Hans Merket

Hans Merket is a researcher focusing on the link between natural resources and conflict, development and human rights. Hans has a PhD in law from Ghent University, with a dissertation on the European Union and the security-development nexus. Since 2016, Hans works for the Antwerp-based research institute IPIS (International Peace Information Service), where he has been leading research projects on due diligence in mineral supply chains and the broader business and human rights agenda. With a focus on natural resource exploitation in African countries, this involves research projects on gold and diamond mining in Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and Zimbabwe. Hans also coordinates IPIS’ work on monitoring the global diamond trade and has been assessing the impact and effectiveness of efforts to fight conflict diamonds, money laundering and terrorist financing. This work is linked to the organisation’s membership of the civil society observer coalition to the Kimberley Process (a UN-mandated entity that operates a global certification scheme to stop the trade in conflict diamonds).

Prior to this work as researcher, Hans obtained working experiences in several EU institutions, namely the European External Action Service (EU Delegation to Ethiopia – section on Governance and Civil Society) and the European Commission (DG EuropeAid Development and Cooperation – unit on Aid Programming and Management).