About Our Speaker
On 29 April 2021, the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU) appointed Mr. Koopmans as the EU Special Representative (EUSR) for the Middle East Peace Process.
From 2017 to 2021 Mr. Koopmans was a Member of Parliament in The Netherlands for the governing WD party, first as spokesman on legal affairs, then on foreign affairs and military missions. He was Head of Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, President of the Dutch-French Contact Group, Chair of the Parliamentary Commission on Requests and Citizen Initiatives, and Member of the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and the OSCE.
Between 2003 and 2016 he was political and legal advisor in peace processes, border conflict mediation and constitutional review processes under the auspices of the European Union, United Nations, African Union and OSCE, among others, including in in Cyprus, Darfur, Mali, Ukraine and Guyana/Venezuela. Between 2014 and 2016 he was senior mediation expert to the UN Special Envoy for Syria, between 2011 and 2013 advisor to the EU Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan, and from 2008 to 2009 to the International Civilian Representative in Kosovo.
Between 2001 and 2008 Mr. Koopmans was also a barrister (advocaat) at the global law firm of Clifford Chance LLP, specializing in international litigation. In 2000 he advised Bosnia and Herzegovina at the United Nations in New York on negotiations on the International Criminal Court. Mr. Koopmans obtained Master's degrees in law and political science at Leiden University (1997) and a Master's degree (1998) and a Doctorate (2007) at Oxford University, the latter for his thesis Diplomatic Dispute Settlement (T.M.C. Asser Press, 2008). He also studied at Sciences Po Paris (1993), Harvard University (1995) and New York University (2000).
His book Negotiating Peace: A Guide to the Practice, Politics and Law of International Mediation was published by Oxford University Press in 2018. Mr. Koopmans has taught peace negotiation at the universities of Leiden and Aix-Marseille III. He was born in Amsterdam on 20 June 1973 and speaks Dutch, English, French and German.
The Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) is celebrating its 40th anniversary during the academic year 2021-2022! This event is part of a diverse and rich programme developed to highlight this major milestone. #CREDP40HRREC