Dr Marko Rakovec, Ambassador

Dr. Marko Rakovec has served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Slovenia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 2026. Prior to his appointment as Ambassador, he served as Director-General of the Directorate for International Law and Protection of Interests and Chief Legal Adviser at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, a position he held from April 2020.

During his tenure at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, he focused particularly on public international law, international criminal and humanitarian law, human rights, and the representation of the interests of the Republic of Slovenia before international courts. Among other responsibilities, he serves as an Agent of the Republic of Slovenia in proceedings before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

In 2023, he served as Secretary-General of the Diplomatic Conference for the Adoption of the Convention on International Cooperation in the Investigation and Prosecution of Genocide, Crimes against Humanity, War Crimes and Other International Crimes, held in Ljubljana in May 2023.

Before his appointment as Director-General, he served as Head of the Human Rights Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2020. Between 2013 and 2018, he was posted to the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Zagreb, where he served as Deputy Head of Mission. From August 2015 to February 2016, he also served as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim.

A significant part of his diplomatic career has been closely associated with the United Nations. From 2005 to 2009, he served as Second Secretary and Legal Adviser at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Slovenia to the United Nations in New York. Among other responsibilities, he served as Rapporteur of the Sixth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly during its 63rd session and as Focal Point for Universality in the work of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Earlier in his career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he also worked in the International Law Department and on matters relating to security policy and NATO.

Dr. Marko Rakovec graduated with honours from the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana. He also obtained a Master's degree in Economic Sciences from the School of Economics and Business of the University of Ljubljana. In 2015, he earned his PhD in International Law from the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana, with a doctoral dissertation on universal jurisdiction over international crimes.

He pursued further professional training in international law, the law of armed conflict and international crimes at Columbia University in New York and completed the European Diplomatic Programme.

He is the author of several academic and professional publications in the fields of international law, international criminal law, European law and international economic relations. His publications address, among other topics, universal jurisdiction over international crimes, the crime of aggression, the responsibility to protect, state succession and international criminal justice. He is a member of the Slovenian Branch of the International Law Association.

He speaks Slovenian, English, French, German, Croatian and Italian.

Dr. Marko Rakovec is married and has two children.