By : Assoc Prof. Dr Norhayati Abdullah
Kuala Lumpur, 21 Mar. – His Excellency Mr Peter Van Acker, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Malaysia, endeavoured an intellectual discourse entitled “In Unity, We Find Strength” at the Ambassador GlobaLecture, a signature global lecture platform for Ambassadors in Malaysia hosted by UTM International.
The session was moderated by Professor Dr Nor Haniza Sarmin, Professor of Mathematics at the Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Immediate Past President of UTM Toastmasters Club.
H.E. Mr. Peter Van Acker delivering his lecture on “In Unity We Find Strength”
Engaging an audience of distinguished ambassadors and diplomats from Cuba, Romania, Austria, Ghana, India, and Poland, to name a few, as well as the delegation of the European Union to Malaysia, UTM senior officials, international and Malaysian students alike, His Excellency Ambassador, explained the unifying elements of the Belgian culture as food, music, art and sport.
For example, the resounding name of painter René Magritte attempted to unite reality and dreams through the movement of Belgian Surrealists. His Excellency had the pleasure of sharing a famous painting depicting surrealism as a unifying cultural movement that stemmed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I.
Upholding unity while supporting the economic strength of Belgium is Belgian chocolate and beverages. Belgium is the second biggest exporter of chocolate worldwide. Belgium also has an annual turnover of 50 billion euros through diamond production.
His Excellency Ambassador highlighted several collegial collaborations with Malaysian universities for academic connectivity through teaching and research activities. Offering scholarship opportunities for studying in Europe, Belgium is said to be one of the gateways to the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters program.
Group Photo with distinguished Ambassadors and Diplomats from Cuba, Romania, Poland, Austria, Ghana, India, European Union and representatives of Jawatankuasa Pengarah Antarabangsa Universiti Awam Malaysia (JKPA)
The Ambassador GlobaLecture was officiated by Professor Dr Ts Abd Latif Saleh, Pro-Vice-Chancellor UTM Kuala Lumpur, who announced that the Ambassador GlobaLecture by the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Malaysia would inject new impetus into the academic ties and internationalisation agenda of the University.
The session was also attended by the representatives of Jawatankuasa Pengarah Antarabangsa Universiti Awam Malaysia (JKPA) from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) as well as mobility students from Tokyo University of Agriculture Technology (TUAT), Japan.
The Ambassador GlobaLecture concluded with a series of questions and answers with the audience. Overall, the Ambassador GlobaLecture was a resounding success, providing a platform for open dialogue and fostering relationships and networking opportunities between UTM and Embassy representatives.