Johanna M. G. (Joke) Brandt, also known internationally as Yoka Brandt (born 1958), is a

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

administrator Administrator or admin may refer to: Job roles Computing and internet * Database administrator, a person who is responsible for the environmental aspects of a database * Forum administrator, one who oversees discussions on an Internet forum * N ...

and

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

who served as her country's Permanent Representative to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

from 2020 to 2024. She was previously Deputy Executive Director of

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

(2012−2016) and the Dutch ambassador to

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

(2000−2004) and

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

(2000−2004).

Career

Brandt studied geography and development at

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; , formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public university, public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2023, it had an enrollment of ...

and worked as a civil servant at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spending some time at the embassy in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, before serving as ambassador to

(2000−2004) and

(2004−2007). In 2007, having returned to The Hague, she became Deputy Director General for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before assuming the role of Director General the following year. After a four-year spell as Deputy Executive Director of

in New York, she was selected to succeed

Renée Jones-Bos Regina Veronica Maria "Renée" Jones-Bos (; ; born 20 December 1952) is a Dutch civil servant and diplomat. She served as Ambassador of the Netherlands to Russia from 2016 to 2019. Previously, Jones-Bos was Ambassador to the United States in Was ...

as Secretary General of the Ministry. In 2020 she was appointed Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the

in New York, the first woman to hold that office. She was succeeded in 2024 by Lise Gregoire-van Haaren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brandt, Joke 1958 births Living people Utrecht University alumni Dutch women civil servants Dutch women diplomats Dutch women ambassadors UNICEF people Permanent representatives of the Netherlands to the United Nations