René van Nes is an European Union career diplomat with over 20 years’ experience in the European Union institutions. He was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

René started his international career in 1991 in Suriname, where he contributed to the country’s first Structural Adjustment Programme. He is delighted to be back in the region as
Ambassador and Head of the European Union Delegation to Guyana and Suriname, also with responsibility for Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Saint-Barthélemy, St Eustatius and St Maarten.

Before coming to Guyana, he worked on conflict prevention and peace mediation in the
EU’s External Action Service. His passion for dialogue and finding peaceful solutions was among others created during the years he was coordinator of the EU’s Libya team.

As Dutch Special Envoy he represented the Dutch government during the Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul (2016).

René holds a master’s degree in macroeconomics from the Free University of Amsterdam with a specialisation in Public Finance and in Development Economics. He served as head of the economic sections in EU Delegations in Ethiopia and Tanzania. Before his career with the European Union, he worked in the private sector as a partner and consultant in a research-based consultancy firm. He started his career in the Dutch Ministry of Finance in 1988.

René is married to Jeannette van Bodegraven, who joined him in Guyana. They have two sons who both study in the Netherlands. René is passionate about politics and hiking.