$Tweede Kamerfractie ChristenUnie 2017$ Joël Stephanus Voordewind (born 9 July 1965 in Sleen,

Drenthe Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Nov ...

) is a Dutch politician and former development aid worker. As a member of the Christian Union (''ChristenUnie'') he was an MP from 2006 until 2021. He focused on matters of

foreign policy A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...

defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

, development aid, youth and family. Since 7 July 2022, he has been an alderman of

Alkmaar Alkmaar () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland, about 30 km north of Amsterdam. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination. The ...

Biography

Voordewind, after receiving a degree in

political sciences Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

(with a specialization in international relations) at VU University Amsterdam, started working as an assistant for the Dutch

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

parliamentary party. He began in 1991 and left the party in 1994. After this he worked for the European Union, the United Nations and an international Christian aid organisation named

Dorcas Aid Dorcas ( el, Δορκάς, Dorkás, used as a translated variant of the Aramaic name), or Tabitha ( arc, טביתא/ܛܒܝܬܐ, Ṭaḇīṯā, (female) gazelle), was an early disciple of Jesus mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles (, see discuss ...

. For some time he was committed as a spokesman to the Dutch Secretary of Defence. After some time Voordewind came to the conclusion that because of his Christian convictions, it would be better if he switched to a Christian party. He made this decision in 1999 and began to work for the parliamentary group of the Christian Union. In 2001 he became their campaign leader for the Dutch general election in 2002. He also led the campaign towards the general election in 2003. In 2003 he was a member of the

States-Provincial The provincial council (, PS), also known as the States Provincial, is the provincial parliament and legislative assembly in each of the provinces of the Netherlands. It is elected for each province simultaneously once every four years and has ...

North Holland North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...

. Until 2006 he was head of the public relations division of the party. He was chairman of the local Christian Union in the Dutch capital Amsterdam for which in 2002 and 2006 he stood for the local council, but both times the CU gained no seats. Voordewind was elected into the Dutch Parliament in 2006. He was the fourth name on the candidate list of the Christian Union, which doubled its number of seats from three to six. For this party he was the spokesman for all issues concerning the health system, welfare and sports, defence and European Affairs. He is married and the father of two children. Son Manuel works as a press spokesperson for the Christian Union (CU) parliamentary group in the Second Chamber. He lives in Amsterdam and is a member of a Dutch Vineyard-church.

Electoral history

Honours

Upon his departure from the Second Chamber, Voordewind was appointed Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau.

Notes

References

*
Parlement.com biography

External links

*
Alderman Joël Voordewind
Municipality of Alkmaar website {{DEFAULTSORT:Voordewind, Joel 1965 births Living people 21st-century Dutch politicians Aldermen in North Holland Association of Vineyard Churches Christian Union (Netherlands) politicians Dutch anti-poverty advocates Dutch evangelicals Dutch nonprofit directors Dutch political scientists Members of the House of Representatives (Netherlands) People from Alkmaar People from Coevorden People in international development Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam alumni