Newsroom

In 1989, the international community made a historic commitment to all children by adopting the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. Today, the Convention on the Rights of the Child celebrates its 30th anniversary.

After two days of political summits and economic contacts in Beijing, the Belgian economic mission has just arrived in Shanghai, the economic and financial heart of China. In addition to research and innovation, e-commerce, bio-tech and the luxury goods sector are also high on the agenda. All this will result in about thirty commercial agreements between Belgian and Chinese partners, which will hopefully give a positive boost to our bilateral trade relations in the future.

On the eve of the Belgian Economic Mission in China, the large Belgian delegation is preparing for a well stocked program in the Chinese capital. In addition to the various official meetings with top Chinese politicians and the Asian Infrastructure and Development Bank (AIIB), numerous business contacts are also taking place in a wide range of sectors. These result in over forty official and commercial agreements between Belgian and Chinese partners.

The embassy of Belgium in Panama City has officially contacted the authorities of Nicaragua to enquire into the arrest, in the suburbs of Managua, of Amaya Coppens on November 15. Our embassy will endeavour to help her through privileged diplomatic channels on the ground.

From 17 to 22 November, Princess Astrid, representing the King, will lead a Belgian economic mission to China. With 632 participants, it will be the largest economic mission ever. The wide range of registered companies and the extensive programme reflect the great interest of our companies, universities and research centres in the opportunities that China has to offer. In addition to the promotion of exports and investments, intercultural and political relations between our two countries will also be central to the princely mission.

The fight against terrorism is a priority of Belgium’s Foreign Policy. To this end, our country actively participates in the Global Coalition Against ISIS. In this framework, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders will attend the ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition Against ISIS on November 14 in Washington.

On Tuesday November 12, Arnaud Gaspart has taken the position of deputy spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation. He replaces Nadia Benini, who is joining the geographic service Western and Central Europe.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders took part in the Ministerial Conference of the International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF) today and yesterday in Monaco.

Today, we celebrate the United Nations Day as a commemoration of the entry into force of the United Nations Charter in 1945. The Charter established the international organization. Belgium was one of the first countries to sign the Charter and the United Nations remains a unique global framework for realizing our multilateral commitment.

International seminar on the "Security Implications of Emerging Climate Altering Technologies": speech by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Didier Reynders (Brussels, 23 October 2019).