Suying Lai
Director
“I have travelled to many countries that have been severely affected by war or natural disasters, such as DRC, Yemen, and Somalia. There, I witnessed firsthand what it means to live without access to clean water, basic medicines or a properly equipped maternity ward.
What drives me in my work is the fight against injustice. It is unconscionable that in a world where we have sufficient resources to provide a dignified life for all, millions of people needlessly suffer.”
Suying is an experienced leader in the humanitarian and development sectors. Throughout her career, she has worked on humanitarian and conflict issues, as well as on disarmament and security affairs, mostly at Dutch NGO Oxfam Novib where she worked for almost 19 years.
In her most recent role at Oxfam Novib, she was head of the SAFE Goal Unit, which focuses on humanitarian aid, migration and peacebuilding. In this role, she was responsible for programme development and innovation, fundraising and advocacy. She worked closely with the wider Oxfam International network in this capacity.
In 2023, Suying led the development of Oxfam Novib’s multi-year strategy, which focused on themes such as the fight for equality, tax and climate justice, gender, humanitarian aid and activism. During this process, she ensured that all stakeholders were on board with the ambitions and that a plan was in place to generate sufficient financial resources to achieve them.
She has lived in Dar es Salaam for three years, and in Geneva, where she worked for the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces, and was an intern at the Permanent Delegation of the European Commission to the United Nations.
Suying studied political science with a focus on international relations at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
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