Your Excellencies,

distinguished guests,

 

Welcome to the Embassy Festival, one of the annual highlights in The Hague.

Today, we celebrate our cultural differences.

But we also celebrate how much we, as people from different countries and backgrounds, have in common.

We all enjoy music, beauty, craftsmanship, and good food.

We are all driven by curiosity and a desire to connect.

We all want to show the world who we are.

And we all want to be seen, heard, accepted, and sometimes even celebrated for it.

Yet many of us feel that we are living in a world of rising tensions, geopolitical uncertainty, and growing divisions.

A world that needs places where differences can be bridged peacefully.

The Hague is proud to be such a place.

For more than a century, our city has built its reputation as the International City of Peace and Justice.

Today, The Hague is home to more than one hundred embassies, over five hundred international organisations, and people representing one hundred and eighty nationalities.

It is a place where diplomacy and international law come together.

And yet, the very institutions that uphold those values are facing growing pressure.

Recently, I was again in contact with Judge Tomoko Akane, President of the International Criminal Court.

It was a stark reminder that there are judges and staff members in our city who cannot simply go about their daily lives. Some cannot even do their grocery shopping.

Their assets have been frozen because they are carrying out their duties in service of international law.

As Mayor of The Hague, I believe that should concern us all.

And so, I would like to make a simple yet vital appeal.

Let us stand for what is right and just.

Let us defend international law and the people and institutions that protect it.

As the International City of Peace and Justice, we will do all we can.

I hope, and indeed believe, that through your work and your engagement, you will continue to do the same.

At times like these, diplomacy becomes more important, not less.

Rather than turning away from one another, we should embrace our differences, not because they divide us, but because they enrich us.

Fortunately, we do not have to travel far to experience this.

The global village is right here.

Today, we only have to step outside this building to experience it firsthand.

With more than fifty participating countries and organisations, this year’s Embassy Festival offers a unique opportunity to discover the world in one place.

The Embassy Festival allows us to experience an extraordinary variety of cultures and travel the world in a single afternoon, not by crossing borders, but by meeting one another.

Because when people meet, understanding grows.

When understanding grows, trust follows.

And where trust exists, peace can endure.

I wish you all an inspiring Embassy Festival and many meaningful encounters throughout the day.

Thank you.