About Us
Rights Initiative was founded in 2021 and is registered in The Netherlands as a social enterprise advancing human rights.
We envision a world in which all people enjoy economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights and live in democratic societies with more equal opportunities and distribution of resources and wealth. Our mission is to enhance the resources available to organizations advocating for economic, social, environmental and political rights. We are guided by the following values:
- Equality We consider everyone equal, embrace gender equality and diversity.
- Trust We act in trust and seek to gain the trust of our partners through our actions.
- Openness We are open-minded, transparent and honest on expectations and interests.
- Accountability We are accountable and hold each other mutually responsible on commitments.
- Commitment We commit ourselves to advance economic, social and political rights.
Al-Hassan Adam (PhD) is a visiting Senior Research Fellow at Public Service International Research Unit, University of Greenwich in London. Al-Hassan’s research interests include the financing of public services, with a particular focus on private equity as well as the relationship between the state and citizen engagement. He has also worked as a campaigner and activist in Ghana and England. During that time, he has held positions including the International Coordinator of End Water Poverty (WaterAid), Global Campaign Manager for Essential Services at Oxfam Great Britain and Coordinator of the Africa Water Network. Al-Hassan believes in social justice and human rights.
Paul Groenewegen has been working for three decades in the finance, health and development sector. He gained experience in many African and Asian countries. He worked for over 15 years at Oxfam, where he co-founded the global inequality campaign. He holds an MA in Political Science and International Relations and is an expert in democratic governance, gender, education, health, tax justice and budget advocacy. Previously, he worked at the Ministries of Finance and Health and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). He represented the Netherlands at the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Union (EU) and in Mongolia.