Women for Water Partnership Steering Committee
![]() President
Mariet Verhoef-Cohen President Women for Water Partnership ( WfWP), April 2014 – April 2020 President Soroptimist International (SI), August 2017 – December 2019 Co-Chair WASAG, Water Scarcity in Agriculture platform, April 2017 - present Representative World Water Council for WfWP; Founder and owner of Bacolet Translations BV (translation company) Supervisory Board member CATENT, 2014-present; Board Member Soroptimist International Europe ( SIE) , 2009-2015; President Soroptimist International of Europe (SIE), 2007-2009; Liaison officer to form a Future African Soroptimist Federation on the African Continent 2012-2015 Officer in the Royal Order of Oranje Nassau of The Netherlands and Knight in the National Order of the Republic of Madagascar |
![]() Vice-President
Margarida Yassuda Member of International Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPWI); Director-Secretary of BPW Brasil; Vice-President of BPW São Paulo and member of BPWI BusinessNet TaskForce; Delegate to the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) since 2014; Executive-Director in the Hospitality Industry; Winner "Engaging Guests in Environmental Actions" by UNEP and WWF; Co-owner and founder of Yassuda&Yasuda Eventos |
![]() Treasurer
Marjon Verkleij Member Vrouwen van Nu Member of Advisory Board Dutch Development Organization Agriterra, 2014 City counselor (since 2011), party leader of local political party CDA Alphen a/d Rijn Core ambassador of ActionAid NL, 2012-2014 Member of the Rotarian commission ‘Walk for Water’ Advisor of the Board of LTO-Noord Alphen-Nieuwkoop, since 2007 Co-owner of an agricultural enterprise since 1994 (dairy and farmer cheese factory) ![]()
Honorary Secretary Emma Anakhasyan Member of the Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment NGO/AWHHE Member of the Council of AWHHE (since 2002) Member of the board of the Rural Sustainable Development Agricultural Fund (since 2018) Member on behalf of AWHHE in the Armenian National Committee of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme, (since 2021) Member on behalf of AWHHE in the Regulatory Board of the Water User Associations (since 2020) Member on behalf of AWHHE in the Steering Committee of the EU Water Initiative (EUWI) National Policy Dialogue (NPD) (since 2007) Co-owner of Red House Hatis Guest House (since 2019) ![]() Advocacy
Lesha Witmer Member of BPWI and VAM foundation (Women and Labour Market); Alternate delegate WfWP to the World Water Council; Alternate Member EUWI Coordinating Committee and Delegate to HLPF SD (women major group); co-thematic coordinator Governance theme for the 8thWWForum; co-facilitator European Pact for Water (2016-); Chair VAM foundation; steering committee member of the Butterfly Effect NGO coalition; UN representative of Business & Professional Women International; Chair (2017-2019) of the Social Impacts, etc. chamber of the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Council and member PCG; Steering Committee ClimateIsWater Campaign. Independent senior consultant on water governance and gender- issues related to water. Founding- and former SC member (treasurer) of WfWP; past Chair of standing committee on Environment, Sustainable Development & Water of IFBPW; former Vice-president of International Secretariat for Water / Solidarity Water Europe; (former) member of the International Standard Development Committee for Water Stewardship. |
![]() Member
Kusum Athukorala Currently senior advisor of the Sri Lanka Water Partnership and chair of NetWwater, member of the Coast Conservation Advisory Council Sri Lanka and the WATSAN Committee Sri Lanka, founding member and former SC member of WFWP, alternate delegate of WfWP to the World Water Council and Butterfly Effect, co-chair of UNESCO WWAP, founding member of Theme Leader Advocacy Crossing Boundaries Gender and Water in South Asia for SaciWATERS, and Advisor, consultant and resource person for a range of national and international organizations. Previously also Global Steering Committee member and South Asia Regional Committee member for Global Water Partnership Member, Chair of the Sri Lanka Water Partnership, Trustee of the National Community Water Trust, Sri Lanka and university teacher in languages and cultural studies, Co - coordinator Women s Prep Conferences for three World Water Fora for WFWP and coordinator and Presenter for WFWP at Stockholm Water Symposium and CSW. Recipient of the International Water Association’s International Women in Water Award and of the the Zonta Woman of Achievement for Environment Award. ![]() Member
Rose Mwangi Member of Soroptimist International (SI) specifically SI Karen Blixen Club, Kenya;
![]() Member
Ulla Madsen Soroptimist International Europe (SIE) representative to WfWP 2017 -2019 Special consultant for SIE to Eastern Europe 2017- 2019 Representative of Europe: Europe-North America Caucus of Women, UN-NGO-CSW 2019 - Representative of the Danish Government Delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) New York 2018 - SIE President 2013-2015 SIE board member 2009 – 2017 SI board member 2011 – 2017 Founder and owner of Ulla Madsen Consulting - 2017 |