In 2009, the Flemish and Australian Governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation between Australia and Belgium to mark the Centenary of the First World War. As part of this cooperation, the Menin Gate Lions will be loaned to Ieper from mid-April to November 2017. The Flemish Government is partnering with the Memorial to build a garden at the Memorial in Canberra with soil from First World War battlefields in Belgium.