Michel van Hulten facts for kids

Michel van Hulten in 1972

Michael Henricus Maria (Michel) van Hulten was born on March 9, 1930, in Batavia (which is now Jakarta, Indonesia). He is a retired politician from the Netherlands. He was a member of the Dutch parliament and also worked as a special helper (called an undersecretary) for the Minister of Transport. He did this job when Joop den Uyl was the Prime Minister.

Who is Michel van Hulten?

Michel van Hulten has had a long and interesting career. He started by studying how people live in different places and how cities are planned. Later, he became a politician and worked to make things better for people in the Netherlands.

His Early Life and Education

Michel van Hulten studied to become a human geographer and an urban planner. A human geographer studies how people and their activities are spread across the Earth. An urban planner helps design and organize cities. He earned a special advanced degree, called a PhD, from Amsterdam University in 1962. His studies helped him understand how societies and places work.

Working in Politics

Michel van Hulten was a member of the Political Party of Radicals (PPR). He first joined the Senate, which is one part of the Dutch parliament. About a year and a half later, he moved to the House of Representatives, another part of the parliament.

In May 1973, he became the undersecretary for the Minister of Transport. This meant he helped manage things like roads, trains, and public transport. In 1974, he helped create a law that made it mandatory for trucks to use a device called a tachograph. This device helps control how long truck drivers drive and makes sure they take enough rest breaks. This was important for safety on the roads.

Michel van Hulten believed in working with other political parties like the PvdA and D66. He left the PPR party in 1981. Over his career, he was a member of several different political parties, including KVP, PPR, D66, GroenLinks, and PvdA.

Helping Around the World

After his time in government, from 1978 to 1996, Michel van Hulten worked for different organizations around the world. These included non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the United Nations, and the Dutch Government. He worked in many countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, and Malaysia. He also spent time in New York and Washington/The Hague.

From 1984 to 1986, he worked as a researcher at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York. He focused on studying corruption and how to make sure things are done honestly and fairly.

Later, from 2007 to 2015, he was a professor at SAXION University. He taught about governance, which is how countries and organizations are managed. He also worked with the World Bank and with NGOs that fight against corruption, including in Slovenia from 2000 to 2002.

Continuing His Work

In 1994, Michel van Hulten was a candidate for the D66 party in the parliamentary elections, but he was not elected. He also led the program committee for D66 from 1994 to 1998.

Even after retiring, Michel van Hulten has stayed active in public discussions. He is a strong supporter of making public transport free in the Netherlands. He often writes articles for an online magazine called www.civismundi.nl.

Michel van Hulten is also the father of Michiel van Hulten. Michiel was a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2004 and later led the Labour Party (PvdA) in the Netherlands from 2005 to 2007.