By Mete Erdurcan.
In the second part of its ‘Premier Perspectives’ series, The Hague institute for Global Justice hosted Dr. H.C. Ruud Lubbers, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, on Thursday the 4th of June for a Q&A session. Dr. Lubbers remains the longest serving Prime Minister of the Netherlands, having held office from the 4th of November 1982 to the 22nd of August 1994, a momentous period which witnessed the fall of the Soviet Union and the re-unification of Germany. In recognition of his services to the Netherlands he was granted the honorary title of ‘Minister of State’ on the 31st of January 1995. Following his term as Prime Minister, Dr. Lubbers was appointed UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) by then-UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
The former Prime Minister chose the topic ‘Global Justice in 2015’ for his Premier Perspectives appearance, making reference to his time in the 1960s as chair of what would later become ‘Young Management’. When asked by current chair Ms. Marijke van Kan as to his views on the social role of young employers, his answer was straightforward: “to deal with our common future”. According to the former Prime Minister, the role of (young) employers is paramount to achieving successful and sustainable development worldwide, an important objective which may be strived for in part by bearing social responsibility for a large number of employees. He formulated this as “Corporate Social Responsibility”, and indicated that it is a “generous force for change”.
Throughout his long and distinguished career, Dr. Lubbers has been a powerful advocate for sustainable growth and a united (saving) energy policy. Amongst his many achievements in this realm, the instigation of the Earth Charter (2000) and the Energy Charter Treaty (1990-4) stand out in particular. When asked what his views were on the potential outcome of the Paris UN Climate Change Conference, he replied that he hoped that an agreement would be reached. On the issue of recent political events, his response was measured and balanced, contending that we should “confront (President) Putin by being strong and united” but nonetheless “offer full partnership in transition to full sustainable economy”.
Under the supervision of the President of The Hague Institute Dr. Abiodun Williams a Q&A session was held, in which the former Prime Minister offered his thoughts on a wide variety of questions ranging from energy issues to international development.
To listen to the session, please click on the link below: https://soundcloud.com/hagueinstitute/premier-perspectives-ruud-lubbers
