In the Global Talks, organized by TU Delft / Global Initiative, thought leaders on global development share their ideas. On October 25, Meike van Ginneken (CEO SNV Netherlands Development Organisation) talks about how we can use data as an antidote to negativity and hopelessness. Walk-in and lunch is at 12:45, the lecture starts at 13:00. 

Reading newspapers and watching TV leaves you with a feeling of doom and gloom. Epidemics, natural disasters, hunger, and violence seem to be everywhere every day. However, looking at the data over the past decades shows a different and more hopeful picture. It shows that while the situation certainly is bad for some people, at the same time things can be getting better for billions of others. How can we use data as an antidote to negativity and hopelessness?

Speaker

Meike van Ginneken has been innovating in complex environments for over twenty years. Since January 1, 2018, she is CEO of SNV, an international development organization with specialist expertise in Agriculture, Energy, and Water, Sanitation & Hygiene. Before working at SNV, Van Ginneken served as the World Bank’s Water Manager for South Asia. Van Ginneken holds Master’s Degrees in Civil Engineering (TU Delft) and in Change Management and started her career with the NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF). In 2002 she joined the World Bank and since then has held several positions in the water, agriculture, and energy sectors.