Bert Koenders

Infobox Politician
name = Bert Koenders


caption =
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office = Minister of Development Cooperation
term_start = February 22, 2007
term_end =
primeminister = Jan Peter Balkenende
predecessor = Agnes van Ardenne
successor =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1958|5|28|mf=y | birth_place = Arnhem, Netherlands
death_date =
death_place =
party = Labour Party (PvdA)
relations =
spouse =
civil partner =
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residence = Amsterdam, Netherlands
occupation =
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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.

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..cite web
title = Bert Koenders
work = [http://www.pvda.nl/ www.pvda.nl]
publisher = Labour Party
url = http://www.pvda.nl/renderer.do/menuId/37348/clearState/true/sf/37348/returnPage/37348/itemId/7802/realItemId/7802/pageId/37217/instanceId/37464/
accessdate = 2007-02-14 nl icon]

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.

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. [cite web
title = Bert Koenders
work = [http://www.novatv.nl/ www.novatv.nl]
publisher = NOVA (VARA/NPS)
date = 2003-09-23
url = http://www.novatv.nl/index.cfm?ln=nl&fuseaction=artikelen.details&achtergrond_id=1184
accessdate = 2007-02-14 nl icon] He was member of the permanent parliamentary committees on foreign affairs and on defense. From 2002 until 2003 he was a member of the parliamentary hearing committee on the Srebrenica massacre. [cite web
title = Drs. A.G. Koenders
work = [http://www.parlement.com/ www.parlement.com]
publisher = Leiden University
url = http://www.parlement.com/9291000/biof/02611
accessdate = 2007-02-14 nl icon]

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. [cite web
title = Development Cooperation Minister Bert Koenders
work = [http://www.minbuza.nl/ www.minbuza.nl]
publisher = Ministry of Foreign Affairs
url = http://www.minbuza.nl/en/ministry,ministers/Minister-Koenders.html
accessdate = 2007-02-23 nl icon] 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. [cite news | url = http://www.nrc.nl/binnenland/article746165.ece/Koenders_overtrad_EU-regel_voor_aanbestedingen | title = Koenders overtrad EU-regel voor aanbestedingen | publisher = NRC Handelsblad | date = 2007-07-30] [cite news | url = http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp?channel_id=1&story_id=42396 | title = Parliament upset with Koenders | publisher = Expatica | date = 2007-07-30]

References

External links

* [http://www.minbuza.nl/en/ministry,ministers/Minister-Koenders.html Bert Koenders] at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
*nl icon [http://pvda.nl/renderer.do/menuId/102085/clearState/true/sf/45523/returnPage/45523/itemId/220142906/realItemId/220142906/pageId/200006510/instanceId/102095/ Bert Koenders] at the Labour Party