Early years
[International work experience] nodaļā After graduating with honors in law at Leiden University in December 1974, Tjaco van den Hout joined the Dutch foreign service the following year. He served at embassies in Lagos (trade promotion), Jakarta (macro-economic analysis/reporting) and Maputo (Chargé d'Affaires/Head of Mission). Subsequently assigned to the Dutch permanent mission to the United Nations in New York, he represented the Netherlands inter alia on the governing boards of UNICEF and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and sat on the ACABQ - an expert committee advising the UN General Assembly on financial, administrative and managerial issues pertaining to the United Nations Organization. He returned to the foreign ministry after 5 years with two back-to-back assignments first as deputy director International Organizations, then as deputy chief of the Foreign Service.
Ambassadorial rank
Following his posting in The Hague he was appointed consul-general in New York to manage the country's largest consular post, comparable in both size and responsibility to a medium-sized Dutch embassy and with jurisdiction in northeastern US, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He returned to the foreign ministry after 3 years as its deputy secretary general (under secretary for administration and management).
Head of international organization
He stepped down from that post after 2 years to take the helm at the Permanent Court of Arbitration - a treaty based international organization devoted to the peaceful resolution of international disputes and headquartered alongside the International Court of Justice (World Court) in the Peace Palace at The Hague. After his first five year term was unanimously re-elected to a second term. Permanent Court of Arbitration
Photo: Welcoming UN Secretary General Kofi Annan
In June 2008, after having served the organization for nine years and overseeing its revitalization, he announced his intention to step down and return to diplomatic service. Letter from UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband
Ambassadorial appointment
He was appointed Netherlands ambassador to Thailand, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia and Laos with residence in Bangkok taking up his duties in September 2008. Upon completion of his assignment he was awarded the Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Order of the White Elephant for his contribution to the strengthening of relations between Thailand and the Netherlands. He frequently traveled to the other countries under his jurisdiction, in particular to Burma/Myanmar where he met not only with senior government officials but also, following her release from house arrest in November 2010, on several occasions with Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Photo: meeting with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi