Petra Stienen

Catharina Petra Wilhelmina Johanna Stienen (born 8 May 1965) is a Dutch politician, writer and former diplomat. An Arabist by occupation, she was elected in June 2015 as a member of the Senate representing the Democrats 66 political party. Having been based in Egypt and Syria during her diplomatic career, she is known for her political commentary on the Arab world, particularly during the Arab Spring.

Petra Stienen
Stienen in 2015
Senator of the Netherlands
Assumed office
9 June 2015
Personal details
Born
Catharina Petra Wilhelmina Johanna Stienen

(1965-05-08) 8 May 1965
Roermond, Netherlands
NationalityDutch
Political partyDemocrats 66 (from 2015)
ResidenceThe Hague, Netherlands
Alma materLeiden University, Cairo University, School of Oriental and African Studies
OccupationPolitician
writer
columnist
diplomat
Websitehttp://www.petrastienen.nl

Early life and education

Petra Stienen was born in Roermond, Netherlands, in the neighbourhood of Donderberg. Her father was a house painter and her mother a housewife. She was the eldest of four children. She was raised a Roman Catholic. During her childhood, she worked as a babysitter and a strawberry picker for a canteen to earn extra money as her parents belonged to the working class.[1]

She studied Arabic at Leiden University and Cairo University, and obtained a master's degree in Middle Eastern studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies in the United Kingdom.[1]

Diplomatic career

She joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1995 as a diplomat and was stationed in Cairo until 1999, focusing on culture and human rights. From 1999 to 2004 she worked in Damascus, Syria, focusing on asylum and human rights issues. In 2004, she was recalled to the Netherlands where she served as senior policy official for the Dutch foreign ministry until 2005. From August 2005 to August 2009, she served as deputy head of the North America department in the ministry.[2] Her diplomatic role and expertise was acknowledged by several authors in their respective publications.[3]

Consultant, writer and commentator

In August 2009, Stienen quit her role and pursued a management consultancy career focused on non-governmental organizations, governments, and international companies.[4] She then turned to printed media and has a column in the feminist magazine Opzij. She also regularly writes for NRC Handelsblad and de Volkskrant, among others. She has authored three books. Throughout this time period, she became a well-known television commentator on Middle Eastern politics, particularly during the Arab Spring. She regularly engages as a public speaker about the role of the Netherlands and Europe with regard to the Arab world, integration, and women's rights. In February 2010, she appeared alongside scholar Tariq Ramadan in a public discussion on "Is Europe Failing Its Muslims?" which was televised worldwide.[5]

Political career

In the 2015 Dutch Senate election, Stienen was elected into the Dutch senate representing the social-liberal Democrats 66 party and was sworn in on 9 June 2015. Her legislative contribution includes passing the Environmental Act bill.[2]

In addition to her role in the Senate, Stienen has been serving as member of the Dutch delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe since 2017. As member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, she is currently a member of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination and of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons. In this capacity, she serves as the Assembly’s rapporteur on the gender dimension of foreign policy.[6]

Other activities

Awards and honours

In February 2012, Stienen was awarded the Women in the Media Award 2011 in recognition of her work.[4] In 2016, Stienen was awarded the Aletta Jacobs Prize by the University of Groningen for "using her work to represent and transmit the voices of women who would otherwise not be heard".[9]

Personal life

Stienen is a vegetarian, having not eaten meat since age sixteen. She currently resides in The Hague.[1][2]

Publications
  • Dromen van een Arabische lente. Een Nederlandse diplomate in het Midden-Oosten (English:Dreaming of an Arab spring. A Dutch diplomat in the Middle East). New Amsterdam , Amsterdam, 2008. ISBN 9789046803202
  • Het andere Arabische geluid. Een nieuwe toekomst voor het Midden-Oosten? (English:The other Arabic sound. A new future for the Middle East?). New Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 2012. ISBN 9789046812051
  • Terug naar de Donderberg. Portret van een wereldwijk (English: Back to the Donderberg. Portrait of a world district). New Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 2015. ISBN 9789046817636

References
  1. Koelewijn, Rinskje (7 March 2015). "(Dutch) Dan doe ik het toch zelf? (English – Then I do it myself?)". NRC Handelsblad. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  2. "Drs. CPWJ (Petra) Stienen MA". Parlement and Politiek. Parlement. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  3. George, Alan (2003). Syria : neither bread nor freedom. London: Zed Books. p. vii. ISBN 9781842772133.
  4. "Petra Stienen Author and independent advisor". Heinrich Böll Foundation. The Green Political Foundation. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  5. Andrén, Mats; Lindkvist, Thomas; Söhrman, Ingmar; Vajta, Katharina (2017). Cultural Borders of Europe: Narratives, Concepts and Practices in the Present and the Past. Berghahn Books. pp. 42–5. ISBN 9781785335914.
  6. Rapporteur’s visit to Sweden focuses on ‘the gender dimension of foreign policy’ Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, press release of October 8, 2019.
  7. "About Petra Stienen". PetraStienen.nl. Petra Stienen Official Website. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  8. Members of the Council European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).
  9. "Aletta Jacobs Prize 2016 for Petra Stienen". University of Groningen. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
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