Ad Melkert
Encyclopedia
Adrianus Petrus Wilhelmus "Ad" Melkert (ˈɑt ˈmɛlkərt; February 12, 1956) is a Dutch
politician of the Labour Party
(PvdA). He served as chair of the parliamentary party and Minister of Social Affairs and Employment for the social-democratic PvdA. He led
the PvdA to a historic low in the contentious 2002 general elections
, which were won by the CDA and the Pim Fortuyn List party. He currently serves as Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme
.
. His father was a barber. Melkert attended a Roman-Catholic primary school
in Moordrecht
until 1968. He continued to study at the public Coornhert Gymnasium in Gouda
, specialising in the arts
. In the last year of his secondary education he took a job in the market of Gouderak, working for a greengrocer. He graduated in 1974 and went on to study political science
at the university of Amsterdam. During this time he became active within the leftwing Christian PPR, he served as a member of the board of the Political Youth Contact, the youth organization of the PPR between 1978 and 1980. In the same period he was also a member of the general board of the Dutch Branch of the European Movement
, the chairperson of the Council of European National Youth Committees and the chairperson of the Dutch Platform for International Youth Work. In 1979 he was also elected into the party board of the PPR, he was third candidate on the PPR's list for the 1979 European Parliament Elections. He graduated in 1981. For his masters' thesis he received the prize of the Dutch Society for International Relations, for best thesis of 1981. His thesis concerned the foreign policy
of the Den Uyl Cabinet
.
In 1981 he became general secretary of the youth forum of the European Community in Brussel. As such he attended an illegal youth conference in Chile
, then ruled by Pinochet, where he met his wife, Mónica León Borquez. Meanwhile internal tensions within the PPR heightened: Melkert was a member of the so-called 'blues' or 'Godebald'-group, which favoured closer cooperation with the PvdA and the social-liberal D66. In 1981 the conflict came to an end: the so-called 'reds', who favoured closer cooperation with the leftwing socialist PSP and the communist CPN, and the 'greens', who favoured an independent green party, banded together and many blues left the party for the PvdA, including Melkert. In 1984 he became the director of Internal Affairs of NOVIB, the Dutch branch of Oxfam
, and moved to The Hague
. He also became a member of the board of the local PvdA branch. In 1986 he published a book about International development
in the Netherlands called "The Next Minister: Development Cooperation within the Cabinet, 1965-19?".
Melkert was elected into the House of Representatives. In the first years he was the party's spokesperson on foreign affairs, development cooperation and environmental affairs.
After the 1989 elections
Melkert became the financial spokesperson of the PvdA and as such was the party's primary spokesperson in the debates on the national budget. Between 1990 and 1994 he was vice-chairman of the parliament's committee on finance.
As an MP, Melkert also participated in several boards of civil society organisations: he was a member of the board of advisors of the Foundation for Communication on Development Cooperation, chairman of the Foundation for Development Cooperation Almere
-Port Sudan
, and vice-chairman of the Atlantic Committee. Furthermore he had a column in the Gooi- en Eemlander, a local paper in the region of Hilversum
and Almere.
In 1994
, Melkert became the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment in the First Kok cabinet
. As such he was responsible for one of the main goals of the cabinet: in the words of formateurs, "Employment, Employment and Employment".
As minister he was known for his work ethic: he had bought a mail carrier
's cart
, which he would fill with dossiers each Friday, returning to work on Monday having read all dossiers. His work ethic can also be seen in the high number of policies and laws he initiated as minister.
As minister of Social Affairs he often came into conflict with the VVD
Minister of Finance, Zalm
.
After the 1998 elections
in which he was the fifth candidate of the party, Melkert became chair of the parliamentary party of the PvdA. He also served as chair of the parliament's committee on Information and Security Services. During his period as chairman the party discipline
tightened. The PvdA got the image of an arrogant governing party. He was quoted in saying: "we don't need to debate this, we already have a majority". He came in conflict with popular PvdA MP Van Gijzel
, over the spokespersonship on fraud in the construction sector and Van Gijzel presently left parliament. Melkert also upheld a polict of marginalizing and isolating the Socialist Party
: PvdA MPs were forbidden to co-sign or even vote in favour of any SP motions.
Nonetheless Melkert was seen as a competent politician, and considered the party's "crown prince," supposed to succeed prime-minister Wim Kok
. In December 2001 Kok officially retired as political leader of the PvdA and Melkert was appointed to succeed him.
for the 2002 elections
. It was generally expected that either he or VVD leader Dijkstal would become the next prime minister, and that elections would revolve around the question whether the conservative liberal VVD or the PvdA would become the largest party.
The elections went in an entirely different direction, when flamboyant populist Pim Fortuyn
entered the electoral arena. Fortuyn, who campaigned on issues like immigration, integration and the state of the public sector, concentrated his campaign on the PvdA, intent on showing that that party was responsible for what he called the "ruins of eight years of purple", the latter being the nickname for the liberal and social coalition that had governed the Netherlands for the preceding eight years. In several televised debates between Fortuyn and Melkert it became obvious that Melkert was no match for Fortuyn's unconventional debating style and charisma. In the now infamous debate on the night when the results of the 2002 municipal elections were made public and which had both Melkert and Fortuyn participating, the latter, having just won the elections in Rotterdam
, made a lively enthusiastic impression, rarely missing an opportunity to mock Melkert who slumped in his chair, an expression of sour distaste and contempt on his face. This image dominated the rest of the election campaign. A later debate on the program Netwerk
was also very typical for the different style of Fortuyn and Melkert: in the one-on-one debate, Melkert responded to every question of the debate leader with a detailed plan, and every time Fortuyn proposed one his plans, Melkert would respond: "Footnotes, professor!" implying that Fortuyn's plans were not realistic and lacked detail. This, however, made Melkert look arrogant rather than competent.
During the elections the competent career politician Melkert attempted to humanize his image: it was revealed that he liked cooking (he published a cookbook on his personal website), and that he was big Feyenoord fan. Nonetheless, the image of a somewhat boring bureaucrat remained. In May 2006 Melkert told politician-turned-television maker Paul Rosenmöller
that "he had hid too much in the tower of the governor", creating a paternalistic image, "something which did not appeal to the voter".
A mere nine days before the election, on May 6, 2002, Fortuyn was assassinated by Volkert van der Graaf
. A few relatively minor riots erupted in the Hague, where Melkert was at the time. He left the city in a hurry. Melkert began to receive death threats including a loaded gun sent in the mail, and he and his family felt compelled to go into hiding for a short while.
Melkert's PvdA lost nearly half its seats in the House of Representatives and went from 45 (out of 150 seats) to 23. The party fell from first place to fourth. Melkert resigned as political leader on the evening of the elections; he was replaced by former president of the House of Representatives, Jeltje van Nieuwenhoven
. Melkert stayed in parliament for a short while. His last major debate in parliament was on the state of the European Union
.
, on advice of the minister of Finance, Zalm. In April 2005 he was a serious candidate to become Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP), but the post went to Kemal Derviş
. In January 2006 Melkert was appointed Associate Administrator of the UNDP.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
politician of the Labour Party
Labour Party (Netherlands)
The Labour Party , is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the 2003 Dutch General Election, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet following 22 February 2007...
(PvdA). He served as chair of the parliamentary party and Minister of Social Affairs and Employment for the social-democratic PvdA. He led
Lijsttrekker
Lijsttrekker is a Dutch term for the top candidate of a party on a party list. He or she is almost always the party's political leader. After an election, this person usually leads the party's faction in the States-General, or serves in a senior position in the Cabinet if his party is part of...
the PvdA to a historic low in the contentious 2002 general elections
Dutch general election, 2002
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on May 15, 2002....
, which were won by the CDA and the Pim Fortuyn List party. He currently serves as Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
.
Early life
Melkert came from a middle class family in GouderakGouderak
Gouderak is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is located 4 km southwest of Gouda on the river Hollandsche IJssel, in the municipality of Ouderkerk....
. His father was a barber. Melkert attended a Roman-Catholic primary school
Education in the Netherlands
Education in the Netherlands is characterized by division: education is orientated toward the needs and background of the pupil. Education is divided over schools for different age groups, some of which are divided in streams for different educational levels...
in Moordrecht
Moordrecht
Moordrecht is a town and a former municipality in the province of South Holland, the Netherlands, situated along the river Hollandse IJssel....
until 1968. He continued to study at the public Coornhert Gymnasium in Gouda
Gouda
Gouda is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Gouda, which was granted city rights in 1272, is famous for its Gouda cheese, smoking pipes, and 15th-century city hall....
, specialising in the arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
. In the last year of his secondary education he took a job in the market of Gouderak, working for a greengrocer. He graduated in 1974 and went on to study political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at the university of Amsterdam. During this time he became active within the leftwing Christian PPR, he served as a member of the board of the Political Youth Contact, the youth organization of the PPR between 1978 and 1980. In the same period he was also a member of the general board of the Dutch Branch of the European Movement
European Movement
The European Movement International is a lobbying association that coordinates the efforts of associations and national councils with the goal of promoting European integration, and disseminating information about it.-History:...
, the chairperson of the Council of European National Youth Committees and the chairperson of the Dutch Platform for International Youth Work. In 1979 he was also elected into the party board of the PPR, he was third candidate on the PPR's list for the 1979 European Parliament Elections. He graduated in 1981. For his masters' thesis he received the prize of the Dutch Society for International Relations, for best thesis of 1981. His thesis concerned the foreign policy
Foreign relations of the Netherlands
The foreign policy of the Netherlands is based on four basic commitments: to the Atlantic cooperation, to European integration, to international development and to international law. While historically the Netherlands was a neutral state, since the second World War the Netherlands became a member...
of the Den Uyl Cabinet
Netherlands cabinet Den Uyl
The Den Uyl cabinet was a Dutch left-wing cabinet under prime minister Joop den Uyl with ministers from PvdA, PPR, D66, KVP and ARP. The last two parties were actually moderately right-wing, but left-wing elements within these parties supported cabinet den Uyl to create a left-wing majority...
.
In 1981 he became general secretary of the youth forum of the European Community in Brussel. As such he attended an illegal youth conference in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, then ruled by Pinochet, where he met his wife, Mónica León Borquez. Meanwhile internal tensions within the PPR heightened: Melkert was a member of the so-called 'blues' or 'Godebald'-group, which favoured closer cooperation with the PvdA and the social-liberal D66. In 1981 the conflict came to an end: the so-called 'reds', who favoured closer cooperation with the leftwing socialist PSP and the communist CPN, and the 'greens', who favoured an independent green party, banded together and many blues left the party for the PvdA, including Melkert. In 1984 he became the director of Internal Affairs of NOVIB, the Dutch branch of Oxfam
Oxfam
Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working in 98 countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives...
, and moved to The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
. He also became a member of the board of the local PvdA branch. In 1986 he published a book about International development
International development
International development or global development is a concept that lacks a universally accepted definition, but it is most used in a holistic and multi-disciplinary context of human development — the development of greater quality of life for humans...
in the Netherlands called "The Next Minister: Development Cooperation within the Cabinet, 1965-19?".
Politics
In 1986Dutch general election, 1986
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on May 21, 1986.-National summary:...
Melkert was elected into the House of Representatives. In the first years he was the party's spokesperson on foreign affairs, development cooperation and environmental affairs.
After the 1989 elections
Dutch general election, 1989
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on September 6, 1989.-National summary:...
Melkert became the financial spokesperson of the PvdA and as such was the party's primary spokesperson in the debates on the national budget. Between 1990 and 1994 he was vice-chairman of the parliament's committee on finance.
As an MP, Melkert also participated in several boards of civil society organisations: he was a member of the board of advisors of the Foundation for Communication on Development Cooperation, chairman of the Foundation for Development Cooperation Almere
Almere
Almere is a planned city and municipality in the province of Flevoland, the Netherlands, bordering Lelystad and Zeewolde. The municipality of Almere comprises the districts Almere Stad, Almere Haven, Almere Buiten, Almere Hout, Almere Poort and Almere Pampus .Almere is the youngest city in the...
-Port Sudan
Port Sudan
Port Sudan is the capital of Red Sea State, Sudan; it has 489,725 residents . Located on the Red Sea, it is the Republic of Sudan's main port city.-History:...
, and vice-chairman of the Atlantic Committee. Furthermore he had a column in the Gooi- en Eemlander, a local paper in the region of Hilversum
Hilversum
is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Located in the region called "'t Gooi", it is the largest town in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller villages...
and Almere.
In 1994
Dutch general election, 1994
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on May 3, 1994.-Results:...
, Melkert became the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment in the First Kok cabinet
First cabinet of Wim Kok
The First cabinet of Wim Kok , also called the "Purple Coalition" because of its social-democrat and liberal components, was a Dutch government formed by the political parties PVDA, VVD and D66. D66 had won its greatest political victory with the slogan that the Christian Democratic Appeal should...
. As such he was responsible for one of the main goals of the cabinet: in the words of formateurs, "Employment, Employment and Employment".
As minister he was known for his work ethic: he had bought a mail carrier
Mail carrier
A mail carrier, mailman, postal carrier, postman, postwoman , postman/postwoman , letter carrier or postie is an employee of the post office or postal service, who delivers mail and parcel post to residences and businesses...
's cart
Cart
A cart is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people...
, which he would fill with dossiers each Friday, returning to work on Monday having read all dossiers. His work ethic can also be seen in the high number of policies and laws he initiated as minister.
- In 1995 he initiated a plan to employ 40,000 longtime unemployed people. Unemployed people would be offered a so-called 'Melkert-job,' which was subsidized by the national government. Often these people would work in the public sector, taking a job such as tramTramA tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
-conductorConductor (transportation)A conductor is a member of a railway train's crew that is responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve the actual operation of the train. The title of conductor is most associated with railway operations in North America, but the role of conductor is common to railways...
or high schoolHigh schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
janitorJanitorA janitor or custodian is a professional who takes care of buildings, such as hospitals and schools. Janitors are responsible primarily for cleaning, and often some maintenance and security...
. - In 1995 Melkert also published the note "the other side of the Netherlands", in whih he proposed several plans to combat and prevent silent povertyPovertyPoverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
and social exclusionSocial exclusionSocial exclusion is a concept used in many parts of the world to characterise contemporary forms of social disadvantage. Dr. Lynn Todman, director of the Institute on Social Exclusion at the Adler School of Professional Psychology, suggests that social exclusion refers to processes in which...
. This led to the 1997 law Prevention and Combat of Poverty and Social Exclusion. It changed the social security laws and the old age pensions laws, giving municipalities more ways to give the poorest special social benefits. - In the same year he also wrote the note "Flexibility and Certainty" in which he made proposals for the flexibilisation of the labour market.
- In 1997 he published the note together with De GraveFrank de GraveFranciscus Hendrikus Gerardus de Grave is a Dutch politician.-References:* at parlement.com...
, the staatssecretaris of social affairs, called "Working on Security", in which the future of the social security system was researched, it included plans to reform the way old-age pensioned are financed. - In the same year he also iniated a plan for so-called "white charladies" which legalized hiring charladies by individuals without paying taxes or social benefits. The plan was supposed to combat unemployment of the lower educated and the informal economyInformal economyThe informal sector or informal economy as defined by governments, scholars, banks, etc. is the part of an economy that is not taxed, monitored by any form of government, or included in any gross national product , unlike the formal economy....
. - In 1997 he united all employment laws, like the Youth Work law, and the so-called Job-pools into one Law Activation Working-Seeking which gave municipalities more possibilities to employ the long-term unemployed.
As minister of Social Affairs he often came into conflict with the VVD
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a conservative-liberal political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 alongside which it sits in...
Minister of Finance, Zalm
Gerrit Zalm
Gerrit Zalm is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He served as Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister from May 27, 2003 until February 22, 2007 in the Cabinets Balkenende II and III. He served earlier as Minister of Finance in the Cabinets Kok I and...
.
After the 1998 elections
Dutch general election, 1998
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on 6 May 1998.-Result:...
in which he was the fifth candidate of the party, Melkert became chair of the parliamentary party of the PvdA. He also served as chair of the parliament's committee on Information and Security Services. During his period as chairman the party discipline
Party discipline
Party discipline is the ability of a parliamentary group of a political party to get its members to support the policies of their party leadership. In liberal democracies, it usually refers to the control that party leaders have over its legislature...
tightened. The PvdA got the image of an arrogant governing party. He was quoted in saying: "we don't need to debate this, we already have a majority". He came in conflict with popular PvdA MP Van Gijzel
Rob van Gijzel
Rob van Gijzel is a Dutch politician. He is a former Member of Parliament and is the incumbent mayor of Eindhoven ....
, over the spokespersonship on fraud in the construction sector and Van Gijzel presently left parliament. Melkert also upheld a polict of marginalizing and isolating the Socialist Party
Socialist Party (Netherlands)
The Socialist Party is a democratic socialist political party in the Netherlands. After the 2006 general election, the Socialist Party became one of the major parties of the Netherlands with 25 seats of 150, an increase of 16 seats. The party was in opposition against the fourth Balkenende cabinet...
: PvdA MPs were forbidden to co-sign or even vote in favour of any SP motions.
Nonetheless Melkert was seen as a competent politician, and considered the party's "crown prince," supposed to succeed prime-minister Wim Kok
Wim Kok
Willem "Wim" Kok ; born September 29, 1938) is a retired Dutch politician of the Labour Party . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from August 22, 1994 until July 22, 2002....
. In December 2001 Kok officially retired as political leader of the PvdA and Melkert was appointed to succeed him.
Elections of 2002
Melkert became the PvdA's top candidateLijsttrekker
Lijsttrekker is a Dutch term for the top candidate of a party on a party list. He or she is almost always the party's political leader. After an election, this person usually leads the party's faction in the States-General, or serves in a senior position in the Cabinet if his party is part of...
for the 2002 elections
Dutch general election, 2002
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on May 15, 2002....
. It was generally expected that either he or VVD leader Dijkstal would become the next prime minister, and that elections would revolve around the question whether the conservative liberal VVD or the PvdA would become the largest party.
The elections went in an entirely different direction, when flamboyant populist Pim Fortuyn
Pim Fortuyn
Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn was a Dutch politician, civil servant, sociologist, author and professor who formed his own party, Pim Fortuyn List ....
entered the electoral arena. Fortuyn, who campaigned on issues like immigration, integration and the state of the public sector, concentrated his campaign on the PvdA, intent on showing that that party was responsible for what he called the "ruins of eight years of purple", the latter being the nickname for the liberal and social coalition that had governed the Netherlands for the preceding eight years. In several televised debates between Fortuyn and Melkert it became obvious that Melkert was no match for Fortuyn's unconventional debating style and charisma. In the now infamous debate on the night when the results of the 2002 municipal elections were made public and which had both Melkert and Fortuyn participating, the latter, having just won the elections in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, made a lively enthusiastic impression, rarely missing an opportunity to mock Melkert who slumped in his chair, an expression of sour distaste and contempt on his face. This image dominated the rest of the election campaign. A later debate on the program Netwerk
Netwerk
Netwerk is a Dutch 'behind the news' television show on Nederland 2....
was also very typical for the different style of Fortuyn and Melkert: in the one-on-one debate, Melkert responded to every question of the debate leader with a detailed plan, and every time Fortuyn proposed one his plans, Melkert would respond: "Footnotes, professor!" implying that Fortuyn's plans were not realistic and lacked detail. This, however, made Melkert look arrogant rather than competent.
During the elections the competent career politician Melkert attempted to humanize his image: it was revealed that he liked cooking (he published a cookbook on his personal website), and that he was big Feyenoord fan. Nonetheless, the image of a somewhat boring bureaucrat remained. In May 2006 Melkert told politician-turned-television maker Paul Rosenmöller
Paul Rosenmöller
Paul Rosenmöller is a Dutch television presenter and former politician and trade unionist. Between 1989 and 2003, he was member of the Dutch House of Representatives for GroenLinks .-Biography:...
that "he had hid too much in the tower of the governor", creating a paternalistic image, "something which did not appeal to the voter".
A mere nine days before the election, on May 6, 2002, Fortuyn was assassinated by Volkert van der Graaf
Volkert van der Graaf
Volkert van der Graaf is known for assassinating the Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn on 6 May 2002 during the political campaign. Van der Graaf was an animal rights and environmental activist, founder of a group that worked through litigation...
. A few relatively minor riots erupted in the Hague, where Melkert was at the time. He left the city in a hurry. Melkert began to receive death threats including a loaded gun sent in the mail, and he and his family felt compelled to go into hiding for a short while.
Melkert's PvdA lost nearly half its seats in the House of Representatives and went from 45 (out of 150 seats) to 23. The party fell from first place to fourth. Melkert resigned as political leader on the evening of the elections; he was replaced by former president of the House of Representatives, Jeltje van Nieuwenhoven
Jeltje van Nieuwenhoven
Jeltje van Nieuwenhoven is a Dutch politician. She was a member of the House of Representatives for over 20 years for the social-democratic PvdA, and its chair for four years.-Before entering politics:...
. Melkert stayed in parliament for a short while. His last major debate in parliament was on the state of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
International Political Life
In November, 2002 Melkert was appointed executive director of the World BankWorld Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, on advice of the minister of Finance, Zalm. In April 2005 he was a serious candidate to become Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
(UNDP), but the post went to Kemal Derviş
Kemal Dervis
Kemal Derviş is a Turkish economist and politician, and former head of the United Nations Development Programme. He was honored by the government of Japan for having "contributed to mainstreaming Japan's development assistance policy through the United Nations." In 2005, he was ranked 67th in the...
. In January 2006 Melkert was appointed Associate Administrator of the UNDP.