A new executive director starts work today at ECPAT International, as Dutchman Robbert van den Berg joins the ECPAT Secretariat team in Bangkok.
Van den Berg brings more than 25 years of development, humanitarian and human rights experience to ECPAT and comes to the organization from Oxfam, where he has held several high-level executive posts in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America over the past 15 years.
In a recent message to ECPAT member organizations, Carol Bellamy, Chair of ECPAT’s Board of Trustees, said that she was delighted to welcome the new Executive Director.
“His range of ability and accomplishment will not only advance ECPAT’s legacy of activism against the sexual exploitation of children, but will also provide the leadership required to realise our full potential,” she said, adding that “his enthusiasm for ECPAT reflects his long time commitment to issues of social injustice, poverty and indignity.”
Van den Berg, who holds a master’s degree in international development sociology, said that he was honoured and humbled to take up the new post.
“I am fully committed to ECPAT’s mission and values, and I look forward to working closely with its staff, the global network members and board to take forward ECPAT’s amazing achievements in the global fight against the sexual exploitation of children,” he said.
He takes up the post after Dorothy Rozga completed her term this month following more than five years of dedicated service to ECPAT.