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NEWS & PUBLICATIONSBelgium Today September 2010Vanackere Pledges EU Aid to Pakistan On August 19, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Steven Vanackere attended the extraordinary session of the General Assembly of the United Nations on the humanitarian emergency in Pakistan. In consultation with EU High Representative Catherine Ashton and on behalf of the European Union, the Minister delivered a message of support, expressing solidarity with and condolences to the Government and the people of Pakistan following the tragic loss of life in the monsoon floods. The European Union will provide 105 million euros (the equivalent of 135 million dollars) of humanitarian assistance to Pakistan. “The situation in Pakistan can leave nobody indifferent,” says Minister Vanackere. “The scale of this disaster is unprecedented and calls for an exceptional response. A vast number of people have been affected by this catastrophe and its consequences will continue to be felt by the people of Pakistan for a long time to come,” he went on. Belgian Development Cooperation Minister Charles Michel had previously announced that through the United Nations’ World Food Programme, Belgium is donating an additional 2 million euros, on top of the more than 4 million euros in humanitarian aid allocated to Pakistan this year. Further efforts by Belgium have not been ruled out, but the international community would have to coordinate any such measures with all the relevant humanitarian actors and with Pakistani officials. This is one reason why the government assigned a Belgian expert to accompany the mission of the EU’s Monitoring and Information Center to Pakistan at the end of the August. Memphis in May Festival To Honor Belgium Memphis in May, one of the largest and most important international festivals in the United States, has announced that Belgium will be its honored country in 2011. Founded more than 30 years ago, Memphis in May introduces foreign nations and diverse cultures to the people of the Mid-South; each year it attracts about 300,000 people. Diane Hampton, Memphis in May executive director, described Belgium as "the essence of Europe. It's old. Very much home to the European Union. It's home to NATO. It's multi-cultural, multi-lingual." And, she said, "It's known for incredible cuisine." The festival runs for the month of May and many of the Belgian performances and exhibitions will take place during “International Week” from May 2 to 8. But in every program throughout the month – from the Beale Street Music Festival to the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, to the program of the Sunset Symphony. Antwerp and Brussels are top Expat Destinations According to a recent survey of European expats by expat management agency ECA International, the cities of Antwerp and Brussels are among the most favorite destinations for European expats. The Danish capital Copenhagen heads the charts together with Swiss capital Bern. Second place, out of 400, is shared by two cities in Belgium: Antwerp and Brussels. They beat major business cities such as Amsterdam (11th), Berlin (15th), Paris (20th), Stockholm (21st), London (31st) and Rome (36th). The ECA study is used by HR departments to calculate the compensation that expats can expect to receive for difficulties in adapting to their new environment. The criteria used are climate, health services, housing, public services, distance, social life, leisure facilities, infrastructure, safety, political tension and air quality, among other things. www.eca-international.com/showpressrelease.aspx?ArticleID=7144 Belgium Diamonds even more popular Exports of both raw and cut diamonds from our country rose in the first five months of this year. What is more, buyers are also prepared to pay higher prices per carat for cut diamonds, says the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC). In the first five months of 2010 exports of cut diamonds increased by 2.3 percent to 2.95 million carats. In terms of value, exports rose 29.3 percent to 4.26 billion dollars. Exports of raw diamonds shot up during these first five months by 65.8 percent to 50.4 million carats or 4 billion dollars, a doubling in value. "If this trend continues, 2010 will be a brilliant year for the Belgian diamond industry”, according to AWDC. www.awdc.be http://www.antwerpfacetsonline.be/belgiums-polished-exports-again-show-higher-price-carat New allocations for Development Cooperation On July 8, Minister for Development Cooperation Charles Michel approved a new contribution of 8 million Euros for the Bretton Woods institutions in 2010. The main beneficiaries are the Fast Track Initiative (4 million Euros), the World Bank Institute (2 million Euros) and the IMF (2 million Euros). The Fast Track Initiative (FTI) is a global partnership to help low-income countries meet the education Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Education For All (EFA) goal that all children complete a full cycle of primary education by 2015. The mission of the World Bank Institute (WBI) is to be a global facilitator of capacity development for poverty reduction, helping leaders, institutions, and coalitions address their capacity constraints to achieving development results. With its new 2010 contribution Belgium is no longer earmarking the funds for WBI but is financing the core activities to achieve the institute’s mission. Finally the contribution to the IMF is aiming to bring the expertise of the Fund in fiscal and monetary affairs to the 18 partner countries (mainly in Africa) of Belgian development cooperation. Moreover, a part of the contribution will be reserved for a Topical Trust Fund on Tax Policy and Administration, thus enhancing domestic resource mobilization and reducing dependency on foreign aid. More information on the above-mentioned contributions can be obtained from the Counselor for Development Cooperation at our Embassy.
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