Joan Boer,

Mr  Joan Boer is Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the OECD since 2004
and is currently Chair of the External Relations Committee (ERC) of the OECD.

Mr. Boer was born on January 9,1950.

By training he is a social planner, majoring in anthropology.

From 1975 to 1979, he was the regional and national representative of the Netherlands Volunteer Service in Kenya and Rwanda. From 1979-1986 onwards he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Assignements included the Research and Technology Programme and management positions in the Food Security, Agriculture. Nutrition and Food Aid Programme as well as the Latin America Department. From 1993 to 1996, he headed the technical advisory unit and was Director of the Special Programmes Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1996-1998, he was director Rural and Urban Development.

From 1998 until his appointment as Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the OECD, Mr. Boer was Deputy Director General for International Co-operation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During that period he was in charge of bilateral co-operation, non-governmental organisations, environment and sustainable development, education and research, social development, evaluation and monitoring and policy development and executed major reforms in the Development Approach of the Netherlands.

Mr  Boer is co-author of a major policy document ("A World of Difference").

Mr. Boer was member of various boards of national and international organisations, NGOs and private foundations, both as citizen and in official capacities. From 1998-2002 he was the President of the Club du Sahel and West Africa anOECD affiliate.

Mr Boer has extensive travel experience in Africa, Latin America and Asia over a period of 25 years.

He is married and has 2 grown-up children.