British Embassy The Hague

Last Thursday UK Ambassador Joanna Roper attended the 35th edition of the Netherlands Industries for Defence & Security exhibition in Rotterdam, leading a strong UK joint government and industry delegation, together with UK Ministry of Defence's Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) Mark Langrill. The day included meetings with both Commander and Deputy Commander of the Dutch Materiel and IT Command, the organisation responsible for the procurement of equipment for the Netherlands Armed Forces, as well as meetings with UK and Dutch industry. Ambassador Roper also attended a signing ceremony of a Letter of Intent between Draken and the Koninklijke Luchtmacht. This will enable Draken to deliver its advanced threat replication services using aircraft from the company’s AVA L-159E Honey Badger fleet of ex-military agile fighter jets. Experienced pilots will fly in the aggressor role alongside RNLAF personnel on operational training sorties, using similar training techniques delivered to Draken’s customers across the #NATO alliance, including British Royal Air Force (RAF).

Last Thursday, our International Law team hosted their fifth International Justice Seminar launching Professor Yvonne McDermott Rees FLSW‘s insightful book “Proving International Crimes”. Following a warm welcome by Deputy Head of the International Law Team Palika Bhasin, Professor McDermott explored the content and nature of the law and practise on proving international crimes, together with International Criminal Court Judge Joanna Korner. The panel and engaged audience discussed the ways law and practice around these crimes could be improved - with a specific eye on the International Criminal Court.   International crimes like war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide are complex and large in scale, scope, and impact. Judicial proceedings frequently are far removed - both in terms of time and venue – from the crime scene. Over times investigators, lawyers, scholars, and policy makers developed a body of law and practice establishing standards for the collection, preservation, presentation, and analysis of evidence to prove international crimes. Professor McDermott Rees highlighted the critical role of evidence in securing accountability in international criminal trials and key issues including preservation and admissibility of evidence, standard of proof, the tension between fairness and flexibility in evidence handling and the development of a consistent system to address these questions. Together with Judge Korner, she discussed the “no-case-to-answer” motion and judicial notice of adjudicated facts at the ICC as well as what makes a good ICC judgment. During the Q&A, the audience asked questions about the tailoring of judgments to different audiences and the complexities surrounding digital evidence and its preservation for future crimes ensued.   Thank you to our wonderful panellists for sharing their expertise and insights on proving international crimes with us, and to our audience for engaging so actively. We look forward to the next edition of the International Justice Seminar series already!

Yesterday evening, our International Law team hosted the fourth instalment in its International Justice Seminar series on the development of international law in the cyber context. We welcomed our expert speakers, Shehzad Charania MBE - Director of Legal Affairs and Mission Policy at GCHQ; Harriet Moynihan - Associate Fellow, International Law Programme at Chatham House; and Professor Marko Milanovic - Professor of Public International Law at the University of Reading, Co-Editor of the Tallinn Manual 3.0, and the ICC OTP Special Adviser on Cyber-enabled Crimes.   The fascinating discussion examined the processes of law-making, adaptation and evolution relating to how international law applies in cyberspace. Our panellists examined State-led initiatives, as well as the unprecedented wave of formal State positions on international law and cyber along with the role of non-governmental processes like the Tallinn Manual. The panellists took the audience through the interaction between cyber and human rights law, the law of armed conflict, and international criminal law, including the application of cyber to Rome Statute crimes and developments such as the conclusion of the new UN Cybercrime Convention.   With thanks again to our expert panellists, who provided much food for thought on the challenges and opportunities related to applying international law to the cyber context - an issue that will be topical for years to come. Many thanks also to our audience for their active participation in the Q&A session.

Today Ambassador Joanna Roper hosted NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at her residence in The Hague. They were joined by NATO Ambassadors and representatives, as well as representatives from the alliance's key partners in the Indo-Pacific. #StrongerTogether

This week Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves presented the UK's new budget. UK Ambassador to the Netherlands Joanna Roper shares her thoughts on what this new budget means for the UK-Dutch relationship. HM Treasury

Last night, UK Ambassador Joanna Roper together with the Department for Business and Trade, and NBCC hosted 20 Dutch business leaders from a variety of sectors, together with Dutch climate envoy Jaime de Bourbon de Parme.   The group discussed topics surrounding the commitment to sustainable business development, as well as the challenges and opportunities of delivering on sustainability, and how government can help to facilitate the low carbon investment needed to drive forward the UK Government's ambitions to reach net zero emissions by 2050. #investment #sustainableinvestment #netzero

Today UK Ambassador to the Netherlands Joanna Roper hosted diplomats from Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken who will visit London next week for this year's joint diplomats training. The training takes place each year with British and Dutch diplomats taking part in a series of sessions from experts in a wide range of fields related to diplomacy. The programme demonstrates the UK and the Netherlands' close relationship and our shared values and aims, and the many links and networks between our two countries.

We are happy to be once again supporting the #WorldPensionSummit this November. Colleagues from the Department for Business and Trade will be meeting private investors from all over the world to explore sustainable investment opportunities that will fuel critical infrastructure and clean energy projects. Here's what His Majesty's Trade Commissioner for Europe, Chris Barton CMG has to say about it! 👇 #WorldPensionSummit2024 #Investment #SustainableInvestment

Did you know, the UK agri-tech sector employs 40,000 people, showcasing a skilled and dynamic workforce? 🌾👩🔬 Department for Business and Trade The Hague, together with several key partners are leading an agri-tech mission from September 18-20, highlighting the opportunities for Dutch companies to invest in the UK’s thriving agriculture sector. The programme includes visits to top UK agri-tech hubs, connecting with experts, and exploring the latest innovations tackling sector challenges. 🌍🚜 #AgriTech #UKNL #Innovation #Robotics

🔊 Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) a growing global health threat. 🔊 New Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) estimates from Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Oxford, Wellcome Trust, and Fleming Fund Services suggest more than a million lives have been lost each year since 1990, and without urgent #ActionOnAMR, antimicrobial resistance will account for three deaths every minute between 2025 and 2050. Data has a critical role to play in the global fight against AMR. Yesterday, the #GRAM Project led by Dr. Christopher J.L. Murray has published new historical estimates and the world’s first forecasts on the global #AMR burden in The Lancet. Discover the full paper here: https://lnkd.in/e8XJcQ7Y