Jan Pronk is a Professor of Theory and Practice of International Development at the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague. He is also a Dutch politician and diplomat who has served three terms as Minister of Development Cooperation and one term as Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment in the Dutch parliament for the Partij van de Arbeid between 1973 and 2002.

Professional background
 
1957-1964 Study Economics at Erasmus University, Rotterdam
1964-1971 Lecturer/Research fellow Erasmus University and Netherlands Economic Institute, Rotterdam
1971-1973 Member of Parliament, The Netherlands (PvdA, Labour Party)
1973-1977 Minister for Development Co-operation, The Netherlands (Cabinet den Uyl)
1978-1980 Member of Parliament
1978-1980 Professor Theory and Practice of International Development, Institute of Social Studies (ISS), The Hague
1980-1986 Deputy Secretary-General United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD, Assistant Secretary General UN), Geneva
1986-1989 Member of Parliament
1988-1989 Professor Theory and Practice of Policy Making, University of Amsterdam
1989-1994 Minister for Development Co-operation (Cabinet Lubbers III)
1994-1998 Idem (Cabinet Kok I)
1998-2002 Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment (Cabinet Kok II)
2002-2004 Professor Theory and Practice of International Development, ISS, The Hague
2004-2006 Special Representative Secretary General of the United Nations in Sudan, Khartoum
2007 Professor Theory and Practice of International Development, ISS, The Hague
 
Positions
 
Member Evaluation Committee Netherlands Development Assistance, 1966-1969
Member World Council of Churches Commission on the Participation of Churches in Development (WCC-CCPD), 1969-1973
Member Board of Editors Wending, 1970-1973
Deputy Governor World Bank, 1973-1977, 1989-1998
Member Development Committee of the World Bank, 1974-1977, 1989-1998
Chairman Intergovernmental Group on Indonesia (IGGI), 1973-1977, 1989-1992)
Chairman Committee of the Whole, 7th Special Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, 1975
Chairman World Council of Churches Advisory Group on Economic Matters, 1978-1987
Member Independent Commission on International Development Issues (Brandt Commission), 1979-1983
Member International Commission for the Study of Communication Problems (MacBride Commission), 1978-1980
Deputy Chairman Labour Party (PvdA), The Netherlands, 1987-1989
Member Commission on Global Governance (Carlsson/Ramphal Commission), 1991-1995
Co-Chairman Global Coalition for Africa, 1991-1998
Member Independent Commission on Population and the Quality of Life (Commission de Lourdes Pintasilgo), 1994-1996
Chairman 6th Conference of Parties UN Convention on Climate Change, 2000-2001
Special Envoy Secretary General United Nations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, 2001-2003
Chairman of the Board of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), London, 2002-2004
Chairman of Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), Geneva, 2003-2004
Chairman Vluchtelingen Organisaties Nederland (VON, Federation of Refugee Organisations in the Netherlands), 2003-2004
Voorzitter Interkerkelijk Vredesberaad (IKV, Interchurch Peace Council, The Netherlands) 2008 -
President Society for International Development (SID, Rome), 2008 –
 
Honours
 
Dr. Honoris Causa, San Marcos University, Lima, Peru (1974)
Dr. Honoris Causa Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, The Netherlands (2002)
Grootlint Ere Orde van de Palm, Surinam (1977)
Ridder in de Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw, The Netherlands (1978)
Gran Cruz Orden Bernardo O`Higgins, Chile (1993)
26th September Medal, Yemen (1996)
Officier Legion d`Honneur, France (2001)
Officier in de Orde van Oranje Nassau, The Netherlands (2002)
 
 
Publications
 
Articles (selection)
 
‘Darfour, les Cles pour la Paix’, Liberation, 13 April 2005
‘Verwijdering = Deportatie’, De Groene Amsterdammer, 128(9):24-27 (2004)
‘Wederopbouw VN Kan nu al Beginnen’, with Bas de Gaay Fortman en Willem van Genugten, De Volkskrant, 4 April 2003
 
 
Books
 
Willens en Wetens. Gedachten over Globalisering en Politiek, Uitgeverij Bert Bakker, Amsterdam 2005
Catalysing Development? A Debate on Aid Blackwell Publishing, Malden/Oxford 2004
De Kritische Grens Beschouwingen over Tweespalt en Orde, Uitgeverij Prometheus, Amsterdam 2004’
 
Columns, essays, speeches, interviews and video’s

On the website http://www.janpronk.nl there is an overview of columns, essays, speeches, interviews and video’s of Jan Pronk.
 
Reports (co-authored)
 
2002: ‘Ruimte Maken, Ruimte Delen. Vijfde Nota over de Ruimtelijke Ordening 2000/2020’. PKB deel 2 & 3. Den Haag: Ministerie van Volkshuisvesting, Ruimtelijke Ordening en Milieubeheer.
2001: ‘Een Wereld en een Wil. Nationaal Milieubeleidsplan’ 4. Den Haag: Ministerie van Volkshuisvesting, Ruimtelijke Ordening en Milieubeheer.
Ruimte Maken, Ruimte delen. Vijfde Nota over de Ruimtelijke Ordening 2000/2020, Den Haag: Ministerie van Volkshuisvesting, Ruimtelijke Ordening en Milieubeheer.
1995: ‘Our Global Neighbourhood, The Report of the Commission on Global Governance’. Ingvar Carlsson & Shridath Ramphal (co-chairmen), Oxford & New York: Oxford University Press.
‘Hulp in Uitvoering. Ontwikkelingssamenwerking en de herijking van het buitenlands beleid’. Den Haag: Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken/Ontwikkelingssamenwerking. See also: ‘Aid in Progress. Development cooperation and the review of the Dutch foreign policy’. Idem.
 
 
Links
 
http://www.janpronk.nl
http://www.iss.nl
http://www.pvda.nl 
http://www.unmis.org