when it was almost his turn.’ At one point a man from the protocol service approaches Frans, his gaze fixed on the picture of the king in his folder. “Your royal highness, we are ready.” For a split second – Frans also has a reddish beard – he considered a career switch. “But no, my current job is too much fun.”
–
–
