Protection

As an individual with a deep-rooted passion for political science and a career spanning over two decades at the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), I have continually sought opportunities to make a meaningful impact on governance, public administration reform, and humanitarian efforts around the world. My academic journey, culminating in a master’s degree in political science from the University of Stockholm, laid the foundation for my commitment to creating positive change through sustainable development practices. This academic achievement has provided me with a solid theoretical background, which I have diligently applied to practical scenarios during my extensive professional tenure at Sida. Since 2021, I´m seconded to DG ECHO and I´m currently working at the policy unit focusing on the humanitarian, development peace nexus as well as on social safety nets in humanitarian contexts.

Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working on diverse and complex projects, spanning continents, and encompassing critical issues such as public health administration, fiscal reform, anti-corruption initiatives, social protection, poverty reduction, and human rights-based approaches. My experiences in Bangladesh, Guatemala, Honduras, Afghanistan, Latin America and Brussels have not only broadened my horizons but have also underscored the significance of adaptable, innovative, and evidence-based policymaking to address the multifaceted challenges facing our world today.

I am a human rights practitioner with more than twenty years of experience in post conflict countries as well as in countries in the EU accession process.
My main areas of expertise are post conflict housing, land and property rights, displaced persons, refugees and migrants’ rights, rule of law, legal aid, transitional justice. I have gathered also a significant experience in monitoring and supervising elections both at the field and central level. 
Thanks to these experiences, I developed a series of skills like human rights monitoring and reporting, providing expert advice to governmental bodies, drafting legal documents, advocacy with national authorities, designing projects and tools  for the purpose of protecting human rights.
I have worked extensively in the Western Balkans, mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and  Kosovo and for shorter period of times in Georgia, Ukraine, Rwanda, Jordan and Colombia. Besides these countries, I have recently worked in the United Kingdom as Deputy Director at Europe Regional Office of Amnesty International. 

I worked for international organisations, international NGOs, as well as private companies.  The roles that I covered were characterized by an increasing level of responsibilities and complexity. For these reasons, I moved from human rights officer to legal advisor, to team leader and in my latest assignment I was deputy director for Europe for Amnesty International. During these years I was also happy to work as a free-lance consultant and whenever possible offer my pro bono support to NGOs and other civil society organisations.  

In my work, but also in my life, I am committed to a continuous personal growth, seeking new challenges I am always eager to expand my knowledge and learn new things. For these reasons, I value direct experience, gathered at the field level, which delivers in depth knowledge of the current situation. Experience needs to be combined with the application of existing standards and principles. At the same time humor, kindness, tolerance and a good amount of social skills are also a key features of my professional approach and of my personality.

Long-term (35+ year) experience in sustainable economic development, climate change, environment in different economic sectors as an institutional development, strategic planning, capacity development, and knowledge management and communication expert in programmes and projects in Asia, Africa and Caribbean. Working in multi-disciplinary teams and for international organisations (ADB, UNICEF, UNDP, FAO, UNESCO, AU-NEPAD, IFAD-BSF, UNESCO-IHE, DFID, EC-DG-DEVCO/DG-INTPA, ACP-CTA, CAREC Institute), government and research institutions, universities, NGOs, private sector and (inter)national networks in Asia, Africa, Caribbean and Pacific.
In last two decades advising government institutions, international organisations and civil society organizations and networks in Asia/Pacific and Africa on institutional development, strategic and business planning, capacity development, knowledge and information management, communication, partnerships, use of ICTs, and innovation in different socio-economic sectors.
I have worked with international networks, NGOs, community-based organizations and local communities in the broader context of sustainable development with a focus on poverty reduction, gender equality, sustainable livelihoods, life-long learning, health and education. Before 2000 specifically focused on research and management of fisheries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.

For more information on my projects see: https://nl.linkedin.com/in/ruudcrul