Interview A climate of change Allert van den Ham took the helm at SNV in December 2011. We spoke to the new CEO about poverty, solutions and SNV’s role in a changing world. We’d like to start with one of the big questions: Is poverty something that can be beaten? Yes, why not? It takes some political will I think. If you look at where we come from, 30 to 40 years ago – if you look at what has happened to life expectancy worldwide, what has happened to maternal mortality, what has happened to education, I think we have come a long way. Is it enough? No, it is not enough. But can we make it? Yes, if we have the right policies in place, if we have sufficient resources in place, and if there is the political will to share and to work together. We also need to work to make development smarter – to ensure that what we are doing is sustainable, that we are working to address the systemic causes of inequity rather than just the symptoms, that our initiatives are tailored to local contexts, and that it is the people on the ground who truly own and drive the development agenda. If we can manage to pull 8 CONNECT #1 JULY 2012 all these factors together, then yes, beating poverty should be possible. Don’t expect it to be possible next year, but it is possible. Is it that belief that has drawn you personally to work in development? What inspires you to keep doing what you do? I was always interested to be part of the international environment and to try to solve some of the problems in the world. It could also have been about problems here in Holland, but I think that is what I like to do – to be part of a group of people who are motivated to undo some wrongs in the world. What has always impressed me is when you see certain people in certain circumstances saying ‘enough is enough and now we are going to do something about it’, collecting their resources and standing up and demanding that wrongs be righted. And if you, as an individual, particularly if you come from abroad, if you can contribute to such a process, that’s a great feeling. What I have learned over the past twenty or thirty years is that those admirable people who have initiated something which is uniquely positive all share one thing: they are curious. They are curious and they want to know what options there are to solve problems, to grab opportunities and to make a difference. That inspires me! > Pagina 7
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