Report of the Mitrany Symposium

Mitrany Symposium

The first Mitrany symposium turned out to be a big success. The thirty alumni attended the symposium were joined by a handful of university professors and master students. The day started with a welcome by the Chairman of the Board Mara van der Meer and the Master of  Ceremonies prof.dr. Jaap de Wilde.

Drs. Chris Baljé had an informative story about his life and how the course of International Relations and International Organization came into life. The initial proposal for the course was copied and spread among the attendees so that they could all get a glimpse of the document that initiated the IRIO programme.

After this interesting story, the floor was given to Pieter Jan Kleiweg, Ambassador of the Netherlands in Senegal. Pieter Jan Kleiweg spoke about the challenges that the Dutch foreign policy faces in a world that has changed significantly since 1988. The changes were divided in 10 different categories, followed by an explanation on how these developments affect his work as an ambassador. 

After the break it was time for the “Alumni stories”. During this section three alumni were asked to tell how the course of IRIO has helped them in their career. For this we asked Bart Beltman, Nienke Betlem and Bob Deen to take the floor. The interaction between the charming Master of Ceremonies and the alumni made this part not only very interesting but also very entertaining.
Last but not least there was the general members meeting. The most important part of the day since it was the reason for organizing the event. During this part the participants got some much needed feedback by the alumni and other attendees. Some conclusions were that Mitrany should not include fees in order to create a database that is as extensive as possible. In addition, the statutes will be translated in English and be put on the website and master students should be included in the activities of Mitrany.
In conclusion, the first symposium of Mitrany was a fortuitous occasion bringing the   promise that the network could become something great.

 


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Alumni Network IRIO Mitrany // Oude Kijk in 't Jatstraat 26 // 9712 EK Groningen
 +31 (0)50 3635295 // mitrany@rug.nl