Rudolphus Franciscus Marie Lubbers or Ruud Lubbers (born May 7, 1939) was the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, from 2001 until February 20, 2005, when he resigned because of continuous press attention about an allegation of sexual harassment. Prior to that, he was prime minister of the Netherlands (1982 – 1994). A political conservative, Lubbers was regarded by many during his time in office as an ideological heir to Margaret Thatcher; one of his campaign slogans was: "meer markt, minder overheid" (more market, less government). May 7 is the 127th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (128th in leap years). ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (established December 14, 1950) protects and supports refugees at the request of a government or the United Nations and assists in their return or resettlement. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Prime Minister of the Netherlands or Minister President is in the Politics_of_the_Netherlands the head of government and active executive authority of the Dutch Government. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Conservatism or political conservatism is any of several historically related political philosophies or political ideologies. ... The Right Honourable Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925), is a British politician. ...

Ruud Lubbers May 7, 1939
Predecessor: Dries van Agt Prime Minister 1982-1994 Succeeded by Wim Kok
Prime Minister of the Netherlands

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers visiting the European Commission on October 15, 2001. ... May 7 is the 127th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (128th in leap years). ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Prime Minister of the Netherlands Andreas Antonius Maria Dries van Agt (born February 2, 1931) is a Dutch politician, the prime minister of the Netherlands from 1977 until 1982, as a member of the Christian Democratic CDA party. ... Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister A prime minister may be either: chief or leading member of the cabinet of the top-level government in a country having a parliamentary system of government; or the official, in countries with a semi-presidential system of government, appointed to manage the... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Prime Minister of the Netherlands Wim Kok (born September 29, 1938) was Prime Minister of The Netherlands from 1994 until 2002. ... 3 November 1877: Jan Kappeyne van de Coppello (liberal) 19 August 1879: Theo graaf van Lynden van Sandenburg (conservative-protestant) 22 April 1883: Jan Heemskerk Abrahamzoon (conservative) 20 April 1888: Aeneas baron Mackay (ARP) 21 August 1891: Gijsbert van Tienhoven (liberal) 8 May 1894: Joan Röell (old liberal) 26...

Life and career

Lubbers was born in Rotterdam. He studied economics at the Erasmus University Rotterdam and was a student of the first Nobel Prize Laureate in economics Jan Tinbergen. As suggested by the title of his 1962 thesis - "The influence of differing productivity trends in various countries on the current account of the balance of payments" - his main interest was in monetary affairs. He originally planned an academic career, but was compelled by family circumstances to join the management of Lubbers' Construction Workshops and Machinery Fabricators Hollandia B.V. For other places named Rotterdam, see Rotterdam (disambiguation) Rotterdam ( ▶ (help· info)), located in the province of Zuid Holland, is the second largest municipality in the Netherlands (after Amsterdam), yet depending on the calculation methods the agglomeration in which Rotterdam is situated vies with the Amsterdam agglomeration for first spot in... Erasmus University Rotterdam is a university in the Netherlands, located in Rotterdam. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Jan Tinbergen (The Hague, April 12, 1903 - June 9, 1994), Dutch economist, was awarded the first Nobel Prize in Economics in 1969, which he shared with Ragnar Frisch for having developed and applied dynamic models for the analysis of economic processes. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

From 11 May 1973 to December 19, 1977 he was Minister of Economic Affairs in the Den Uyl-government and a member of the Catholic People's Party (KVP). He was an effective, if sometimes somewhat bad-tempered minister. He chose to return to Parliament on the formation of the Van Agt-government in 1977, becoming Senior Deputy Parliamentary Leader of the CDA, the alliance between the KVP and the other two main denominational parties. His career got an unexpected boost when the leader of the parliamentary faction of the CDA, Willem Aantjes, had to resign in 1978 on accusations that he served in the Germanic-SS during the Second World War. Lubbers took over the position of Aantjes and suddenly found himself in a powerful political position. May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... December 19 is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dr. Johannes Marten Joop den Uyl (August 9, 1919 - December 24, 1987) was a Dutch politician, prime minister of the Netherlands from 1973 until 1977, as a member of the socialist PvdA party. ... The Katholieke Volkspartij (KVP) was a conservative Dutch political party started 22 December 1945. ... The Christen-Democratisch Appèl (CDA, Christian Democratic Appeal) is a political party of the Netherlands that was established in 1980. ... The Germanic SS (Germanische-SS) was the collective name given to paramilitary groups which arose in conquered and subject nations of Nazi Germany between 1939 and 1945 and which were modeled on designs of the German Schutzstaffel (SS). ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...

In 1982 after the general election won by Prime Minister Dries van Agt, a similar thing happened when Van Agt suddenly announced he would not be available for a third term. Lubbers took over the post, a position he held until 1994, making him the longest serving prime minister in the history of the Netherlands. 1982 (MCMLXXXII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Prime Minister of the Netherlands Andreas Antonius Maria Dries van Agt (born February 2, 1931) is a Dutch politician, the prime minister of the Netherlands from 1977 until 1982, as a member of the Christian Democratic CDA party. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...

Major aspects of his time in office:

• Extensive cutbacks in public spending
• The launch of far-reaching deregulation and privatization programs
• A massive demonstration in The Hague (1983) against the planned installation in the Netherlands of nuclear-armed US cruise missiles (which was cancelled after all due to arms reduction talks between the US and the Soviet Union)

After leaving office, was put forward as a candidate for the head of NATO, but the US vetoed his appointment. Deregulation is the process by which governments remove restrictions on business in order to (in theory) encourage the efficient operation of markets. ... Privatization (sometimes privatisation, denationalization, or, especially in India, disinvestment) is the process of transferring property, from public ownership to private ownership and/or transferring the management of a service or activity from the government to the private sector. ... Arms of The Hague The Hague (with capital T; Dutch: Den Haag, or officially s-Gravenhage) is the administrative capital of the Netherlands, located in the west of the country, in the province South Holland of which it is also the capital. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Tomahawk cruise missile A cruise missile indigenously made in Pakistan A cruise missile is a guided missile which uses a lifting wing and most often a jet propulsion system to allow sustained flight. ... The NATO flag NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), sometimes called North Atlantic Alliance, Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for defence collaboration established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, D.C., on April 4...

Ruud Lubbers (left) and Romano Prodi

From 1995 to 2000, he taught Globalization Studies at Tilburg University in the Netherlands and at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in the United States. He was also vice-chairman of the Independent World Commission on the Oceans and chair of Globus, the Institute for Globalization and Development based in Tilburg. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers shaking hands with president of the European Commission Romano Prodi, on February 5, 2002. ... United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers shaking hands with president of the European Commission Romano Prodi, on February 5, 2002. ... Romano Prodi (born in Reggio Emilia on August 9, 1939) is an Italian politician and a former President of the European Commission. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Located in Tilburg, the Netherlands, Tilburg University is a compact institution for higher education, specialised in human and social sciences and located in the southern part of the Netherlands. ... Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and a member of the Ivy League. ... Tilburg is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant. ...

On January 1, 2001 he became the ninth United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He succeeded Mrs. Sadako Ogata of Japan. In October 2003, his three year term was extended for another two years, to December 31, 2005. He annually donated some $300,000 to the refugee agency since he assumed his post in 2001, thereby covering his own $167,000 annual salary and travel expenses. He resigned for this job on February 20, 2005 due to a sexual harassment allegation. January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (established December 14, 1950) protects and supports refugees at the request of a government or the United Nations and assists in their return or resettlement. ... Sadako Ogata (jp: 緒方 貞子: Ogata Sadako; born 1927) is a Japanese scholar and administrator. ... December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Sexual harassment allegation

In May 2004 the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) has launched an investigation into an allegation by a 51-year-old American female administrator in the human resources department of the refugee organisation, that Lubbers had harassed her sexually while she left a meeting in December 2003. The OIOS expanded the investigation and questioned many UN personnel to determine if there was "a broader context." Lubbers claimed he just made a friendly gesture and that it was a misunderstanding, possibly caused by a colleague who jokingly gave the gesture a sexual connotation. The woman waited more than four months before filing a formal complaint. While the United Nations is an international organization, the United Nations System is the whole network of international organizations, treaties and conventions that were created by the United Nations. ... Sexual harassment is harassment of a sexual nature, typically in the workplace or other setting where raising objections or refusing may have negative consequences. ...

In May 2004, OIOS reported confidentially to Secretary General Kofi Annan. The report found Lubbers guilty of sexual harassment. [1] However, on July 15, 2004, Lubbers was declared innocent by Kofi Annan, though Annan was critical about the way Lubbers handled the situation: he wrote a letter asking the woman to withdraw the allegation, and promised that in that case the matter would have no negative consequences for her. Some argue that this could be construed as a threat in the case that she would refuse. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A large number of international organizations and other bodies have a secretary general or secretary-general as their chief administrative officers or in other administrative capacities. ... Kofi Atta Annan (born April 8, 1938) is a Ghanaian diplomat and the seventh and current Secretary-General of the United Nations. ... July 15 is the 196th day (197th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 169 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A threat is an unwanted (deliberate or accidental) event that may result in harm to an asset. ...

John Danforth, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, during review in the General Assembly of the OIOS annual report stating they had substantiated the complainant's claims and the investigation had found Lubbers guilty of misconduct, asked Annan for clarification on declaring Lubbers innocent. John Danforth John Claggett Danforth (born September 5, 1936), also referred to as Jack Danforth, is a former United States Ambassador to the United Nations and former United States Senator from Missouri. ...

The woman appealed the Secretary-General's decision, but later withdrew the appeal stating little good could come from 5 to 7 more years of battle in the UN's internal justice system which seriously handicaps unprotected staff who bring irregularities to light.

In February 2005 the matter resurfaced after The Independent obtained a copy of the OIOS report and based a publication on it. The woman alleged that Lubbers had grabbed her and thrust his groin into her buttocks and held her in that position. Lubbers states that the woman made this up, that it must have just grown in her mind. He claims that he just ushered the woman out of the room with his hand on her back, like he still does with female friends, but he is now more cautious towards other women. Lubbers said the claims were slanderous and he would not step down. But on February 20, he resigned, though maintaining his innocence, and complained in an emotional farewell speech to UNHCR staff that he had been "raped and raped and raped" and that the handling of the case had added insult to his injury. The Independent is a British compact newspaper published by Tony OReillys Independent News & Media. ... Groping is touching another person in an aggressively sexual way. ... In English and American law, and systems based on them, libel and slander are two forms of defamation (or defamation of character), which is the tort or delict of making a false statement of fact that injures someones reputation. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Honorary doctorate

On September 6, 2004, Ruud Lubbers received an honorary doctorate from the Radboud University Nijmegen. September 6 is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Radboud University Nijmegen, formerly called University of Nijmegen is the university of the Dutch city of Nijmegen. ...

External links

• UNHCR website
• "Seoul Train" documentary A critically acclaimed PBS documentary on North Korean refugees (Incite Productions)

 

Prime Ministers of the Netherlands
Kappeyne van de Coppello | Van Lynden van Sandenburg | Heemskerk Azn. | Mackay | Van Tienhoven | Roëll | Pierson | Kuyper | De Meester | Heemskerk | Cort van der Linden | Ruijs de Beerenbrouck | Colijn | De Geer | Gerbrandy | Schermerhorn | Beel | Drees | De Quay | Marijnen | Cals | Zijlstra | De Jong | Biesheuvel | Den Uyl | Van Agt | Lubbers | Kok | Balkenende edit