HCSS is pleased to announce that Sven Koopmans has joined us as Chair Negotiation and Conflict Resolution!
Dr. Sven M. G. Koopmans (Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 1973) is a peace negotiation specialist, senior diplomat, former national politician, and international lawyer. From 2021 to early 2025 he was EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, appointed by the 27 Foreign Ministers of the European Union, for two terms.
Between 2017 and 2021 he was Member of Parliament in the Netherlands, where he was spokesman on Foreign Affairs for the governing VVD party, and Head of Delegation in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Between 2003 and 2016 he worked for the European Union, United Nations and other international organisations on peace processes for Cyprus, Kosovo, Mali, Sudan and Syria, among others. Between 2001 and 2007 he was also a barrister (advocaat) at the global law firm of Clifford Chance.
On joining the team at The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, he commented:
“At this time of conflict, insecurity and uncertainty for the Netherlands and the world, The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies helps understand, navigate and address the issues of today and tomorrow. I hope my background in diplomacy, politics, law and scholarship can contribute to the work of HCSS’s bright and resourceful team.”
Koopmans is the author of several books on conflict resolution, security and foreign policy, among which Koopman Dominee Generaal (Boom, 2021) in Dutch, and Negotiating Peace: A Guide to the Practice, Politics and Law of International Mediation (Oxford University Press, 2018, paperback 2023). He studied law, history and politics at Leiden University, the Netherlands, and holds a doctorate in international law from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, and also studied at SciencesPo (Paris), New York University and Harvard University, the United States.
His incredible experience will be a valuable contribution to HCSS.
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