On behalf of the team and board of HURIDOCS, it is our great pleasure to congratulate Bert Verstappen on his 30th work anniversary with HURIDOCS.
A trained historian, Bert has been working with HURIDOCS since 1987. He has coordinated the work of different task forces and co-authored essential HURIDOCS publications. Today he is involved in many capacity building projects, providing expertise mainly from the documentation angle.
Thirty years of dedication to human rights, documentation and, increasingly, technology would be exceptional by any measure. But Bert’s tenure with HURIDOCS shines even brighter. Few are so humble, so willing to continuously learn, so persistent when the going gets tough and remain positive, irrespective of how difficult situations are. Bert is an inspiration for of his colleagues and HURIDOCS would be impossible to imagine without him. As many have said throughout the years: “If Bert is well, HURIDOCS is well.”
Our partners deeply respect Bert for the contributions he has made and is making to their work in promoting and protecting human rights. It is difficult to even imagine the number of human rights defenders he has trained and inspired in 30 years, but we know that many of them have taken the skills and tools to further their work defending human rights and supporting those who have become victims of human rights violations.
Please join us in congratulating Bert!