NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan

Ambassador Maurits R. Jochems

January - February 2008

Since September 2005, Ambassador Maurits Jochems holds the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Plans in the Operations Division of NATO’s International Secretariat.

He is on secondment to NATO by the Dutch Foreign Ministry and previously held many positions at Dutch embassies abroad (in Jamaica, Bonn, Beirut, Rome and Brussels) as well as at the Ministry in the Hague. Until 2005, he was for 4 years the Director International Security Policy at the Dutch Foreign Ministry, dealing with Dutch participation in international peacekeeping operations and Dutch policies with regard to NATO, EU/ESDP, OSCE, conventional and UN related arms control and disarmament, as well as arms export policy issues.

In his current position Ambassador Jochems deals with civil emergency planning, exercise and crisis management policy and conceptual issues with regard to operations. From October 2005 - February 2006 he was NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative in Pakistan during NATO’s disaster relief operation in support of the Pakistani government’s earthquake relief efforts. Since May 2006, he is NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative for contacts with the African Union. During the period of January-February 2008, he is NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan.

 

1968 - 1972	Royal Military Academy, Breda, The Netherlands
1973 - 1977	Officer Netherlands Army (Infantry)
1977	Masters International Law (drs), University of Utrecht Retired Netherlands Army, joined The Netherlands Foreign Service
1978 - 1985	Postings at the Netherlands Embassies in Kingston (Jamaica), Bonn and Beirut
1985 - 1988	Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Hague
1988 - 1990	Deputy Political Counsellor at The Netherlands Permanent Mission to NATO
1990 - 1994	Head of the Defence Policy Section, NATO's International Staff, Brussels (on secondment)
1994 - 1998	Deputy Director Security Policy Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Hague
1998 - 2001	Minister Plenipotentiary, Deputy Chief of Mission Netherlands Embassy in Rome ( Italy, Cyprus, Malta)
2001 - 2005	Director Security Policy Department ( NATO, EU, OSCE; Netherlands contributions to Peacekeeping Operations; Arms Export Policy; Disarmament and Arms Control), Ministry of Foreign Affairs,The Hague
2005 -	Ambassador, Deputy Assistant Secretary General Planning in the Operations Division of NATO’s International Staff, Brussels (on secondment). October 2005 - February 2006 NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative in Pakistan. May 2006 - …. NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative for Darfur. January-February 2008 NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan.
1975-	Married to Irma Jochems- de Ridder, psychologist-psychotherapist; two daughters Karen (1981) and Stephanie (1983).