Henk Ovink

Prof. Henk Ovink is Executive Director for the Global Commission on the Economics of Water. He was the first global water ambassador, appointed in 2015 by the Dutch Cabinet as Special Envoy for International Water Affairs. As Ambassador to the UN on Water, he led the second UN Water Conference in 2023. Henk is Professor in Watercycle Diplomacy and Design at the University of Delft, is Senior Fellow at Wageningen University, and the Chair of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Board of Governors.
Henk served on President Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force where he led the long-term innovation, resilience, and rebuilding efforts and developed and led the groundbreaking ‘Rebuild by Design’ competition.
He was both Acting Director General of Spatial Planning and Water Affairs and Director National Spatial Planning for the Netherlands.
He was the 10th recipient of the Foreign Affairs Decoration of Honor in Gold for his global leadership on water diplomacy.