Maximilianus "Max" van der Stoel (; 3 August 1924 – 23 April 2011) was a Dutch politician and diplomat, member of the Labour Party (PvdA) and activist who served as

High Commissioner on National Minorities The office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) is charged with identifying and seeking early resolution of ethnic tension that might endanger peace, stability or friendly relations between and within the participating state ...

of the

OSCE The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the pr ...

from 1 January 1993 until 1 July 2001. Van der Stoel studied

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

at the

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince of Orange as a Protestantism, Protestant institution, it holds the d ...

obtaining a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

degree followed by a

postgraduate education Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of Academic degree, academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by higher education, post-secondary students who have ...

Sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

at his alma mater obtaining a

Master of Social Science A Master of Social Science (MSocSc, MSSc or MSS) is a master's degree which has a number of different meanings dependent upon the education system in question. Europe In Finland and Sweden, where the university degree nomenclatura is simply bas ...

degree. Van der Stoel worked as a researcher at the Wiardi Beckman Foundation from April 1953 until August 1958 and for the Labour Party party board from June 1958 until July 1965. After the Senate election of 1960 Van der Stoel was elected as a Member of the Senate on 27 September 1960 serving as a

frontbencher In many parliaments and other similar assemblies, seating is typically arranged in banks or rows, with each political party or caucus grouped together. The spokespeople for each group will often sit at the front of their group, and are then know ...

and

spokesperson A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others. Duties and function In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...

for

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit organization, nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership or ...

. After the election of 1963 Van der Stoel was elected as a member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

on 5 June 1963 and served as a frontbencher and spokesperson for Foreign Affairs. Van der Stoel was appointed as State Secretary for Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet Cals taking office on 22 July 1965. The Cabinet Cals fell just one year into its term after the

Night of Schmelzer The Night of Schmelzer was a debate in the House of Representatives (Netherlands), House of Representatives of the Netherlands that took place from 13 October to the early hours of 14 October 1966. This night marked the final day of the general de ...

and was replaced on 22 November 1966. After the election of 1967 Van der Stoel returned to the House of House of Representatives on 23 February 1967 and again served as a frontbencher and spokesperson for Foreign Affairs. After the election of 1972 Van der Stoel was appointed as

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

in the Cabinet Den Uyl, taking office on 11 May 1973. The Cabinet Den Uyl fell just before the end of its term. After the election of 1977 Van der Stoel returned to the House of Representatives serving from 8 June 1977 until 8 September 1977 and again from 16 January 1978 serving as a frontbencher chairing the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and spokesperson for

European Affairs Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. After the election of 1981 Van der Stoel was appointed again as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet Van Agt II taking office on 11 September 1981. The Cabinet Van Agt II fell just seven months into its term and was replaced with the

caretaker Caretaker may refer to: Occupations * Janitor (chiefly in the United States), a person who cleans and maintains buildings such as hospitals and schools * Property caretaker, a person who cares for a property * Caregiver or carer (UK), a person wh ...

Cabinet Van Agt III on 29 May 1982. Shortly thereafter Van der Stoel announced that he wouldn't stand for the election of 1982. Van der Stoel continued to be active in politics and in June 1983 he was nominated as the next Ambassador to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

serving from 1 July 1983 until 1 August 1986 when he was appointed as a Member of the Council of State serving until 1 January 1993. In December 1992 Van der Stoel was nominated as the first

of the

serving from 1 January 1993 until 1 July 2001. Van der Stoel also became active as a diplomat for the United Nations, serving as an expert on

Human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

. Van der Stoel retired from active politics at 76 and became active in the

public sector The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, pu ...

as a non-profit director and served on several state commissions and councils on behalf of the government and as an occasional diplomat for and diplomatic delegations, and worked as a distinguished professor of

Peace and conflict studies Peace and conflict studies is a social science field that identifies and analyzes violence, violent and nonviolence, nonviolent behaviors as well as the structural violence, structural mechanisms attending Conflict (process), conflicts (including ...

Minority rights Minority rights are the normal individual rights as applied to members of racial, ethnic, class, religious, linguistic or gender and sexual minorities, and also the collective rights accorded to any minority group. Civil-rights movements oft ...

and

International relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

at his alma mater from April 1999 until April 2000 and as distinguished visiting professor of

International International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

and

European law European Union law is a system of Supranational union, supranational Law, laws operating within the 27 member states of the European Union (EU). It has grown over time since the 1952 founding of the European Coal and Steel Community, to promote ...

at the

Tilburg University Tilburg University is a Catholic research university specializing in the social and behavioral sciences, economics, law, business sciences, theology and humanities, located in Tilburg, Netherlands. Tilburg has a student population of about 19,1 ...

from January 2001 until January 2003. Following his retirement Van der Stoel continued to be active as an advocate and activist for the

and

. Van der Stoel was known for his abilities as a skillful negotiator and effective

mediator Mediation is a structured, voluntary process for resolving disputes, facilitated by a neutral third party known as the mediator. It is a structured, interactive process where an independent third party, the mediator, assists disputing parties ...

. Van der Stoel was granted the honorary title of

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

on 17 May 1991 and continued to comment on political affairs until his death in April 2011 at the age of 86. In 2013, the PvdA-associated (FMS), which promotes international solidarity, human rights and democracy among other things, was named after Van der Stoel.

Biography

Early life and career

Van der Stoel attended the Gymnasium Leiden from June 1937 until June 1943, and applied at the

in June 1943 majoring in

and obtaining a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degree in December 1945 before graduating with a

degree in July 1947. Van der Stoel continued to study at the Leiden University for a

and worked as a student researcher before obtaining a

Bachelor of Social Science The Bachelor of Social Science (BSocSc or BSocSci) is an undergraduate degree. It typically requires three to four years of study in the social sciences at an institution of higher education, primarily found in the Commonwealth of Nations. It c ...

degree June 1947 and a

degree in July 1953. Van der Stoel worked as a researcher for the Wiardi Beckman Foundation, the scientific bureau of the

Partij van de Arbeid The Labour Party ( , PvdA or P van de A ) is a social democratic political party in the Netherlands. The party was founded in 1946 as a merger of the Social Democratic Workers' Party, the Free-thinking Democratic League and the Christian ...

(PvdA, the Dutch labour party), from August 1953 until April 1958 and as a political consultant for the Labour Party from April 1958 until July 1965. Van der Stoel was elected as a Member of the Senate following the Senate election of 1960, serving from 27 September 1960 until 5 June 1963. That year, he became international secretary for the PvdA .

Politics

From 1973 to 1977 and 1981 to 1982 he was the Netherlands Minister of Foreign Affairs. In the 1973 October War when Egypt and Syria attacked Israel, van der Stoel took a highly pro-Israeli position and was regarded as the most pro-Israeli foreign minister in Europe. To punish the Dutch for their pro-Israel stance, the Arab nations led by Saudi Arabia placed a total oil embargo on shipping oil to the Netherlands, which was one of the nations most affected by the 1973 "oil shock". In 1977, during his visit to

communist Czechoslovakia The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, (Czech and Slovak: ''Československá socialistická republika'', ČSSR) known from 1948 to 1960 as the Czechoslovak Republic (''Československá republika)'', Fourth Czechoslovak Republic, or simply Czech ...

, he met with philosopher and dissident

Jan Patočka Jan Patočka (; 1 June 1907 – 13 March 1977) was a Czech philosopher. Having studied in Prague, Paris, Berlin, and Freiburg, he was one of the last pupils of Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger. In Freiburg he also developed a lifelong philos ...

, and they discussed

Charter 77 Charter 77 (''Charta 77'' in Czech language, Czech and Slovak language, Slovak) was an informal civic initiative in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members ...

and human rights in Czechoslovakia. This provoked harsh criticism by the Czechoslovak authorities and president

Gustáv Husák Gustáv Husák ( , ; ; 10 January 1913 – 18 November 1991) was a Czechoslovak politician who served as the long-time First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia from 1969 to 1987 and the President of Czechoslovakia from 1975 ...

cancelled scheduled meeting with van der Stoel. In 2001, following his intervention as High Commissioner in the ongoing problem of equitable access to higher education by members of the Albanian ethnic group in the Republic of Macedonia, he became the founding President of the International Foundation for the South East European University, raising some 35m Euros from the international community. He later served as President of the University Board until 2004. He was awarded the university's first honorary Doctorate and the university named its Library and its Research Institute in his honour. Van der Stoel was a member of the advisory board of the

European Association of History Educators The European Association of History Educators (EuroClio) was established in 1992 with the support of the Council of Europe. The NGO works as a European wide facilitator for innovation and progress in history Education. The organisation contributes ...

(EUROCLIO).

Freedom awards

*Freedom of Speech of the

Four Freedoms Award The Four Freedoms Award is an annual award presented to "those men and women whose achievements have demonstrated a commitment to those principles which US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed in his ''Four Freedoms speech'' to the Un ...

(1982) *Helène de Montigny award (December 1991) *Dr. J.P. van Praag award (1 June 1993, Netherlands) *

Geuzenpenning The Geuzenpenning ('Beggar Medal') is a Dutch award given to persons or organizations who have fought for democracy and against dictatorship, racism and discrimination. It has been awarded annually since 1987 in the city of Vlaardingen. The Geuze ...

(1993, Netherlands) *Wateler Peace award (30 oktober 1996)

Honorary degrees

*Honorary doctorate in law,

University of Athens The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; , ''Ethnikó kai Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the University of Athens (UoA), is a public university in Athens, Greece, with various campuses alo ...

(1977, Greece) *Honorary doctorate in law,

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; , formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public university, public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2023, it had an enrollment of ...

(1994, Netherlands) *Honorary doctorate in law,

Pázmány Péter Catholic University Pázmány Péter Catholic University (PPKE) ( (''PPKE'')) is a private university in and near Budapest, Hungary, belonging to the Catholic Church in Hungary, Catholic Church and recognized by the state. While PPKE takes its name after an insti ...

(1999, Hungary) *Honorary Doctor,

South East European University South East European University (SEEU), informally also known as the Max van der Stoel University, is a private-public nonprofit higher education institution. It was established upon initiative of OSCE's High Commissioner on National Minoriti ...

(2005, Republic of Macedonia)

Other

*In 2014, a new park in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

(in Jan Patočka street) was named in van der Stoel's honour. In 2017, forty years after his meeting with Jan Patočka, Van der Stoel's memorial created by Dominik Lang was unveiled in the park.

Decorations

Honorary degrees

Notes

Books

References

External links

*
Dr. M. (Max) van der Stoel
Parlement & Politiek *
Mr. M. van der Stoel (PvdA)
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