Consulate General of Belgium in New York

#HumanRightsDay | We #StandUp4HumanRights. The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a worldwide stress test for human rights. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister o...f Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmès and Minister of Development Cooperation Meryame Kitir underline that Belgium remains committed to the protection and promotion of all human rights for all. #HumanRightsDay | Nous défendons les droits de l'homme. La pandémie de COVID-19 s'est avérée être un test mondial pour les droits humains. La Vice-Première Ministre et Ministre des Affaires étrangères Sophie Wilmès et la Ministre de la Coopération au développement Meryame Kitir soulignent que la Belgique reste attachée à la protection et à la promotion de tous les droits humains pour tous. #HumanRightsDay | Wij komen op voor mensenrechten. De COVID-19 pandemie is wereldwijd een stresstest gebleken voor mensenrechten. Vicepremier en minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Sophie Wilmès en minister van Ontwikkelingssamenwerking Meryame Kitir onderstrepen dat België zich blijft inzetten voor de bescherming en bevordering van alle mensenrechten voor iedereen. #HumanRightsDay | Wir setzen uns für die Menschenrechte ein. Die COVID-19-Pandemie hat sich als weltweiter Stresstest für die Menschenrechte erwiesen. Die stellvertretende Premierministerin und Ministerin für auswärtige Angelegenheiten Sophie Wilmès und der Minister für Entwicklungszusammenarbeit Meryame Kitir betonen, dass sich Belgien weiterhin für den Schutz und die Förderung aller Menschenrechte für alle einsetzt. United Nations Human Rights, UN Human Rights - Europe, United Nations, Council of Europe - Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law, Council of Europe office in Brussels, Permanent Representation of Belgium to the EU, Permanent Representation of Belgium to the Council of Europe & Michelle Bachelet.

Congratulations Belgian Red Devils! 1 Belgium top the FIFA Ranking, a ranking system for men's national teams in association football, for the 3rd consecutive year!

A unique monument in Antwerp! ‘A Dog of Flanders’, the story of young boy Nello and his dog Patrasche is world famous and is set in Antwerp, Belgium. The novel is written by English author Marie Louise de la Ramée (Ouida) in 1872. In 19th century Belgium, a boy named Nello becomes an orphan at the age of two when his mother dies in the Ardennes. His grandfather who lives in a small village, Hoboken, near the city of Stad Antwerpen, takes him in. One day, Nello and his gra...ndfather find a dog and name him Patrasche. 4 years ago on December 10, 2016, a new monument was revealed on the Handschoenmarkt square in front of the Antwerp Cathedral. A sculpture made by Belgian artist Batist Vermeulen in white marble represents Nello and Patrasche sleeping, covered by a blanket of cobblestones.

Happy Birthday, The Smurfs! Yesterday, on October 23rd, the Smurfs celebrated their 62nd Birthday. The comic characters were created and introduced by the Belgian comics artist Peyo in 1958 and first featured in Journal Spirou.

In National Geographic: Belgian biological/biomedical and forensic anthropologist and researcher Angelique Corthals and her spouse, evolutionary and conservation biologist Liliana Dávalos, who are based in Long Island, New York, on how they received funding from the National Science Foundation to unravel the mystery of how differences in bat and human bodies shape our responses to viruses such as COVID-19. "As a kid growing up in Belgium, Corthals had a million interests. ...She studied violin as a teenager; initially majored in Slavonic studies in college; and did a thesis on Virginia Woolf. But she found her most steadfast fascination was in the growing field of biological anthropology." Read the full story via the link below: https://www.nationalgeographic.com//bat-scientist-and-for/

Since many of our Belgian Boys goodies were delivered by Sinterklaas/Saint-Nicolas himself, we received many more photos of happy children who opened their packages on 5 or 6 December. Thanks for sharing your joy!

Congratulations to Belgian Karel Sabbe for winning the Backyard Ultra World Championship! The concept of the race held in Tennessee is that runners complete a 4.16667 mile / 6.7 km loop every 60 minutes until one runner has run one more loop than anyone else. Karel Sabbe Ultrarunning was the last man running after 75! hours and over 300 miles. Belgium proves to be the best in the world when it comes to ultra-running since second place in this internationally renowned race went to Merijn Geerts.

In the The New York Times, Belgian painter Luc Tuymans, in advance of a new exhibition, discusses his process and how the pandemic has shifted his perspective from his studio in Antwerp, Belgium. I think an outcome of Covid-19 might be that we go back to what is really meaningful.

Hidden Gem Wednesday! Discover the oldest botanical garden in Belgium, ‘Kruidtuin’ in Stad Leuven, in 360 degrees. Thank you, Ilse Verrycke , for the great tip. Share your favorite spot in Belgium in the comment section below and maybe your recommendation will be featured next week!

Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 20, at 7 pm EST Harvard-MIT Belgian Society is hosting a webinar. In 'The Response against COVID19 - From Outbreak to Innovations Today', Belgian epidemiology expert Professor Nele Brusselaers (Karolinska Institute) and Professor David Walt (Harvard Med School), will discuss how different countries (Belgium, Sweden and the USA) have dealt with the COVID19 outbreak from an epidemiological point of view and about which innovations are currently in the pipeline to move forward. For more information and the link to register, please click below.

Tomorrow, on Sunday October 18, road cycling race ‘The Tour of Flanders’, also known as ‘De Ronde’ is held in the North of Belgium. 'Vlaanderens Mooiste' (Dutch for "Flanders' Finest"), first raced in 1913, starts in Antwerp and is one of the five monuments of cycling. After 244 long kilometers, including 17 climbs over narrow cobblestones sections and hills in the Flemish Ardennes', the race ends in the city of Oudenaarde. No American cyclist ever won the Ronde van Vlaa...nderen. The highest ranking for any racer is 3rd. One of the following US racers celebrated his spot on the podium next to the winner of that year's edition, Tom Boonen. 1. Lance Armstrong 2. Greg LeMond 3. George Hincapie 4. Tyler Hamilton 5. Taylor Phinney Do you know who? Leave your answer in the comment section below! Stad Antwerpen / Stad Oudenaarde / Visit Flanders

Belgian environmental economist, producer, writer and artist Pamela Peeters hosts two events during Eco Hero's "#KidsEuroFestival". Eco Hero teaches kids about sustainable development social responsibility and environmental preservation. The festival is the largest arts & culture festival in the USA for kids aged 2-12. On October 17 at 11am EST Pamela will do a book reading from her "Transformed by a Tusk" graphic novel featuring Eco Hero, Dr. Narwhal and Mother Earth. Color...ing pages will be made available for the smaller kids. On November 7 the Belgian-New Yorker will present her "Become an Eco Hero" workshop, inclusive of her nature photography. Kids are also invited to make an art piece and the best ones will be featured in Pamela's "Eco Hero Wall of Fame." Click the link below for more information.

There once were three 'ugly ducklings’ in Belgium... Philippe Cras grew up in the '60s and '70s in West-Flanders, and since being a kid, he has been fascinated by Citroen's 2CV's. Before he and his family moved to the US in 1998 and built a hotel in Houston, Texas, the West-Flemish bought himself one of these Ugly Ducklings. One soon enough became two and not much later three. Over the years, the cars were rarely driven and maintained in the best possible way. Until today... the vehicles are in an immaculate condition. Philippe decided that his life was almost perfect in the USA. But something was lacking in Houston, Texas. He missed his three 2CV's. Shortly after, he decided to ship them over from Belgium and today, Philippe's three 'girlfriends' are approved by his wife and are shining in a garage a couple of miles away from the Cras family's house. His 40-year long work "was totally worth it," and the Belgian-Texan's children think it's unreal that the cars traveled all the way from Waregem, Belgium to Kingwood Texas, and are planning to get married in them. One thing is sure "These will never leave America".

Hidden Gem Wednesday! is home to incredible landscapes, landmarks, monuments, and many hidden treasures. Every Wednesday, we will share a picture of a hidden gem in Belgium. Share a picture or suggestion of your favorite spot in Belgium in the comment section below and maybe your recommendation will be shared on our page next week! This week's hidden gem: 'Reading between the Lines': a collaboration between young Belgian architects Pieterjan Gijsand and Arnout Van Vaerenb...ergh in Borgloon, Limburg. The construction consists of 100 steel sheets stacked on top of each other in the shape of a church and weighs a whopping 30 tons. The special construction makes the landscape visible throughout the church, from far away and up-close. The church is therefore both present and absent in the landscape. According to The Guardian, this is the most beautiful place in Belgium. Stad en OCMW Borgloon Doorkijk-Kerkje Borgloon Visit Limburg

#FocusOnBelgium | The winners of the 'Surrealist Belgium' competition are known. Patricia Verburg's photo 'Recreation' and Eva Aerts 'One does not prevent t...he other' won the jury prize and the public vote respectively. Congratulations and thanks to the many participants. Discover the twenty photos that won this year here: https://focusonbelgium.be/en/gallery-of-images #FocusOnBelgium | Les gagnants du concours "Belgique surréaliste" sont connus. La photo ‘Recreation’, de Patricia Verburg et ‘L’un n’empêche pas l’autre’, de Eva Aerts ont respectivement remporté le prix du jury et le prix du public. Félicitations et merci aux nombreux participants. Découvrez les vingt photos plébiscitées cette année ici: https://focusonbelgium.be/fr/gallery-of-images #FocusOnBelgium | De winnaars van de fotowedstrijd 'Surrealistisch België' zijn Patricia Verburg en Eva Aerts. Zij hebben de jury- en de publieksprijs gewonnen met hun foto 'Recreatie' en 'Het een verhindert het ander niet' . Proficiat! Bekijk de 20 beste foto’s hier: https://focusonbelgium.be/nl/gallery-of-images #FocusOnBelgium | Die Gewinner des Wettbewerbs "Surrealistisches Belgien" sind bekannt. Das Foto "Erholung" von Patricia Verburg und "Das eine verhindert das andere nicht" von Eva Aerts gewannen den Preis der Jury und den Publikumspreis. Herzlichen Glückwunsch und Dank an die vielen Teilnehmer. Entdecken Sie hier die zwanzig Fotos, die dieses Jahr gewonnen haben: https://focusonbelgium.be/en/gallery-of-images Belgium. Uniquely Phenomenal.

#ForeignAffairs | Today is the World Day against the Death Penalty. The fight against the death penalty has long been one of the main thematic priorities of ...Belgium. The ultimate objective of our country and the European Union is the complete abolition of the death penalty for all crimes. Belgium's commitment to the abolition of the death penalty is not limited to this one day a year. It is a long-term work on several fronts. Our country plays an important role on the international scene to abolish the death penalty. #AffairesEtrangères | Aujourd'hui est la Journée mondiale contre la peine de mort. La lutte contre la peine de mort est depuis longtemps l'une des principales priorités thématiques de la Belgique. L'objectif ultime de notre pays et de l'Union européenne est l'abolition complète de la peine de mort pour tous les crimes. L'engagement de la Belgique en faveur de l'abolition de la peine de mort ne se limite pas à cette seule journée par an. Il s'agit d'un travail de longue haleine sur plusieurs fronts. Notre pays joue un rôle important sur la scène internationale pour l'abolition de la peine de mort. #BuitenlandseZaken | Vandaag is de werelddag tegen de doodstraf. De strijd tegen de doodstraf is als sinds lang een van de belangrijkste thematische prioriteiten van België. Het uiteindelijke doel van ons land en de Europese Unie is om de doodstraf voor alle misdrijven volledig af te schaffen. Het engagement van België voor de afschaffing van de doodstraf is niet beperkt tot deze ene dag per jaar. Het is een werk van lange adem op verschillende fronten. Ons land speelt een belangrijke rol op het internationale toneel om de doodstraf af te schaffen. #AuswärtigeAngelegenheiten | Heute ist der Welttag gegen die Todesstrafe. Der Kampf gegen die Todesstrafe ist seit langem eine der wichtigsten thematischen Prioritäten Belgiens. Das letztendliche Ziel unseres Landes und der Europäischen Union ist die vollständige Abschaffung der Todesstrafe für alle Verbrechen. Das Engagement Belgiens für die Abschaffung der Todesstrafe beschränkt sich nicht nur auf diesen einen Tag im Jahr. Es handelt sich um eine langfristige Arbeit an mehreren Fronten. Unser Land spielt auf der internationalen Bühne eine wichtige Rolle bei der Abschaffung der Todesstrafe. ECPM

Disney+’s series Ms. Marvel has assembled its directing team with Belgian Directors Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah, ‘Bad Boys for Life' Filmmakers to bring Marv...el Studios' first Muslim hero to the screen. And the show has found its star: Iman Vellani will play the titular role. #BelgiansinHollywood Learn more: https://www.elle.com//ms-marvel-disney-plus-news-cast-dat/

Dries Van Noten opening in Los Angeles