Lilianne Ploumen

Lilianne Ploumen
Lilianne Ploumen in 2016
Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation
In office
5 November 2012 – 26 October 2017
Prime Minister Mark Rutte
Preceded by Henk Bleker
Succeeded by Sigrid Kaag
Chairwoman of the Labour Party
In office
6 October 2007 – 22 January 2012
Preceded by Michiel van Hulten
Succeeded by Hans Spekman
Personal details
Born Elisabeth Maria Josepha Ploumen
(1962-07-12) 12 July 1962
Maastricht, Netherlands
Political party Labour Party (since 2003)
Other political
affiliations		 GroenLinks
Alma mater Erasmus University

Elisabeth Maria Josepha "Lilianne" Ploumen (Dutch pronunciation: [eːˈlisaːbɛt maːˈriaː joːˈseːfaː liliˈɑnə ˈplumən]; born 12 July 1962) is a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA). She was Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in the second Rutte cabinet from 5 November 2012 to 26 October 2017. She previously was Chairwoman of the Labour Party (2007–2012).

Early life and education

Elisabeth Maria Josepha Ploumen was born in Maastricht in the Netherlands on 12 July 1962.[1]

Ploumen studied social history at Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Early career

In 1983, while still at university, Ploumen became a community outreach worker in the Crooswijk area of Rotterdam. Two years later she joined the Institute of Psychological Market Research (IPM), a research-based consultancy, working in the statistics department as a research project leader. From 1990 to 1992 she was a marketing and research manager for Foster Parents Plan in Amsterdam. Ploumen then moved to Plan, the London-based umbrella organization, in 1993. In 1995 she founded Ploumen Projecten, an organization specializing in market research and innovation for commercial and non-profit clients.[2]

Ploumen was director of Mama Cash and worked for Cordaid as head of quality and strategy and subsequently as director of international programmes.[1]

Political career

Ploumen became a member of the Labour Party in 2003.[1]

She was the chairwoman of the Labour Party from 6 October 2007, after she beat former minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment Jan Pronk with 54% of the votes.[3][4] She resigned from this post on 22 January 2012 and was succeeded by Hans Spekman.[5]

Ploumen served as Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in the second Rutte cabinet from 5 November 2012 until 2017.[1]

Early on in her tenure, Ploumen and Secretary of State of Finance Frans Weekers submitted a proposal in 2013 to renegotiate the Netherlands’ tax treaties with 23 least-developed countries. Their move was widely seen as marking a turning point for a country that long deflected accusations that it is a key player in tax avoidance by multinational corporations.[6] With their proposal, Ploumen and Weekers followed the recommendations of a government-commissioned report which, for the first time, agreed with tax-justice groups that developing countries miss out on substantial tax revenues because of their treaties with the Netherlands.[6]

During her time in office, Ploumen increased the Netherlands’ support to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, from €200 million to €250 million for period from 2016 until 2020.[7] Between 2014 and 2016, she co-chaired the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-Operation (alongside José Antonio Meade Kuribreña). She also served a two-year term as member of the World Bank Group’s (WBG) Advisory Council on Gender and Development from 2015 until 2017.[8]

In January 2016, Ploumen headed an official Dutch delegation to Cuba, including some 60 businesses. During the trip, it was announced that global consumer products company Unilever would return to Cuba after a several-year absence, agreeing to build a $35 million soap and toothpaste factory in Cuba’s special development zone at the port of Mariel west of Havana.[9]

Most notably, however, Ploumen started the “She Decides” campaign, an initiative of about 50 countries, organizations and foundations to finance global family planning initiatives after a U.S. halt to such programs left NGOs worldwide with a large funding gap.[10] Within six months the organization received pledges worth USD 300 million.[11] As minister, she pledged 10 million euro to counter the Mexico City policy.[12]

Following the 2014 European elections, international news media widely considered Ploumen one of the candidates for the nomination to become the Netherlands’ member of the European Commission; the post eventually went to Frans Timmermans.[13]

In the Dutch elections in 2017, in which the PvdA won nine seats, Ploumen was tenth on the electoral list, but due to preferential votes still won a seat in the Dutch House of Representatives.[11]

Other activities

Recognition

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Drs. E.M.J. (Lilianne) Ploumen (in Dutch), Parlement & Politiek. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 2105 Speaker: Lilianne Ploumen Trade and Sustainable Development Symposium.
  3. ↑ "Ploumen verslaat Pronk en wordt voorzitter PvdA" (in Dutch), de Volkskrant, 2007.
  4. ↑ "Lilianne Ploumen nieuwe PvdA-voorzitter Archived 2 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine." (in Dutch), NRC Handelsblad, 2007.
  5. ↑ "Ploumen hoopt op progressieve lente - Spekman nieuwe voorzitter PvdA" (in Dutch), NRC Handelsblad, 2007.
  6. 1 2 Matt Steinglass (September 6, 2013), Netherlands to review tax treaties with least developed countries Financial Times.
  7. ↑ Netherlands increases support for Gavi vaccination alliance Ministry of Foreign Affairs, press release of 27 January 2015.
  8. ↑ World Bank Advisory Council on Gender and Development: 2015-2017 Members World Bank Group.
  9. ↑ Marc Frank (January 12, 2016), Unilever returns to Cuba in joint venture with state Reuters.
  10. ↑ Waverly Colville (March 2, 2017), After Trump ban, Brussels pro-choice conference raises 181 million euros Reuters.
  11. 1 2 3 Aletta Jacobs Prize 2018 awarded to minister Lilianne Ploumen University of Groningen, press release of 25 September 2017.
  12. ↑ "She Decides': Dutch Put Millions Into Birth Control Fund", The New York Times, 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  13. ↑ Anthony Deutsch and Thomas Escritt (September 1, 2014), Dutch name emerges for EU post amid doubt about his chances Reuters.
  14. ↑ Board of Governors European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
  15. ↑ Board of Governors Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), World Bank Group.
  16. ↑ Board of Governors World Bank.
  17. ↑ Pentin, Edward (15 January 2018). "Vatican: Papal Honor for Pro-Abortion Politician Not a Sign of Support". National Catholic Register. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
Party political offices
Preceded by
Michiel van Hulten		 Chairwoman of the Labour Party
2007–2012		 Succeeded by
Hans Spekman
Political offices
Vacant
Title last held by
Maxime Verhagen
as Minister for Development Cooperation		 Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation
2012–2017		 Succeeded by
Sigrid Kaag
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