Water Envoy Meike van Ginneken

Meike van Ginneken was appointed by the Cabinet of the Netherlands as Water Envoy for the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 2023. As the Ambassador for Water, she is responsible for advocating water awareness around the world, focusing on building institutional capacity and coalitions among governments, multilateral organisations, the private sector and NGOs to address the world’s pressing water needs and help initiate transformative interventions.

As Water Envoy, Meike raises water awareness, builds coalitions across countries and organizations, and shares knowhow for a water secure world. As water is a key issue for many other sectors, she puts a lot of effort in promoting cross sectoral cooperation on water.

Van Ginneken is a recognized water leader who has helped to provide millions of people with access to water & sanitation and energy services. Van Ginneken has interspersed executive headquarter positions at international organizations with extended periods living and working in Africa, Asia and Latin-America. She served as UN Assistant Secretary General at the International Fund for Agricultural Development. As Chief Executive Officer of SNV Netherlands Development Organization, Van Ginneken headed a knowledge driven organization with 1,400 specialized staff working on food, water, and energy. Between 2002 and 2017, Van Ginneken held various leadership positions at the World Bank. She managed the World Bank's US$5B energy portfolio in West & Central Africa and its US$6B water portfolio in South Asia.