Marc Dullaert

Marcus “Marc” Ludovicus Maria Dullaert (born 31August 1963) is a Dutch businessman and administrator who was appointed the first official Children’s Ombudsman|Ombudsperson in Netherlands by the House of Representatives on 15 February 2011. He remained in this role for a 5-year term until 1 April 2016, as well as holding the position of Chair of the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC) from 1 October 2015. He is the founder and Chair of the KidsRights Foundation that advocates children’s rights all over the world. 
== Early life and education ==
Dullaert was born and raised in Zutphen, the Netherlands, and attended Isendoorn College in Warnsveld. He then studied Theology in Amsterdam, along with Social Sciences & Communications at the Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) where he earned his licentiaat (Master of Arts Degree) in 1988. In 1996 he earned an Master of Business Administration from the Nyenrode Business University.
== Career ==
Dullaert was the Marketing Manager at Plan International Netherlands until 1995. 
Hereafter, until 2003, he was the General Director of Ivo Niehe Producties, as well as being a shareholder.
From 2003 to 2009 he was Chief executive officer of the European company D&D Film & TV Producties, distributing in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and the UK. Several D&D productions were nominated for international film and television awards, including a César Awards, Rose d'Or, Golden Bear and Golden Nymph Award. 
From 2011 to 2016 Dullaert was the Dutch Ombudsman for Children. From 2014 to 2016 he was also the Chair of the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC).
In April 2016 Dullaert, together with Marta Santos Pais (serving as Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations Secretary-General) launched the United Nations ‘High Time to End Violence against Children’. This campaign was presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. 
In June 2016 Dullaert was jointly appointed to head the Truancy Pact by the Ministries of Education, Culture & Science, of Health, Welfare & Sports, and of Justice & Security, as well as the Education Councils PO/VO and the Association of Dutch Municipalities. His mission: to stimulate reforms set out by Inclusive Education policies.
In 2018 he was asked by the Ministries of Education, Culture & Science and of Health, Welfare & Sports to investigate the capacity for persistence within the sectors of education and healthcare. This resulted in the 2019 advisory report ‘The Power to Persist’, presented to the House of Representatives. 
From 2018 to 2020 Dullaert was Chair of the G4 (the four biggest cities in the Netherlands) stimulant group for Inclusive Education. 
In April 2019 he was elected Chair of the Trimbos Institute Supervisory Board (the Dutch institute for mental health and addiction).
In November 2019 he was appointed the Chair of the Christian Democratic Appeal (Christian Democratic Appeal) political party for the region Overijssel.
In March 2020 Dullaert became (part-time) partner of the consultancy firm BMC.
He has been Chair of the board of the KidsRights Foundation since its inception in 2003.
== Ombudsperson for Children ==
On 15 February 2011 Dullaert was appointed the first Children’s Ombudsperson in the Netherlands by the House of Representatives. He began, in April of that year, to establish the organization. The Ombudsperson for Children operates independently and is directly responsible to parliament and the House of Representatives. The duty of the office is to monitor whether the rights of children and adolescents until the age of 18 are being respected among government bodies and other organizations. Instruments employed to fulfil this task include: raising awareness, investigating complaints from children and adolescents, and providing solicited and unsolicited advice to governments and parliament. In this position Dullaert focussed on child poverty, acrimonious divorce, the right to education rather than compulsory education, and bullying. He also monitored the decentralization of the youth welfare system. 
Following the action plan against bullying that Dullaert presented together with State Secretary Sander Dekker of the Ministry of Education, Culture & Science in March 2013, the House of Representatives passed the Social Safety Act (the anti-bullying law) in March 2015. This legislation requires schools to effectively tackle bullying. In addition, Dullaert advocated the general pardon for (undocumented migrant) children and, in collaboration with Leiden University, set up the first monitoring system for children’s rights in the Netherlands. 
== Chair of ENOC ==
In Edinburgh on 24 October 2014 Dullaert was elected Chair of the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC), representing 42 Children’s Ombudspersons from 32 countries. In this capacity he initiated the Task Force Children on the Move in Europe in 2015. The objective: to ensure that European decision-makers give priority to the safety of children who are on the run within Europe. 
In 2015 Dullaert presented the report ‘Poverty and Austerity in Europe’ to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. His report ‘Tackling Violence Against Children in Europe’ was endorsed by the United Nations in 2015.
In early 2016 the National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen did not exercise his legal option to nominate Dullaert for reappointment. Dullaert’s 5-year term expired on 1 April 2016. When it became known that Dullaert was leaving, more than 28,000 people signed a petition within a few days calling for Dullaert to be granted a second term. Ultimately, a petition with 40,557 signatures supporting Dullaert was presented to the House of Representatives on 17 February 2016. On 5 April 2016 the House confirmed the appointment of Margrite Kalverboer as his successor. 
== KidsRights Foundation ==
Along with his wife, Ingrid Ikink, Dullaert established the KidsRights Foundation on 3 July 2003. KidsRights works together with children for a world that protects children’s rights. The foundation believes that children’s rights are better respected when children themselves take part in decisions concerning matters directly affecting them and when they are able to undertake action themselves. KidsRights furthermore seeks out young ‘changemakers’ in the world: children who work to highlight children’s rights. KidsRights offers them an international platform to share their message. They also receive support to strengthen and expand local activism. 
Dullaert is Chair of the KidsRights board. In 2010 he initiated the KidsRights Millennium Development Goals Conference in Johannesburg. The conference was chaired by Nobel Peace Prize recipient and Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu along with Nobel Peace Prize recipient and former president of South Africa F. W. de Klerk. During this conference an appeal was made to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, to pay more attention to children’s rights. 
On 23 May 2017 KidsRights gained a special consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). This allows KidsRights to actively contribute to UN processes and conferences. Marc Dullaert stated: “Children have the right to be heard during decision-making processes that determine their future. KidsRights will use this status to empower changemakers to exercise their rights.”
The 10-year anniversary of the International Children’s Peace Prize with past recipients gathered, in attendance of His Majesty the King and Desmond Tutu, patron of KidsRights and the International Children’s Peace Prize. 
The 10-year anniversary of the International Children’s Peace Prize 2014. From left to right: State Secretary for Health, Welfare & Sport Martin van Rijn, His Majesty King Willem-Alexander, Marc Dullaert, winner Neha Gupta, KidsRights patron Desmond Tutu and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Kailash Satyarthi.
== International Children’s Peace Prize ==
In 2005 Dullaert initiated the International Children's Peace Prize, launching it during the World Summit of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in Rome being chaired by Mikhail Gorbachev. At this summit Gorbatsjov awarded the first International Children’s Peace Prize posthumously to Nkosi Johnson, who stood up for the rights of children with HIV/AIDS. Recipients in the follow-up years include Malala Yousafzai (2013), March for Our Lives (2018) and Greta Thunberg(2019). 
The prize is awarded annually and is conferred by a Nobel Peace Prize laureate in the Ridderzaal (Hall of Knights) of the Dutch seat of government in The Hague. 
Dullaert is also Chair of the expert committee of this prize.
The ceremony of the International Children’s Peace Prize 2017. From left to right: winner Mohamad Al Jounde, Marc Dullaert, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai and keynote speaker His Royal Highness Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan.
To mark the 10-year anniversary of the International Children’s Peace Prize in 2014, the ceremony was attended by His Majesty Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Desmond Tutu, patron of KidsRights and the International Children’s Peace Prize. 
The 2020 ceremony reached 1,285 billion people all over the world. 
Patron Desmond Tutu 
Desmond Tutu has been the official patron of KidsRights Foundation and the International Children's Peace Prize since 2008. 
Changemakers
In celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the International Children’s Peace Prize, KidsRights published the book Changemakers by Inge Ikink. It gives portraits of the first ten recipients of the International Children’s Peace Prize.
The ceremony of the International Children’s Peace Prize 2017. From left to right: 2011 winner Chaeli Mycroft, 2017 winner Mohamad Al Jounde, Marc Dullaert, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai and keynote speaker His Royal Highness Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan.
== KidsRights Index ==
The launch of the State of Youth during the World Summit of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in September 2019 in Mérida, Mexico. From left to right: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tawakkol Karman, Mariann Avila (member of the Youth Board of State of Youth), Marc Dullaert and Isabelle Christina S. Silva (member of the Youth Board of State of Youth).
In 2013 Dullaert initiated the KidsRights Index­, the first and only annual global ranking on how well countries worldwide are adhering to children’s rights. The KidsRights Index monitors the 196 states that have signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child . 
This index is compiled annually, in collaboration with Erasmus University Rotterdam. In 2020 the KidsRights Index analysed the impact of the corona crisis on children’s rights. 
== State of Youth ==
In 2018 Dullaert took the initiative to establish the first ‘borderless state’ online: the State of Youth, run for and by young people (13 – 24 years old). During the 2019 World Summit of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in Mexico, Dullaert launched ‘State of Youth’ officially. State of Youth aims to raise awareness among young people – and inspire them to take action – concerning the world’s most urgent problems. The State of Youth asks young people to express their opinion (through preferenda) and encourages them to let their voice be heard by their government leaders. A day after its launch, State of Youth was also presented at the United Nations Youth Climate Summit in New York City|New York. Young people from 83 countries have already joined this online ‘State’.
Chapters on the ground
In November 2020, the State of Youth campaigned – together with Facebook and Instagram – to establish ‘chapters on the ground’: local branches where young people can meet and get their voices heard. There are local chapters of State of Youth in 23 countries. 
== Guest speaker ==
Dullaert has been a guest speaker and/or panel member for the following: 
- United Nations Human Rights Council (Geneva, 2015) 
- European Fundamental Rights Summit (Vienna, 2016);
- UN World Humanitarian Summit (Istanbul, 2016); 
- International Criminal Court (The Hague, 2017), upon invitation, for the official presentation of policies regarding young people to the diplomatic corps;
- Nobel Peace Summit (Bogotá 2017);
- World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates (Merida, 2019).
== Accolade ==
In 2016 Dullaert was awarded the Mediation Penning, a medal created in memory of Professor Peter Hoefnagels, the founder of methodic mediation in the Netherlands. 
== Personalia ==
Dullaert is married and has three children. He lives in Deventer.
Category:1963 births
Category:Dutch businesspeople
Category:Dutch academic administrators
Category:Nyenrode Business University alumni