International bloggers to spend the week in the Netherlands

VOICE-OVER: It might seem obvious for us to have freedom of speech, but that is not the case in every country. Especially bloggers who write about social or political issues face threats or even worse.

ANNA ROSALES: I think that they open the door for other people who maybe don't dare to say things.

VOICE-OVER: During the week in which the Peace Palace celebrates its 100th anniversary nine bloggers from around the world were invited to visit the Netherlands to report via social media about the celebrations and the ministerial conference on 28 August. Of course they also had an opportunity to share experiences with each other.

JACKY MANUPUTTY: Those who blog, blog for many reasons. I mean, we can learn from one another how to maximise the power of blogs and social media, especially to bring about peace.

CHRIS BORGEN: Hearing actual experiences is something that lawyers and particularly academics should do to better understand situations.

VOICE-OVER: On the first day of their visit they went to Radio Netherlands Worldwide, where they spoke about their role as bloggers or journalists.

JANET ANDERSON: If you look at the kinds of countries that these bloggers come from, their media report what the government wants. But they as bloggers have the opportunity to really explain what is going on in reality on the ground and to ask the questions that need to be asked and to really find a way of challenging what is going on in government and make it known to a wider group of people.

VOICE-OVER: The second day they visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These bloggers are important to the ministry as well.

ALDRIK GIERVELD: It gives us a better insight about what they're doing and it very much is in line with what we deem important in our foreign policy. So these people are working on peace and justice issues, sometimes in fragile states like the DCR. And this really works nicely together with our policy objectives there as well.

VOICE-OVER: The celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Peace Palace took place on Wednesday. The bloggers also attended. They met the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Frans Timmermans and were given the chance to ask him questions.

MINISTER TIMMERMANS: Perhaps also in the educational system in your country, that in schools and universities people could be taught what it is the Court does.

VOICE-OVER: On Thursday the bloggers joined a panel discussion on international criminal law at the Clingendael Institute, followed by a meeting with president Song of the International Criminal Court on Friday.

FADI EL ABDALLAH: Now we are in a new and modern society where a public opinion is not only shaped by powerful media and by political statements, but also by individuals like the bloggers. And that's why I think it is very important to provide them with the right information, so that they can build their own personal opinion and through that help building a more supportive general opinion about the Court.

CARLOS ALBERTO PEREZ BENITEZ: I think there is a way that we can take that knowledge and the answers of these personalities to our blogs and Twitter and we can share it with our followers. That's the way that we have to tell the world what is really going on here and what we have learnt here.

(On-screen text: This visit was a part of the 'influentials program' hosted by the Dutch ministry of foreign affairs and NL Agency. Holland's coat of arms against a pale blue background. On-screen text: This was a production of the Dutch government.)