Mariko Peters
Encyclopedia
Mariko Peters is a Dutch politician
and former civil servant and lawyer
. She has been an MP since November 30, 2006 (with two interruptions because of maternity leave). She focuses on matters of foreign affairs
, judiciary
, public administration
, mass media
and culture
.
ese mother, studied Law at the University of Leiden until 1995, resulting in Dutch LLM degree. During her studies she worked as an assistant at the research institute "Law and Policy." Between 1990 and 1992 she studied Japanese Literature
and Law at the University of Kyoto and the International Christian University
. In 1996 she obtained a LL.M. degree at the Columbia University
School of Law.
Between 1996 and 2000 she worked as a lawyer at the office De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek. In 2000 she gave up a successful career in law to turn to human rights. In 2000 she took courses in European competition law at the Grotius Academie. She then took a job as a human rights
-lawyer at the OSCE-mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina
. In 2002 she began to work for the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs
as policy advisor. In 2004 she became adjudant chef de poste at the Dutch embassy in Afghanistan
. Since 2006 she worked as an advisor for the Afghan minister of Foreign Affairs, as representative of the Dutch government.
In September 2006, she unexpectedly became fourth candidate on the GreenLeft list for the 2006 elections
. She had been member of the party since 2001. She was asked to put forth her candidacy by Farah Karimi
, former Foreign Affairs spokesperson of the GreenLeft, when Karimi visited Afghanistan. In November 2006 she became a member of the House of Representatives.
In August 2011 magazine HP/De Tijd
alleged that she was involved in a child abduction case in relation to the three children from her husband Robert Kluijver's previous marriage. The magazine also claimed a conflict of interest: when working at the embassy in Afghanistan in 2005, she advised a charity about a subsidy to Kluijver's organisation, when they allegedly were already having an intimate relationship. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
said it would investigate the claims regarding conflict of interest. Peters denied both allegations. In an interview with NRC Handelsblad
on August 9, she stated to be embarrassed after re-reading her email conversations with Kluijver of that time, saying their tone should have been more professional; her fellow GreenLeft party members qualified her behavior as "painful" and "inept", but said she acted on good faith. The investigation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs concluded that Peters should have told the ambassador earlier about her relationship with Kluijver, although it remained unclear from which moment their relationship became intimate. The report also concluded that Peters' advice about the subsidy was professional and did not appear to be influenced by Kluijver. GreenLeft leader Jolande Sap
said that Peters could keep doing the same job she had been doing as a member of parliament.
Politics of the Netherlands
The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, a constitutional monarchy and a decentralised unitary state. The Netherlands is described as a consociational state...
and former civil servant and lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. She has been an MP since November 30, 2006 (with two interruptions because of maternity leave). She focuses on matters of foreign affairs
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs is an American magazine and website on international relations and U.S. foreign policy published since 1922 by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually...
, judiciary
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...
, public administration
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
, mass media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
.
Biography
Peters, who has a Dutch father and JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese mother, studied Law at the University of Leiden until 1995, resulting in Dutch LLM degree. During her studies she worked as an assistant at the research institute "Law and Policy." Between 1990 and 1992 she studied Japanese Literature
Japanese literature
Early works of Japanese literature were heavily influenced by cultural contact with China and Chinese literature, often written in Classical Chinese. Indian literature also had an influence through the diffusion of Buddhism in Japan...
and Law at the University of Kyoto and the International Christian University
International Christian University
There are several rankings related to ICU, shown below.-Alumni rankings:According to the Weekly Economist's 2010 rankings and the PRESIDENT's article on 2006/10/16, graduates from ICU have the 24th best employment rate in 400 major companies, and their average graduate salary is the 4th best in...
. In 1996 she obtained a LL.M. degree at the Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
School of Law.
Between 1996 and 2000 she worked as a lawyer at the office De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek. In 2000 she gave up a successful career in law to turn to human rights. In 2000 she took courses in European competition law at the Grotius Academie. She then took a job as a human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
-lawyer at the OSCE-mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
. In 2002 she began to work for the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Netherlands)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the Dutch ministry of foreign affairs: it is occupied with the external relations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including European cooperation and International development...
as policy advisor. In 2004 she became adjudant chef de poste at the Dutch embassy in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. Since 2006 she worked as an advisor for the Afghan minister of Foreign Affairs, as representative of the Dutch government.
In September 2006, she unexpectedly became fourth candidate on the GreenLeft list for the 2006 elections
Dutch general election, 2006
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on November 22, 2006. And followed the call for new elections after the fall of the Second Balkenende cabinet....
. She had been member of the party since 2001. She was asked to put forth her candidacy by Farah Karimi
Farah Karimi
Farahnaz Karimi , 15 November 1960) is an Iranian-Dutch politician. She was member of the House of Representatives between 1998 and 2006 for GreenLeft.-Life before Politics:...
, former Foreign Affairs spokesperson of the GreenLeft, when Karimi visited Afghanistan. In November 2006 she became a member of the House of Representatives.
In August 2011 magazine HP/De Tijd
HP/De Tijd
HP/De Tijd is a Dutch weekly magazine, published by Audax Publishing. HP/De Tijd was founded in 1990, after a merger of the Haagse Post and De Tijd. It is conventionally considered to be one of the four most influential written media in its sector, along with De Groene Amsterdammer, Vrij Nederland...
alleged that she was involved in a child abduction case in relation to the three children from her husband Robert Kluijver's previous marriage. The magazine also claimed a conflict of interest: when working at the embassy in Afghanistan in 2005, she advised a charity about a subsidy to Kluijver's organisation, when they allegedly were already having an intimate relationship. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Netherlands)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the Dutch ministry of foreign affairs: it is occupied with the external relations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including European cooperation and International development...
said it would investigate the claims regarding conflict of interest. Peters denied both allegations. In an interview with NRC Handelsblad
NRC Handelsblad
NRC Handelsblad, often abbreviated to NRC, is a daily evening newspaper published in the Netherlands by NRC Media. The newspaper was created on October 1, 1970, from merger of the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant and Algemeen Handelsblad . In 2006 a morning newspaper, nrc•next, was launched...
on August 9, she stated to be embarrassed after re-reading her email conversations with Kluijver of that time, saying their tone should have been more professional; her fellow GreenLeft party members qualified her behavior as "painful" and "inept", but said she acted on good faith. The investigation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs concluded that Peters should have told the ambassador earlier about her relationship with Kluijver, although it remained unclear from which moment their relationship became intimate. The report also concluded that Peters' advice about the subsidy was professional and did not appear to be influenced by Kluijver. GreenLeft leader Jolande Sap
Jolande Sap
Johanna Catharina Maria Sap is a Dutch GreenLeft politician and former educator and civil servant. She replaced Wijnand Duyvendak as an MP on September 3, 2008, after he left the Dutch House of Representatives...
said that Peters could keep doing the same job she had been doing as a member of parliament.