Ambassador Paul Bekkers
Member of the High-Level Council
Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Holy See and former Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the United Nations and the World Trade Organization in Geneva
Ambassador Paul Bekkers is a Dutch diplomat and international affairs specialist with extensive experience in peace and security, human rights, economic affairs, development cooperation, sustainable trade, environmental affairs, and arts and culture.
From 2021 to 2025, Ambassador Bekkers served as Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and other international organisations in Geneva. His portfolio encompassed a wide range of issues, including labour, global health, climate, water, and freedom of religion or belief. During this period, he also served as President of the UN Trade and Development Board.
Before his appointment in Geneva, Ambassador Bekkers was the Netherlands’ Special Envoy for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) and headed both the COVID-19 Development Cooperation Task Force and the Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (SEAH) Task Force. From 2016 to 2020, he served at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna as Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary General.
Earlier in his career, Ambassador Bekkers served as Dutch Ambassador to Poland and Belarus from 2013 to 2016 and as Ambassador to Malaysia from 2009 to 2013. From 2005 to 2009, he was Director of the Health, Gender and Civil Society Department at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while also serving as Special Ambassador for HIV/AIDS. He previously held positions in Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa, Türkiye, and at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague.
Ambassador Bekkers holds a degree in law and has also studied economics and history. He currently serves as Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Holy See and as Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief.
