EuropaWorld 5/1/2001 Dr Ruud Lubbers

Dr Ruud Lubbers -The Former Netherlands Prime Minister and International President of WWF Now Takes His Place as the Ninth United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Rudolphus (Ruud) Franciscus Marie Lubbers was born on 7 May 1939 in Rotterdam. He was educated at Canisius College in Nijmegen and later studied at the Netherlands School of Economics (the predecessor of the University of Rotterdam), graduating in 1962.
Although he originally planned an academic career, Lubbers was compelled by family circumstances to join the management of the family enterprise - Lubbers' Construction Workshops and Machinery Fabricators Hollandia B.V. His capacity for sound management and leadership, combined with a firm religious belief, led to a position as Chair of the Young Christian Employers Association just 2 years later. He was later to become Chair of the Catholic Association of Metalwork Employers and a member of the board of the Netherlands Christian Employers Federation - experience that would stand him in good stead for a steadily blossoming political career.

A Proven Record of Leadership
A member of the Catholic People's Party (KVP), Mr Lubbers was appointed Minister for Economic Affairs in 1973 at age 34. When the KVP joined with the two other main Dutch denominational parties to form the Christian Democratic Appeal CDA in 1977, Lubbers' proven track record of leadership and co-operation led to his appointment as Senior Deputy Parliamentary Leader. A year later he was to become Parliamentary Leader of the Alliance, building support for the coalition before finally leading it to election victory in 1986 when he became Prime Minister of the Netherlands. He was to hold this office for a further two terms, making him the Netherlands' longest-serving post-war premier.
During his time in office, Prime Minister Lubbers was instrumental in securing closer Europeam co-operation and integration. A trained economist, he was also responsible for introducing the 'Dutch Model' which led to the successful turn-around of the Dutch economy.

Returning to Academia
Although Prime Minister Lubbers finished his national political career in 1994, this did not end his interest in the world of politics or his concern for international development. Returning to the academic arena, he used his extensive knowledge of world affairs to teach university courses on globalisation and sustainable development. at Tilburg University in the Netherlands and as a visiting professor 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 Globalisation and Development based in Tilburg.

His Most Challenging Role Yet?
In November 1999, he was elected international president of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), a post he was to hold for less than 18 months before his appointment as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Mr Lubbers takes office as the ninth head of the UN agency this week. Mr Lubbers is married with three children. EuropaWorld wishes him every success for this latest appointment, arguably his most significant challenge yet in a diverse and notable international career.