H.E. Mr. Karel J. G. van Oosterom

Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the UN, and past Chairperson of ECE Executive Committee

H.E. Mr. Karel J. G. van Oosterom was promoted to the position of Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the United nations in New York in 2013. Prior to that, he has served as Director-General for Political Affairs in the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was a Foreign Policy and Defense Advisor to the Prime Minister for five years. As a career diplomat for almost 20 years, Mr. van Oosterom has held several positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Deputy Head of Mission at the Dutch Embassy in Beijing. He also served as the Deputy Director at the Ministry’s European Affairs Department. In addition, van Oosterom is a past Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Economic Commission for Europe.