Foreign delegations
The multicultural developments and pragmatic approach which characterise the Netherlands attract huge interest from other countries. Due to its expertise, FORUM is regularly asked to explain Dutch trends and events. FORUM International offers foreign delegations the opportunity to share knowledge on integration and multicultural society in an intercultural setting.
Egyptian blogger delegation
On Monday March 15, 2010, FORUM received a delegation of eight Egyptian bloggers in Utrecht. So called ‘citizen journalism’ is on the rise in the Arab world and Egypt is considered to be at the heart of this phenomenon. These Egyptian bloggers write on any imaginable topic and see a growing popularity of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
Within a stay of a week, the bloggers met with Dutch bloggers, visited Radio Netherlands Worldwide and got acquainted with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At FORUM, they discussed the role new media plays in instigating change in both the Netherlands and Egypt and the issue of stereotyping and the challenges that brings about in bridging the gap.
Yemeni student delegation
On Thursday January 14, 2010, a group of Yemeni students paid a visit to FORUM within the framework of their short stay in the Netherlands. The students participated in an exchange program of the University of Amsterdam called Zeytun. The students came to FORUM to discuss the topic of the multicultural society in the Netherlands and the context of the movie ‘Fitna’ made by Geert Wilders. The students were particularly interested in the discussion on article 137c of the Criminal Code that stipulates (among other things) that intentionally insulting a group of people on account of their religion or philosophy is punishable (insulting a religion, on the other hand, is not punishable, even if it occurs in such a manner that the religious feelings of the followers of said religion are hurt by such an insult).
Arab journalist delegation
On December 7, 2009, a delegation of 15 journalists from all over the Arab region visited FORUM. The Arab journalists spent eight days in the Netherlands within the framework of the Dutch Visitors Program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Agentschap NL. All kinds of topics that were of interest to these Arab journalists, such as migration, media, and ethical issues were addressed during the visit to our country. At FORUM, the delegation was welcomed by several of our staff members who gave a brief outline on the case of Polish migrants and the position of Muslims in the Netherlands. After the visit to FORUM, the journalists expressed their sincere thanks and showed their interest again, mainly in the topic of Muslims in the Netherlands. Upon return to their home countries, they wrote about their experiences in the Netherlands in their specific media outlets. FORUM is still regularly in touch with the journalists.
Slovak delegation
Slovakia is faced with an increase in labour migration and cultural diversity. The Slovak government is gathering information and expertise to further develop their policy tools for these relatively new issues. To that end, a delegation from the Slovak government paid a working visit to the Netherlands during the week of 15-19 June as part of the project ‘Capacity building of key stakeholders in the field of integration, labour migration and intercultural dialogue.’ The delegation was hosted by the International Organisation for Migration, which is conducting this project for the Slovak government. A visit to FORUM was arranged to exchange views on integration issues and best practices and to learn more about FORUM’s unique approach in the Netherlands.
Foto: Representatives of the Slovak Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family, the Bureau of Border and Alien Police and the self-governing region of Kosice together with IOM officials and FORUM policy officers.
Vietnamese Delegation
On 9 June 2009, FORUM welcomed a study group made up of representatives of the Vietnamese authorities.
The delegation visited the Netherlands as part of their study tour on religion. The purpose of this tour was to gather knowledge and exchange information on the integration of different religions in a multi-ethnic society. Vietnam is a nation in which many different religions and ethnic groups coexist, as Mr Than Xuan, vice chairman of the Vietnam Government Religion Committee explained. Mr el Madkouri, head of the Religion & Identity Programme, explained the history of religion in the Netherlands and the specific policies of the Dutch government. In the Netherlands, the separation of church and state is not a constitutional principle, but comes about through basic rights such as freedom of expression, freedom of religion and freedom of education. The Vietnamese delegation was particularly interested in the 42% of Dutch citizens who do not belong to any religion. Mr el Madkouri explained that this percentage conveys that religion has evolved to a more individualistic level, not that it has disappeared.