Bert Koenders

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Bert Koenders
Bert Koenders
Incumbent
Assumed office 
February 22, 2007
Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende
Preceded by Agnes van Ardenne
Born May 28, 1958 (1958-05-28) (age 50)
Arnhem, Netherlands
Political party Labour Party (PvdA)
Residence Amsterdam, Netherlands

Albert Gerard "Bert" Koenders (born May 28, 1958 in Arnhem) is a Dutch politician. From 1997 until 2007 he was a member of the Tweede Kamer. Since 2007 he is Minister of Development Cooperation in the Netherlands.

Contents

[edit] University

In 1983 Bert Koenders graduated cum laude in Political and Social Sciences at the Free University in Amsterdam, specialised in international relations and economics. He received his Master of Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University, where he studied at the School of Advanced International Studies in Bologna, Italy and Washington D.C..[1]

He was adjunct professor at Webster University in Leiden. In 2002 he was visiting professor at Johns Hopkins University in Bologna teaching about conflict prevention, conflict management and post-conflict reconstruction.[1]

[edit] Politics

Koenders was a member of the Tweede Kamer (lower house) for the Labour Party from 1997 until 2007. In 1997 he filled up the vacant seat after member of parliament Maarten van Traa died in a car accident.[2] He was member of the permanent parliamentary committees on foreign affairs and on defense.[1] From 2002 until 2003 he was a member of the parliamentary hearing committee on the Srebrenica massacre.[3]

From November 17, 2006 to February 19, 2007 he was president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

Koenders is Minister without Portfolio of Development Cooperation (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) in the Fourth Balkenende cabinet sworn in on February 22, 2007.[4] He has come under political fire as minister in July 2007, after it became known that an event sponsored by the Ministry, Het akkoord van Schokland, was organized without a public procurement process stipulated under European Union law. Instead, the event was organized by an event bureau closely tied to the Labour Party itself. Koenders cited time shortage.[5][6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Bert Koenders. www.pvda.nl. Labour Party. Retrieved on 2007-02-14. (Dutch)
  2. ^ Bert Koenders. www.novatv.nl. NOVA (VARA/NPS) (2003-09-23). Retrieved on 2007-02-14. (Dutch)
  3. ^ Drs. A.G. Koenders. www.parlement.com. Leiden University. Retrieved on 2007-02-14. (Dutch)
  4. ^ Development Cooperation Minister Bert Koenders. www.minbuza.nl. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved on 2007-02-23. (Dutch)
  5. ^ "Koenders overtrad EU-regel voor aanbestedingen", NRC Handelsblad, 2007-07-30. 
  6. ^ "Parliament upset with Koenders", Expatica, 2007-07-30. 

[edit] External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Agnes van Ardenne		 Minister of Development Cooperation
February 22, 2007 – present		 Incumbent
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Fourth Balkenende cabinet (2007–present)
Prime Minister
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Jan Kees de Jager (Finance) · Frans Timmermans (European Affairs) · Nebahat Albayrak (Justice) · Ank Bijleveld-Schouten (Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations) · Marja van Bijsterveldt (Education, Culture and Science) · Sharon Dijksma (Education, Culture and Science) · Jack de Vries (Defense) · Tineke Huizinga (Transport and Water Management) · Frank Heemskerk (Economic Affairs) · Ahmed Aboutaleb (Social Affairs and Employment) · Jet Bussemaker (Health, Welfare and Sport)
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