Lousewies van der Laan is former chef de cabinet of the president of the International Criminal Court. She is a former member of the Netherlands Parliament (leader of the Dutch Democratic Party D66) and the European Parliament, where she was the spokeswoman on human rights. She worked for the European Commission in Brussels and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London. She has also worked as a consultant in international affairs and holds various charitable and advisory positions including with United World Colleges, Women on Top, Youth for Understanding, and UNISCA. She holds a law degree from Leiden University and a diploma in international relations from Johns Hopkins University's School for Advanced International Studies in Bologna. She is currently on a sabbatical during which she is writing and sharing her political experience. Ms. Van der Laan attended the Holocaust Education Planning Conference as well as the Global Citizenship Program at the Salzburg Global Seminar. She also participated in Session 506 on LGBT and Human Rights that was held in June 2013.