Irene Dankelman, founder of Both ENDS becomes Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau
Last Saturday, 10 December, Both ENDS' founder, board member and advisor Irene Dankelman was awarded the title of Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau for her work supporting marginalised groups around the world. Both ENDS is delighted that that Irene has been honoured for the work she has done to achieve a fair and sustainable world.
Irene was a key figure in the birth of Both ENDS, more than three decades ago. The organisation was set up following the publication of her book on the importance of women in the sustainable management of land and water. For Both ENDS, which became an independent organisation at the end of the 1980s, this thinking remains one of its main guiding principles.
Women's role in decision-making on nature and the environment
Back then, the notion that women all over the world suffer more from environmental degradation and climate change than men, and that they can and should play a very prominent role in solving these problems was by no means widely accepted. The fact that that message is now being embraced more and more is not in the last place thanks to Irene. Until today, she has never stopped calling at national and international level for women to have equal opportunities and rights in decision-making on nature and the environment.
Lasting ties with Both ENDS
Although she developed a wide range of activities – among other things, she was for many years a lecturer at the Radboud University in Nijmegen – Irene never broke her ties with Both ENDS. She was long a member of the board and she sits on the Advisory Council of Both ENDS' youth programme, the Joke Waller Hunter initiative, which provides small scholarships for young environmental leaders around the world.
Extra force for her message
We are certain that the royal honour will give Irene's message extra force and that, in that knowledge, politicians, entrepreneurs, academics and policymakers will take resolute measures to achieve her ideals.
More information
In December 2020, Both ENDS celebrated 30 years as an independent organisation, and we interviewed Irene to mark the occasion.
See here too the news item on the appointment on Saturday 10 December
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