The Hague Convention of 1907
Past en Present in Perspective
Symposium 2 - 4 oktober 2008
Kurhaus, Scheveningen
Sponsored by SJE Foundation of Japanese Honorary Debts
Welcome.
On
behalf of the board of the Foundation of Japanese Honorary Debts I
welcome you to our Symposium The Hague Convention of 1907 Past and
Present in Perspective. The purpose of the Symposium is to give an
overview on what happened during the 100 years since the
Convention was instituted, and how it evolved over the years. In
particular the ways in which governments and international
institutions have dealt with the consequences of the Convention
are subject of our Symposium.
Various speakers are invited to address the Symposium to express their views and possible solutions to problems facing individual victims in particular in those situations that their own governments are not forthcoming with appropriate suggestions.
We anticipate a lively Symposium organised by the Foundation of Japanese Honorary Debts, a private entity, whose main purpose is to fight for its members’ violated rights.
On behalf of the Foundation of Japanese Honorary Debts,
J.F. van Wagtendonk
President.
Symposium
2 – 4 October 2008
The
Hague Convention of 1907
past and present in perspective
Thursday October 2.
09.00 Welcome by mr. J.F. van Wagtendonk,
President Foundation Japanese Honorary Debts.
09.05 Opening by His Excellency mr. M. Verhagen,
The Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs.
09.25 Dr. E. Mark (England):
History of the Pacific, Helicopterview.
(Dr.
Ethan Mark is Lecturer, Modern Japanese History, Department of
Japanese and Korean Studies, Leiden University in the Netherlands.
His research focuses on the modern Japanese empire, interwar Asia,
and the Japanese-Indonesian encounter in wartime Java. He received
his PhD (cum laude) form Columbia University, New York, in 2003,
with a dissertation entitled ‘Appealing to Asia:
Nation Culture, and the Problem of Imperial Modernity in Japanese
– Occupied Java, 1942-1945.)
09.55 Mr. A. Hamburger (The Netherlands):
Human Rights Ambassador of The Netherlands: Human Rights today.
10.30 Coffee Break.
11.00 Dr. Avril McDonald (England):
The
Hague Convention 1907. 
An
outline.
(Dr. Avril McDonald is currently a research associate of The Asser Institute and lecturer in international humanitarian law at the University of Groningen. Previously, she was the Head of the Section of International Humanitarian Law and International Criminal Law at he TMC Asser Institute, and Managing Editor of the Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law.)
11.30 Prof. Th. van Boven (The Netherlands):
The recent United Nations Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparations.
(Prof.
Theo van Boven is a Dutch jurist and professor emiritus in
international law. In 1977 he was appointed director of the United
Nations’Division of Human Rights. From 1986 tot 1991, he was
the UN’s Special Rapporteur of the Right to Reparation to
Victims of Gross Violations of Human Rights and, from 2001 tot
2004, Special Rapporteur on Torture. He is also member of the
International Commission of Jurists.)
12.00 Dr. D. Fleck (Germany):
Reparations for War Victims in Today’s Perspective.
(Dr.
Dieter Fleck was former Director International Agreements&Policy
of the Federal Ministry of Defence of Germany; Honory President,
International Society for Military Law and the Law of War and
Member of the Committee on Compensation for Victims of War of the
International Law Association.)
12.45 Lunch
14.00 Mr. G. Saathoff (Germany):
Recollection, Responsibility and the Future.
(Mr.
Günther Saathoff initially worked at the Foundation
Remembrance, Responsibility and Furure as General Commissioner to
Cooperation with the International Partner Organisation from
October 2000 onwards. He was responsible for the payment process,
through which more than 1.7 Million forced labourers and other
Nazi victims in almost 100 countries got payments totalling more
than 4.8 Billion Euro.)
14.30 Mrs. E. Moore LL.M (England):
Historical Research.
(Mrs.
Emma Moore is an UK qualified solicitor now living in The Hague.
She has just completed a Masters Degree in Public International
Law at University Leiden, The Netherlands.)
15.00 Coffee Break.
15.30 Prof. E. Totsuka (Japan):
Ryukoku University, Human Rights and Japan.
(Mr.
Etsuro Totsuka is professor of International Human Rights Law.
Engaged in various activities promoting and protecting Human
Rights in Cooperation with the UN bodies (1984 – present).
Has advocated the victims of Japanese Military Sexual Slavery and
other forms of slavery at the UN since 1992. Representing several
NGO’s at the UN - Human Rights Council -.)
16.00 Summary.
16.15 Reception.
18.00 Dinner.
Friday October 3d
09.00 Opening by Mr. T. Etty (The Netherlands):
International Organisations and Human Rights.
(Mr.
Tom Etty studied Poltical and Social Sciences, University of
Amsterdam. From from 1978 – 2007 advisor for international
affairs of the Dutch Confederation of Trade Unions, FNV. In
that capacity, i.a. responsible for The International Labour
Organisation (ILO). Dealt with the case of the Japan’s
Convention 29 (Forced Labour) in the International Labour
Conference of the ILO sinds the mid-1990’s.)
09.30 J.F. van Wagtendonk:
History of the Foundation Japanese Honorary Debts.
10.15 Coffee Break.
11.30 Discussion:
Mr.
T. Etty (chair)
Dr.
A. McDonald
Dr.
D. Fleck
Prof. Th. van Boven
Mr. G. Saathoff
Mrs. E. Moore LL.M
Prof. E. Totsuka.
12.30 Press conference.
13.00 Lunch.