New NWP Board Member Annemieke Beekmans

Annemieke Beekmans, Managing Director at AidEnvironment, is the newest member of the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) Board. She succeeds Danielle Hirsch of Both ENDS, who represented the NGOs as a board member for the past four years. We thank Danielle for her efforts and support and welcome Annemieke to the NWP Board.

Who is Annemieke Beekmans?

“My name is Annemieke Beekmans, Managing Director at AidEnvironment. I took office as the new Chair of the NWP NGO Platform and NWP Board Member in May 2022. I have worked for AidEnvironment for some years now, and have a lot of experience in social and environmental impact studies. Before I came to AidEnvironment, I spent 15 years living and working abroad in Sudan, Bolivia and Ecuador.”

Annemieke Beekmans, Managing Director AidEnvironment and newest member of the NWP Board and Chair of the NWP NGO Platform

How do you know NWP and why did you accept the NWP Board Membership?

“I have known NWP for a long time as AidEnvironment is an NWP member and is actively involved in the NWP NGO Platform. The Platform allows members to share knowledge of the water sector, explore forms of cooperation, and, with different actors, influence the water agenda. It is very relevant for AidEnvironment, especially in making the connection between actors in a sometimes fragmented landscape.

There is an increasing sense of urgency from the wider society and from the private sector to take action on Sustainable Development Goal 13 (climate action) and to make connections to SDGs 6 (clean water and sanitation) and 5 (gender equality). Collaboration within the Dutch water sector, and specifically the NGO Platform, can play a substantial and connecting role here.”

What do you hope to add or achieve as NWP Board Member?

“I plan to facilitate new meetings and make the connection between organisations, including those from other sectors. I would like to stimulate cooperation among organisations that complement each other in the search for solutions. I am thinking here of low-threshold forms of knowledge sharing between members, and from members to governments and donors, for example. The knowledge sharing could be in thematic areas and perhaps at country level. As Chair of the NGO Platform and Board Member of NWP, I will contribute both as AidEnvironment and definitely at a personal level to the further development of the Platform.”

About AidEnvironment

AidEnvironment is a not-for-profit sustainability research, strategy and implementation organisation working to achieve transformative sector change. AidEnvironment produces actionable insights and implements sustainable solutions to help protect and restore ecosystems and improve livelihoods in agricultural and forest landscapes across Asia, Africa and Latin America.