karen duys

Karen duys

She is a highly experienced senior advisor to governments and social organizations who has worked for governments at local, regional, and international levels for over 30 years. She has been committed to concrete cooperation between governments (municipalities, ministries), institutions, and small and medium-sized companies between the Netherlands, Europe, and the rest of the world. She has greatly contributed to building Netherlands-India exchange.

During her work with the municipality of The Hague for more than 15 years, Karen put cooperation with India on the Dutch agenda, resulting in many delegations led by the Mayor of The Hague to Bangalore and resulting in many MOUs with the State government of Karnataka in the areas of care, economy, water, and infrastructure. For the past 10 years, Karen has also served as a senior advisor to the Mayor of Rotterdam and aldermen of various municipalities. She also led the implementation of the noted Healthcare and Participation Act at the Department of Health and Welfare of the City of The Hague, Netherlands, as well as at the Care, Welfare, and Culture department of the province of North-Holland, and the Strategic Economic Projects Unit of the province of South Holland.

Karen was elected as a member of the city council of the municipality of Rotterdam for more than 10 years. She was the leader of a political party and a member of special committees on Labour & Education, Economics & Urban Development, and Care & Welfare. She was also a member of the confidential committee for the selection of the Mayor of the municipality of Rotterdam.

She described her experiences of being a politician in the Dutch administrative and political system in a book entitled “Dual of Duel.” This book has been distributed among all Dutch representatives in the Netherlands and is used at the university for students of Public Administration.

With a degree in Public Administration from Rotterdam and Leiden universities, Karen believes that the Netherlands and Europe can learn a lot from the innovation and strength that manifests itself in India. Conversely, the Netherlands and other European countries have a lot to offer India as well. Karen is also the Founder and President of Eur India Connection, a Dutch-Indo organization that works to build an international network of organizations committed to sustainable projects.

She is also the founder of the non-profit Planet Hope foundation, which initiates educational and empowerment programs and provides vocational education, training, support, and scholarship programs in different communities in India, Peru, and Ethiopia, enabling many young women to dream, learn, travel, and explore, building their self-confidence and exposure in priceless ways.

In the last 10 years, thousands of youngsters and families have been supported and guided to develop and use their talents to get jobs and start their own enterprises. Planet Hope has branch offices in Bangalore with outreach to Pondicherry and Darjeeling. She also serves on several advisory boards of civil society organizations in the Netherlands, including the Arosa Foundation, the largest women’s shelter organization in Rotterdam; the Resto van Harte Foundation, which is dedicated to combating social isolation and stimulating contact between local residents by setting up social restaurants; the Mano Foundation, which stimulates youngsters to participate in society and creates the conditions for people to discover and use their talents and unique qualities; and Laurens Fund, which supports projects and social initiatives aimed at receiving, strengthening social connections, and empowering marginalized and vulnerable people, especially young people and the elderly.