Maria Witteveen was the first female ambassador of the Netherlands, and was also the first female Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the Council of Europe, where she was active from 1956 to 1963.
While serving as the secretary to the Dutch delegation at the first-ever UN General Assembly, her talents were noticed and she was promoted to an expert and officially became part of the Dutch delegation to the UN in New York. From 1956 to 1963, Ms. Witteveen was the Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, where she took many steps to ground the presence of the Dutch delegation while dealing with difficult circumstances. Following her work in Strasbourg, Ms. Witteveen was appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary. During her work, Ms. Witteveen created an international network of female diplomats, which were few at the time, with which she wanted to encourage other women to follow in her steps and become active in international relations.
The next Dutch female ambassador, Janine Ferringa, would not be appointed until 1975. The story of Maria Witteveen’s career gives evidence of the many impediments women had to overcome if they aspired to take up a position in the higher echelons of diplomacy. Ms. Witteveen’s unwavering dedication and hard work paved the way for future generations of female diplomats.
The project “75 women in 75 years of Council of Europe history” is organised by the Delegation of the European Union to the Council of Europe with the Council of Europe and the Permanent Representations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
