Jan Hoekema is the Chairman of Pugwash Netherlands, alongside roles as an advisor, coach, mediator, and board member of several cultural and non-profit organisations.
Jan has long been active in politics, non-proliferation, security, and nuclear policy, professionally and through personal commitment.
Hoekema joined the Dutch diplomatic service in 1977, holding numerous positions, including Director for UN Political Affairs and Chair of the 1993 Preparatory Committee of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. In 1994, he was elected as a member of Parliament for the Democrat 66 party, where he sat as a member and later chair of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Security Committee.
In 2003, he returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Director of Education, Research, and Culture and Ambassador at large for international cooperation. Retiring from the MFA in 2007, Hoekema became Mayor of Wassenaar, and acting Mayor of Aa En Hunze and Langedijk, positions he held for an 11-year period before moving to Brussels for a year-long consultancy with PA International. He returned to the Netherlands in 2020, where he took up his current role with the Dutch branch of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs.
In addition to his professional roles, Mr Hoekema has written numerous articles on nuclear issues, the NPT, and international security and is the co-author of several books on international affairs.