Grégoire Maertens (born 1 January 1924) is a Belgian Esperantist who was a member of the Estraro (steering committee) for the UEA (Universala Esperanto-Asocio or World Esperanto Association) from 1977 until 1992. From 1980 until 1986, he was president of the UEA,[1] and an honorary member from 1993 onwards.
Maertens was born in Bruges, West Flanders, where he became active in the local Esperanto movement in Bruges as of 1946 and became a member of the BEF (Belga Esperanto-Federacio or Belgian Esperanto Federation).[2] He was a lecturer at the AIS (Akademio Internacia de la Sciencoj or International Academy of Science) in San Marino, where he was also treasurer from 1992 until 1995.[3][4]
He turned 100 on 1 January 2024.[5] On this occasion, he received a personal letter of congratulations from George Soros, whom Maertens had helped move to England shortly after the two met at the 1947 International Esperanto Youth Congress in Bern.[6]
