Maria Elizabeth (Marie) Levens (born 13 July 1950) is a politician who held the post of Foreign Minister of Suriname for five years (2000–2005). On 16 July 2020, Levens became the Minister of Education, Science & Culture.

Biography

Levens first studied at the Pedagogical Institute in Suriname, continued to study at the

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (abbreviated as ''VU Amsterdam'' or simply ''VU'' when in context) is a public research university in Amsterdam, Netherlands, being founded in 1880. The VU Amsterdam is one of two large, publicly funded research ...

and received her doctorate from the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being ...

. In 1977, she returned to Suriname to teach at the Pedagogical Institute. After having worked in education she joined the board of the

Anton de Kom University of Suriname Anton de Kom University ( nl, Anton de Kom Universiteit van Suriname) is the only university in Suriname. It is located in the capital, Paramaribo, and named for Anton de Kom, an anti-colonialist activist who was killed by the Nazis while in exi ...

and contributed to the establishment of the school of Educational Sciences. The Institute of Quality Assurance at the University was her initiative; she became the first director of that institute and contributed to the national and regional Caribbean movement on the establishment of legislation and mechanisms on accreditation. She was the director of the Scholarship Program in Suriname negotiating with universities in Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe. She became Exec. Director of the Department of Human Development of the Organization of American States (OAS). She had worked at the OAS for 10 years, and started three educational programs. In 1993 she founded the Progressieve Vrouwen Unie (Progressive Women Union). In 2000 she became the first woman to be the

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

of Suriname. She served until 2005. Between 2005 and 2015, Levens was the programme manager for the

Inter American Development Bank The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an international financial institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America, and serving as the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Carib ...

, and negotiator for the border issue with

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

over the

Tigri Area The Tigri Area ( nl, Tigri-gebied) is a wooded area that has been disputed by Guyana and Suriname since around 1840. It involves the area between the Upper Corentyne River (also called the New River), the Coeroeni River, and the Kutari River ...

. In 2015, Levens became International Program Manager for the World and Regional Development Banks. In 2018, President

Desi Bouterse DESI may refer to * Desorption electrospray ionization * Drug Efficacy Study Implementation * Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument See also * Desi (disambiguation) Desi or Deshi is a self-referential term used by South Asian people. Desi may al ...

nominated her for Minister of Education which she refused. On 16 July 2020, Levens became the Minister of Education, Science & Culture in the cabinet of Santokhi.

Honours

Levens hold an honorary doctorate from the

Vrije Universiteit Brussel The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) () is a Dutch and English-speaking research university located in Brussels, Belgium.The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is one of the five universities officially recognised by the Flemish Community, Flemish gov ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Levens, Marie 1950 births Living people Foreign ministers of Suriname Education ministers of Suriname Culture ministers of Suriname Science ministers of Suriname Female foreign ministers Women government ministers of Suriname National Party of Suriname politicians 20th-century women politicians 21st-century women politicians Surinamese educators Women educators Surinamese women diplomats Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam alumni University of Amsterdam alumni