Tanja Gonggrijp was appointed Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg in August 2022. Since 2004 Tanja has occupied a variety of positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Before her move to Strasbourg she was ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Prior to this her roles included member of the management team of the Sustainable Economic Development Department and adviser to the Director-General for International Cooperation. She was also involved in updating the ministry’s personnel policy and oversaw political and cultural affairs at the Dutch embassy in Dakar.

Tanja began her career at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations “Clingendael” in The Hague. Throughout her career she has had a special interest in sustainability, democracy, the rule of law and human rights, including strengthening the position of women.