Johan Verbeke (born 9 July 1951) is a Belgian diplomat, the former Belgian Ambassador to the United States until 2016.

Early life

Verbeke holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

and a Diplôme d’Etudes Supérieures Européennes (D.E.S.) from the Université de Nancy.

Career

Verbeke joined the

Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs The following is a list of those who have served as foreign ministers of Belgium. 1800s 1900s 2000s Timeline ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:12 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:50 right:130 left:20 AlignBars = late DateFormat = yyy ...

in 1981 and has served in various capacities for his country's foreign service, including as Chairman of the Security Council Sanctions Committees on Côte d'Ivoire,

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

and Al Qaida/Taliban, leader of the Security Council Mission to Kosovo (April 2007), Facilitator of the President of the General Assembly for the negotiation of General Assembly-resolutions on Millennium Development Goals-implementation and Economic and Social Council-reform (2005–2006), Personal Representative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Counter-Terrorism (2003), Special Envoy of the Prime Minister to the

New Partnership for Africa's Development The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) is an economic development program of the African Union. NEPAD was adopted at the 37th session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in July 2001 in Lusaka, Zambia. NEPAD aims to p ...

(NEPAD) (2002–2005). Verbeke worked in the Ministry as the Deputy Director General for Political Affairs and as the Deputy Chief of Mission in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Since then, he was the Chef de Cabinet of the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

. Verbeke was the permanent representative of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

and to its Security Council. He was briefly the UN special coordinator for

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

, serving as the United Nations Secretary General's representative in Lebanon. When he served as Permanent Representative of Belgium to the United Nations, he presented his credentials to the

United Nations Secretary-General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. The role of the secretary-ge ...

on 16 September 2004. Later, Verbeke was the Secretary-General's Special Representative and Head of the UN Observer Mission in Georgia ( UNOMIG) in 2008–09. From 2010 until 2014, Verbeke was the Belgian Ambassador to the United Kingdom. As of January 2014, Johan Verbeke is the Belgian Ambassador to the United States in

Offices held

References

External links

The United Nations list of current heads of missions (PDF)The biography of Johan Verbeke at the Permanent Mission of Belgium to the United NationsCV Ambassador Johan Verbeke
Living people 1951 births Belgian politicians Belgian diplomats Permanent Representatives of Belgium to the United Nations Ambassadors of Belgium to the United Kingdom Yale Law School alumni Nancy-Université alumni Ambassadors of Belgium to the United States {{Belgium-diplomat-stub