The Carnegie Foundation, owner and manager of the Peace Palace, welcomes Civil Law Professor Carla Sieburgh as a new member of its board. The professor was appointed to the board by royal decree, effective February 1, 2026. Sieburgh officially began her duties at the board meeting on February 16, 2026, and will be responsible for the legal portfolio for the coming years.
Academic Expertise and International Experience
Prof. Sieburgh is a leading legal scholar with extensive experience in the judiciary, academia, and international legal cooperation. From 2017 to 2024, she served as a justice of the Supreme Court of the Netherlands and, in that capacity, as an extraordinary State Councillor at the Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State. She was also a member of the Commission on Legal Uniformity, in which the highest Dutch courts collaborate on consistency between civil and administrative law.
In addition to her judicial career, Carla Sieburgh has a long academic record. She has been a professor of civil law at Radboud University Nijmegen since 2003 and a research professor of civil law at Radboud University Nijmegen since 2010. Since 2010, she has been a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her academic work largely takes place in an international context and includes publications in the fields of European and private law. Partly on her initiative, Sieburgh, together with a diverse group of international researchers, created the lus Commune Casebook European Law and Private Law , which combines European law and private law.
In the field of international law, Sieburgh holds various administrative and advisory positions. For example, she represents the Netherlands on the Governing Council of UNIDROIT (International Institute for the Unification of Private Law) and chairs the Asser Advisory Council.
Involvement in the mission of the Peace Palace
Carla Sieburgh’s career has been characterized by collaboration and connecting diverse experts and disciplines. For example, she served not only as a justice at the Supreme Court but also as a liaison officer between civil, criminal, and tax law, a role in which she brought together different perspectives to arrive at joint solutions. Sieburgh is looking forward to applying her experience and expertise to the Peace Palace:
I am deeply aware of the vital importance of the institutions housed in the Peace Palace – the International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Hague Academy of International Law, and the Library – for both public and private international law. It is a special privilege and a responsibility to contribute to good governance, social responsibility, the sustainable preservation of cultural heritage, and the support of the goals and values of these institutions.
Carnegie Foundation Board
The Carnegie Foundation board consists of six members who are jointly responsible for the management and maintenance of the Peace Palace and for supporting the institutions located there. Prof. Carla Sieburgh was appointed to the board by royal decree effective February 1, 2026, and was officially welcomed at the board meeting of February 16, 2026. She succeeds Els Wesseling-van Gent, whose term of office expires. The board thanks her for her valuable dedication and commitment during this past period.
