Minister-president stelt Flanders Fields Verklaring voor aan buitenlandse diplomatieke vertegenwoordigersMinister-president presents the Flanders Fields Declaration to foreign diplomatic representatives

  • November 8, 2012
imagedesk-20121107093559104

In the framework of the upcoming centenary of the First World War – Mr Kris Peeters, the Flemish minister-president, received the foreign diplomatic representatives of more than 20 countries and nations that lost citizens during the First World War . During this meeting, the delegates discussed the commemoration of the Great War Centenary between 2014 and 2018 in more detail. The minister-president officially presented the text of the Flanders Fields Declaration. He also announced that the Intra-Belgian Coordination Committee shall draw up a coordinated calendar of commemorative events so that the various projects and initiatives in all the countries can be coordinated.

The First World War, or Great War, ended almost one hundred years ago. Between 2014 and 2018, the Government of Flanders will pay special attention to the commemoration of this period. In the next few years, a unique commemorative project shall be developed, which is durably associated with the theme of peace. A project office has been operational since 2010 within the Flemish Department of Foreign Affairs and handles the coordination and follow-up of the World War One Action Plan.

The International Declaration on the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the First World War, the so-called Flanders Fields Declaration, wants to structurally embed the memory of this war. Furthermore, the Declaration calls for scientific research and for awareness to be raised among the general public and young people.

Representatives from Algeria, Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, the United Kingdom, the United States and South Africa attended the meeting.

The consultation revealed that several countries are already preparing for the commemoration of the First World War. It is worth noting that all the countries together are focussing on youth and students of all ages as a special target audience. In the United Kingdom, for example, schools shall conduct research into relatives who were involved in World War I. Initiatives will also be developed to allow students to visit the Flanders Fields battlefields.

Some countries have decided to link the commemoration to their own national context: Canada (2017: 150th anniversary of the Canadian confederation), Ireland (2012-2022: Irish independence and civil war); Poland (2018: Polish independence). That is why international consultation about an international ‘calendar of commemorative events’ is necessary. On behalf of the Intra-Belgian Coordinating Committee for the commemoration of the First World War, minister-president Peeters has promised that Belgium will draw up such a coordinated international calendar. The aim is also to set up a network of World War I commemoration coordinators with a view to exchanging information and coordinating initiatives.