Justice & Peace welcomes Pascal Richard as new director
The board of Justice & Peace has appointed Pascal Richard as its new director. Pascal brings more than 20 years of experience in the international NGO sector, where he has worked, among other things, as a bridgebuilder between (local) NGOs, international organisations, governments and donors. We are delighted to welcome Pascal to our organisation.
Under Pascal’s leadership, we will build on our firmly established programmes and strengthen a movement of engaged citizens and organisations working together for human rights, in the Netherlands and worldwide.
Over the years, Pascal has worked on peace, human rights and humanitarian issues in a range of roles and regions, including with local peace activists at the GPPAC network and as deputy head of the humanitarian aid department of Switzerland. In Brussels, he built a European network on Zimbabwe to coordinate lobbying towards the EU, and at Cordaid he was closely involved in developing a new strategic compass. The common thread running through his work has always been solidarity with and support for local human rights defenders working towards a just and humane future. In his most recent position as a manager at the Red Cross, his work included issues around the dignified reception of refugees in the Netherlands.
Justice & Peace appeals to Pascal because, in a rapidly changing context, the organisation develops concrete courses of action, drives systemic change and works on themes that align with his personal motivations: peace, human rights and social justice.
“Especially now, when values such as justice and solidarity are under pressure, the work of Justice & Peace is all the more important. The engaged citizens and human rights defenders I have worked with around the world have shaped who I am. I look forward to working alongside them and my colleagues at Justice & Peace for a just, humane and equal world.”
– Pascal Richard
Pascal succeeds Sebastiaan van der Zwaan, who recently said farewell to Justice & Peace after more than twenty years.