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Geoffrey van Leeuwen

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Ymblanter (talk | contribs) at 16:13, 29 January 2024 (not in the source, and the source is twitter anyway). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
In this Dutch name, the surname is Van Leeuwen, not Leeuwen.

Geoffrey van Leeuwen
Face of a middle-aged Caucasian male in a cold outdoor setting
Van Leeuwen in December 2023
Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation
Acting
Assumed office
4 December 2023
Preceded byLiesje Schreinemacher
Ambassador of the Netherlands to Afghanistan
In office
2016–2018
Preceded byHenk Jan Bakker[1]
Succeeded byErnst Noorman[2]
Personal details
Born
Geoffrey E.W. van Leeuwen

(1971-02-07) 7 February 1971 (age 54)
The Hague, Netherlands
Political partyPeople's Party for Freedom and Democracy
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Diplomat
  • civil servant

Geoffrey van Leeuwen (born 7 February 1971) is a Dutch diplomat and civil servant who has been serving as acting Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation since 4 December 2023 during the maternity leave of Liesje Schreinemacher. He has also been the ambassador of the Netherlands to Afghanistan.

Biography

Van Leeuwen was born in 1971 in The Hague and attended the Stedelijk Gymnasium secondary school in Haarlem. He studied civil law at Leiden University from 1988 until 1994, and he moved on to the University of Cambridge, obtaining his Master of Philosophy degree in international affairs in 1995. After completing the conscription as an officer of the Royal Netherlands Army, he held positions in several embassies and at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[3]

In 2012 and 2013, Van Leeuwen was part of the management team of an integrated police training mission by the Dutch government in the Afghan province of Kunduz during the war in that country. He subsequently worked as the consul-general of the Dutch consulate-general in Mumbai, and he was appointed ambassador to Afghanistan in 2016.[3][4] He returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague in 2018 to serve as Director Middle East and North Africa.[3]

Van Leeuwen became a counselor to Prime Minister Mark Rutte on foreign affairs and defense issues at his Ministry of General Affairs in October 2020.[3][4] On 4 December 2023, he was sworn in by King Willem-Alexander as Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation as a result of the maternity leave of Liesje Schreinemacher, who became the first Dutch minister in history to take such a leave. Van Leeuwen is a member of the conservative-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD).[4][5]

References

  1. ^ "Henk Jan Bakker". Government of the Netherlands (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Ernst Noorman". Government of the Netherlands (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d "Geoffrey van Leeuwen". Government of the Netherlands. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Minister Schreinemacher tijdens zwangerschap vervangen door Geoffrey van Leeuwen" [Minister Schreinemacher replaced by Geoffrey van Leeuwen during maternity leave]. NOS (in Dutch). 30 November 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Geoffrey van Leeuwen to become Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation". Government of the Netherlands (Press release). 30 November 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation
Acting
2023–present 		Incumbent
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