It is with sadness that we received the news that our Founding President, Dr. Jan Nico Scholten has passed away. A great humanitarian in heart and soul, Dr. Scholten lived a full and colourful 93 years and died peacefully at home with his family during the night of 20-21 January.
Jan Nico’s career gives evidence of a public-spirited man from early on. He started serving his local community as mayor before going on to join the Dutch parliament in 1970. His humanitarianism motivated him through many different social issues, from housing for those with a low income to becoming Chairman of the Dutch Refugee Council, where he helped offer assistance to refugees in the Netherlands.
He was always looking for peaceful resolutions to conflict situations. It was this that drove him to work for over a decade for a resolution of the Middle East conflict in which both the rights of the Palestinians and the continued existence of Israel would be honoured. Resistance to apartheid went on to become a huge focus of his work.
In 1984, Jan Nico founded what became the Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa (AWEPA), predecessor to AEPI. He was a staunch believer that apartheid was wrong and that every individual should have the freedom to have a voice in deciding their own destiny. Many across Europe and African remember him with warmth. Friends with other great humanitarians, such as Desmond Tutu and Dr. Mosé Tjitendero, he was warmly welcomed into the homes of many, from Nelson Mandela, to a poor family whose child he helped finance through school.
Unsurprisingly, he received many accolades and awards from the United Nations, numerous African countries, as well as the former Queen of the Netherlands.
Jan Nico would not take no for an answer. His passion for justice and fairness for every individual gave him the perseverance to persist where others might have given up. An unstoppable drive and energy, he even came out of retirement to help establish AEPI in 2017, when AWEPA floundered, before handing over the reins to younger parliamentarians.
Jan Nico was one of life’s gentlemen. Warm and supportive, with a mischievous look in the eye. Always ready to get into a discussion about life, politics and human rights, or to visit someone in need, he will be sorely missed, and we wish his family all strength.
