October 24, 2022 – Conference: Honorary Consuls in 2022 – Missions and Challenges

Masterful presentation by HE Mr. Olivier Belle , Ambassador, Head of Protocol, on the missions and challenges of Honorary Consuls at the University of Namur followed by a very friendly reception at the invitation of HE Mr. Denis Mathen , Governor of the Province of Namur , Honorary President of the Consular Corps of the province of Namur .

The audience, including around fifteen 👨🎓👩🎓 Political Science students accompanied by Vice-Rector Laurent Schumacher and Professor François Randour, was literally won over by the quality of the 👨🏫 speaker 👨🏫, both in terms of content and form.

Starting from a historical approach on the role of the Proxenes, ancestors of the Honorary Consuls, HE Ambassador Olivier Belle enlightened us on the place occupied today by these particular figures within the Belgian Diplomatic Corps 🇧🇪.

Under the auspices of the Vienna Convention, Honorary Consuls act as effective liaisons between the Ambassador of their sending country and the Belgian economic, commercial, academic, and cultural environment. They provide a sense of proximity and ensure continuity by making their networks available to new heads of post.

Concluding with an exercise in anticipation projecting the Honorary Consul to the horizon of 2100, HE Ambassador Olivier Belle gave us a vision of the world where the nation state and the general interest are increasingly giving way to individualism and particular interest, leading de facto to a change in the role and missions of Honorary Consuls.

Let us guarantee that this change will be carried out with deep respect for the values of honour, service and respect for the rule of law that are intrinsic to the members of our Consular Corps.