Bernard Kuiten
Biography:
Current responsibilities
Head of External Relations of the World Trade Organization. Overall responsible for managing relations with business and non-governmental organizations, parliamentarians and other intergovernmental organizations. WTO spokesperson for these sectors.
Bibliography:
Past experience
Professional career started in 1990 at the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands, Directorate General for Foreign Economic Relations. Represented the Netherlands at EU, OECD and WTO level dealing inter alia with shipbuilding, steel and trade in services in general. Active participation in the last two years of the GATT Uruguay Round of negotiations in 1992 and 1993.
From 1995 to 1996, worked in Brussels, Belgium with the European Commission, Directorate General for External Relations, holding responsibility for trade in financial services, basic telecommunications services and audiovisual services. Active participation in the WTO negotiations on financial services and telecommunications services in 1995 and 1996.
From January 1997 to September 1999, first secretary at the WTO Unit of the Permanent Mission of the Netherlands, Geneva, Switzerland. Extensive coverage of various WTO files, including agriculture, investment and dispute settlement at large. Chairman of the WTO Working Party for State Trading Enterprises in 1999.
Languages
Dutch (native), English, French, German.
