Biographical Note

NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF BELGIUM PRESENTS CREDENTIALS

(Based on information received from the Protocol and Liaison Service.)

Jean De Ruyt, the new permanent Representative of Belgium to the United Nations, today presented his credentials to Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Since 1997, Mr. De Ruyt has been Director for Political Affairs in the Belgian Foreign Ministry.  From 1996 to 1997, he served as his country’s Permanent Representative to the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).  He also served as his country’s Ambassador in Warsaw, Poland from 1994 to 1996.

Mr. De Ruyt began his long diplomatic career in the early 1970s, with posts in Kinshasa (1973-1974), Algiers (1975-1978) and New York (1978-1981).  From 1982 to 1987 he served as Belgium’s Permanent Representative to the European Union.  He was also the Minister-Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission for the Belgian Embassy in Washington, D.C from 1987 to 1991.  During the early 1990s, he held two positions in the Foreign Ministry of Brussels; from 1991 to 1994 as the Director of Politico-military Affairs (1991-1994); and Permanent Representative to the Western European Union (1993-1994).    

Born on 14 September 1947 in Louvain, Belgium, Mr. De Ruyt received a Doctor of Laws, the University of Louvain, in 1969.  The following year, he earned a graduate degree in Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, Bologna.  He speaks five languages -- French, English, Spanish, Italian and Dutch and has published various articles on European institutions and defence policy.

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