Ben Knapen

Hubertus Petrus Maria "Ben" Knapen (born 6 January 1951) is a Dutch historian and politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 24 September 2021 to 10 January 2022. A member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), he previously was State Secretary for Foreign Affairs from 2010 to 2012 and parliamentary leader in the Senate from 2019 to 2021.

Ben Knapen
Knapen in 2021
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 24 September 2021 – 10 January 2022
Prime Minister	Mark Rutte
Preceded by	Tom de Bruijn (Acting)
Succeeded by	Wopke Hoekstra
Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal in the Senate
In office 11 June 2019 – 24 September 2021
Preceded by	Elco Brinkman
Succeeded by	Joop Atsma
Senator of the Netherlands
In office 9 June 2015 – 24 September 2021
State Secretary for Foreign Affairs
In office 14 October 2010 – 5 November 2012
Prime Minister	Mark Rutte
Preceded by	Frans Timmermans
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Personal details
Born	Hubertus Petrus Maria Knapen (1951-01-06) 6 January 1951 (age 74) Kaatsheuvel, Netherlands
Political party	Christian Democratic Appeal
Education	Radboud University Nijmegen (BA, MA, PhD)

Career

Knapen was the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs in the first Rutte cabinet, serving from 14 October 2010 to 5 November 2012. His portfolio comprised European Union matters, as well as international aid.^[1] Then he was on the advisory board of OMFIF where he was regularly involved in meetings regarding the financial and monetary system.

Other activities

• Bilderberg Group, attendee of the 1991 meeting in Baden-Baden^[2]
• African Development Bank (AfDB), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (2010–2012)^[3]

Decorations

•  Netherlands: Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau (7 December 2012)
•  Norway: Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (9 September 2021)