Global The Hague - International 'People'

The Hague meets New York

Global The Hague has a conversation with Joseph Perello, the first Chief Marketing Officer for the City of New York. Mr. Perello, now back at his marketing agency in NYC, is advising Vice Mayor Frits Huffnagel and his team in The Hague on how they can apply their successful city marketing efforts in the U.S.

Global The Hague: Joseph, what do people in the U.S. think of The Hague?
Joseph Perello: Except for the biggest, most European cities seem to suffer from a lack of exposure in the US. The Hague has some exposure but is largely shaped by media reports of international court cases involving very bad people. In fact, I have spoken to some who think The Hague is a building! Or just a court room! But this is actually good news for The Hague.

GTH: So The Hague is not well known in the US and perhaps mis-perceived. Why is this good news for us?
JP: Because being mysterious can be good. It means that Vice Mayor Frits Huffnagel and his team have somewhat of a blank slate from which to start when building The Hague’s brand in the U.S. Their approach is working in the Netherlands and in Europe and it will work in the US. This is an opportunity.

Optimising the global economy

His Excellency Zhang Jun took up his post as Chinese Ambassador to the Netherlands one year ago. Global the Hague was privileged to partake of his hospitality at the beautiful Chinese
Embassy at The Hague’s Willem Lodewijklaan.

Although the Netherlands may be a mere speck on the world map, many Chinese take an active interest in our country and culture. The majority of Chinese people have heard of Dutch masters Rembrandt and Van Gogh, while many are also familiar with such national Dutch symbols as cloudy skies, windmills and tulips. Yet the main factor that links China and
the Netherlands is the global economy. Particularly in these tough economic times, both countries must strengthen our cooperation and improve their competencies to be able to serve each other more effectively. Ambassador Zhang plays a key role in this process: ‘Due to my working experience in the Chinese Central Government in the past few years, I am fully aware of the importance of the Sino-Dutch relations. As Chinese Ambassador to the Netherlands, my primary task is to promote bilateral relations, from which, I believe, both sides benefit. The stable trade relations between the Netherlands and China, which dates back centuries , are more important than ever in this uncertain time.’

International conference on Afghanistan: when the world convened in The Hague

The high-level conference, hosted by the Netherlands under the auspices of the United Nations, was organised against a tight deadline. The decision to host the meeting in the Netherlands had been taken just three weeks earlier. At the World Forum Convention Centre, Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Verhagen welcomed many important guests, including the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the municipality of The Hague, and many other parties worked ﬂ at out to ensure that the 500 delegates and 600 members of the international press enjoyed a secure and comfortable stay.