Max van der Stoel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Max van der Stoel
Van der Stoel in 1981
High Commissioner on National Minorities of the OSCE
In office 1 January 1993 – 1 July 2001
Secretary-General	See list Wilhelm Höynck (1993–1996) Giancarlo Aragona (1996–1999) Ján Kubiš (1999–2001)
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Rolf Ekeus
Member of the Council of State
In office 1 August 1986 – 1 January 1993
Vice President	Willem Scholten
Ambassador to the United Nations
In office 1 July 1983 – 1 August 1986
Preceded by	Hugo Scheltema
Succeeded by	Peter van Walsum
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 11 September 1981 – 29 May 1982
Prime Minister	Dries van Agt
Preceded by	Chris van der Klaauw
Succeeded by	Dries van Agt
In office 11 May 1973 – 19 December 1977
Prime Minister	Joop den Uyl
Preceded by	Norbert Schmelzer
Succeeded by	Chris van der Klaauw
Member of the European Parliament
In office 22 September 1971 – 11 May 1973
Parliamentary group	Socialist Group
Constituency	Netherlands
State Secretary for Foreign Affairs
In office 22 July 1965 – 22 November 1966 Serving with Leo de Block
Prime Minister	Jo Cals
Preceded by	Isaäc Nicolaas Diepenhorst
Succeeded by	Leo de Block
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 16 January 1978 – 11 September 1981
In office 8 June 1977 – 8 September 1977
In office 23 February 1967 – 11 May 1973
In office 5 June 1963 – 22 July 1965
Parliamentary group	Labour Party
Member of the Senate
In office 27 September 1960 – 5 June 1963
Parliamentary group	Labour Party
Personal details
Born	Maximilianus van der Stoel (1924-08-03)3 August 1924 Voorschoten, Netherlands
Died	23 April 2011(2011-04-23) (aged 86) The Hague, Netherlands
Political party	Labour Party (from 1950)
Spouse	Maria Aritia de Kanter ​ ​ (m. 1953; div. 1976)​
Children	4 daughters and 1 son
Alma mater	Leiden University (LL.B., B.Soc.Sc, LL.M., MSS)
Occupation	Politician · Diplomat · Civil servant · Jurist · Researcher · Nonprofit director · Lobbyist · Activist · Author · Professor
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Maximilianus "Max" van der Stoel (born August 3, 1924 – died April 23, 2011) was a famous Dutch politician and diplomat. He was a member of the Labour Party (PvdA). Max van der Stoel was known for his work as the first High Commissioner on National Minorities for the OSCE. He held this important role from 1993 to 2001.

Van der Stoel studied Law and Sociology at Leiden University. He worked as a researcher and political consultant before starting his career in government. He was a member of the Dutch Senate and later the House of Representatives. He also served as a State Secretary for Foreign Affairs.

Max van der Stoel: A Life of Diplomacy and Human Rights

Max van der Stoel dedicated his life to politics and helping people. He was a skilled negotiator and mediator. He worked hard to promote Human rights and the rights of minority groups around the world.

Early Life and Education

Max van der Stoel went to Gymnasium Leiden from 1937 to 1943. After that, he studied Law at Leiden University. He earned his law degree in 1947. He then continued his studies in Sociology at the same university. He worked as a student researcher during this time.

After his studies, Van der Stoel worked for the Wiardi Beckman Foundation. This foundation is linked to the Dutch Labour Party. He also served as a political consultant for the Labour Party.

A Career in Dutch Politics

Van der Stoel became a Member of the Senate in 1960. He focused on Foreign Affairs. In 1963, he was elected to the House of Representatives. He continued to be a key speaker on foreign policy.

He became State Secretary for Foreign Affairs in 1965. Later, he served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs twice. His first term was from 1973 to 1977. His second term was from 1981 to 1982.

Important Diplomatic Moments

During his time as Foreign Minister, Max van der Stoel faced many challenges. In 1973, he took a strong stance supporting Israel during a conflict. This led to some Arab nations stopping oil shipments to the Netherlands. This event was part of the 1973 "oil shock."

In 1977, he visited communist Czechoslovakia. He met with a philosopher named Jan Patočka. They talked about Charter 77 and human rights in Czechoslovakia. This meeting caused problems with the Czechoslovak government. The president even canceled a planned meeting with Van der Stoel.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Max van der Stoel, Chancellor of West-Germany Helmut Schmidt and Prime Minister Joop den Uyl during a meeting at the Catshuis on November 2, 1974.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Max van der Stoel, Prime Minister of Spain Adolfo Suárez and Prime Minister Joop den Uyl during a meeting at the Catshuis on August 29, 1977.

Former Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel Abba Eban with Max van der Stoel, 1989.

Working for Human Rights Globally

After his time as Foreign Minister, Van der Stoel continued his important work. In 1983, he became the Ambassador to the United Nations. He served in this role until 1986. He then became a member of the Council of State.

In 1993, he was chosen as the first High Commissioner on National Minorities for the OSCE. In this role, he worked to protect the rights of minority groups in different countries. He served until 2001. He also worked as a diplomat for the United Nations, focusing on Human rights.

Supporting Education and Peace

In 2001, Van der Stoel helped solve a problem in the Republic of Macedonia. He worked to ensure that Albanian ethnic groups had fair access to higher education. He became the first President of the International Foundation for the South East European University. He helped raise a lot of money for this university. The university later named its Library and Research Institute after him.

Van der Stoel was also a member of the Advisory Board for the European Association of History Educators (EUROCLIO). This group helps improve history education.

Awards and Recognition

Max van der Stoel received many awards for his work. These awards recognized his efforts in promoting freedom, peace, and human rights.

• Four Freedoms Award (1982)
• Helène de Montigny award (December 1991)
• Dr. J.P. van Praag award (June 1, 1993, Netherlands)
• Geuzenpenning (1993, Netherlands)
• Wateler Peace award (October 30, 1996)

He also received several honorary degrees from universities around the world:

• Honorary doctorate in Law, University of Athens (1977, Greece)
• Honorary doctorate in Law, Utrecht University (1994, Netherlands)
• Honorary doctorate in Law, Pázmány Péter Catholic University (1999, Hungary)
• Honorary Doctor, South East European University (2005, Republic of Macedonia)

In 2014, a new park in Prague was named in his honor. A memorial for him was also unveiled there in 2017.

Later Life and Legacy

Max van der Stoel retired from active politics at age 76. However, he continued to be involved in public service. He served on several government commissions and worked as a diplomat. He also taught as a professor at universities. He taught about Peace and conflict studies, Minority rights, and International relations.

He was given the special title of Minister of State in 1991. He continued to share his thoughts on political matters until he passed away in April 2011, at 86 years old.

In 2013, a foundation was named after him: the PvdA-associated Foundation Max van der Stoel (FMS). This foundation works to promote international teamwork, human rights, and democracy.

Decorations

Max van der Stoel received many honors from different countries for his service.

Honours
Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
	Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion	Netherlands	5 December 1966
	Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour	France	25 Augustus 1973
	Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown	Belgium	15 March 1974
	Honorary Medal for Initiative and Ingenuity of the Order of the House of Orange	Netherlands	19 September 1974
	Grand Cross of the Order of Merit	Germany	1975
	Grand Cross of the Order of Merit	Portugal	1975
	Grand Officer of the Honorary Order of the Palm	Suriname	4 September 1977
	Grand Cross of the Order of the Phoenix	Greece	10 December 1977
	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic	Spain	1981
	Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold	Belgium	10 January 1982
	Grand Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau	Netherlands	9 September 1982	Elevated from Commander (11 April 1978)
	Second Class of the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk	Czech Republic	15 May 1996
	Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau	Netherlands / Luxembourg	31 August 1999
	Grand Officer of the Order of the Star of Romania	Romania	2000
	Grand Cross of the Order of the White Double Cross	Slovakia	5 February 2001
	Fourth Class of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise	Ukraine	30 September 2001
	Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George	United Kingdom	1 December 2006
Awards
Ribbon bar	Awards	Organization	Date	Comment
	Four Freedoms Award	Roosevelt Institute for American Studies	1982
	Geuzenpenning	Vlaardingen	1993
Honorific Titles
Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
	Minister of State	Netherlands	17 May 1991	Style of Excellency

Honorary Degrees

Max van der Stoel received several honorary degrees from universities. These degrees recognized his contributions to law and international relations.