Jacek Najder (born 12 December 1960,

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

) is a Polish diplomat and politician who was serving as

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

's ambassador to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

(2007–2008),

undersecretary Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is a ...

of state at the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

(2008–2011), permanent representative to

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

(2011–2016, since 2025).

Life

Najder graduated from Social Studies at the

University of Warsaw The University of Warsaw (, ) is a public university, public research university in Warsaw, Poland. Established on November 19, 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country, offering 37 different fields of study as well ...

(1985). He also has degrees in postgraduate studies in geography at the University of Warsaw (1988). In 1986 he began his professional career in the Public Opinion Research Institute. Between 1988 and 1991, he worked for private companies. From 1991 to 1992 he worked for the UN Mission Iraq. In 1992, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He served at the embassies in

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

(1995–1999) and

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

(2001–2005). Between 2005 and 2007, he was a deputy director and then Director of the MFA Asia and Pacific Department. In March 2007, he was appointed as an Ambassador to Afghanistan. He ended his term on 14 December 2008. Next, he nominated Undersecretary of State at the MFA. From 2011 to 31 December 2016, he served as a Permanent Representative to NATO. From 2017 he worked was consultant for business,

think-tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

s and universities in the fields of

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

, security,

defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

and diplomacy. In 2020, he became Director of the City of Warsaw Bureau of International Cooperation. In June 2024, Najder returned to MFA and took the post of acting Permanent Representative to NATO. In April 2025, he was nominated Permanent Representative to NATO.

Honours

* 2011 – Officer's Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

Personal life

Married with two children. Besides Polish he speaks English and Russian.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Najder, Jacek 1960 births 21st-century Polish politicians Ambassadors of Poland to Afghanistan Living people Officers of the Order of Polonia Restituta Politicians from Warsaw Diplomats from Warsaw Permanent representatives of Poland to NATO University of Warsaw alumni