Bert Koenders the new president of the FMS

On 24 June, the FMS board appointed Bert Koenders as its new president. A farewell was bid to Manuela Monteiro who had been FMS president for the past six years. Bert Koenders has made a long and impressive career in politics. He worked for the UN and was Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for Development Cooperation. He is currently Professor of Peace, Law and Security at Leiden University ( Kooijmans Chair) and World Bank Special Envoy for Fragility. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the International Crisis Group and Commissioner of the International Commission on Missing Persons. Alongside Bert Koenders, Kirsten Meijer, director of WECF and former international secretary of the Dutch Labour Party, was appointed vice-chair. Ayaan Abukar resigned from the board.