Rebekka van Roemburg

Independent Consultant International Development at SRHR

My experience and deep interests:

• Gender Equity

I am based in: The Hague

I am a versatile development professional with a strong and abiding commitment to sustainable human development. I believe in the right of every human being to fully develop his or her potential and that self-determination, gender equality, respect for diversity and realizing the right to education and health are crucial elements of sustainable development. I have had the privilege to live and work in Egypt, Tanzania and Yemen. For the past 10 years I have worked at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, lastly as head of the Health and AIDS division. However, I was yearning for more autonomy and decided to leave. Since March 2015 I have been working as an independent consultant on international development – undertaking assignments thus far for NGO’s working on sexual health and gender equality.

My ambition goes beyond meeting the needs of individual clients. I want to contribute to innovation that can catalyze sustainable change. In my almost thirty years of working in development cooperation, I have seen fashions and dogmas come and go and critics and defenders cross swords over the need for and effectiveness of foreign aid in its various forms. Public opinion is now a strange mix of deep cynicism, indifference and growing involvement. Inequality and exclusion are universal and the interconnected world we live in requires interconnected thinking and acting. More of the same is not what we need. By establishing a network of inspiring and inspired practitioners, I want to develop implementable ideas that can convince organizations to go outside of their comfort zones and demonstrate and trigger change.

I have two wonderful daughters (23 and 20) and love to sing and dance (among many other things that make me happy).