Awards of Courage

Peter van Rooijen

Honoring with Pride 2006 Honoree
 

A leading AIDS advocate in the Netherlands, Europe, and around the world, Peter van Rooijen has been instrumental in building a number of important AIDS organizations. He currently serves on the board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, and until 2006 he was the executive director of Aids Fonds and STOP AIDS NOW!

Mr. van Rooijen has been involved in AIDS-related work since 1985, initially as a psychotherapist and director of care services at the Schorer Foundation. In 1992 he began work with the Netherlands’ National Committee on AIDS Control, followed by his appointment as director of Aids Fonds, a policy and fund-raising organization dedicated to supporting HIV/AIDS activities in the Netherlands along with scientific research and treatment access in developing countries.

In his role with Aids Fonds, Mr. van Rooijen offered crucial early support to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI). He has been a strong advocate for microbicide research, cooperating with the International Partnership for Microbicides to build support for microbicide development in Europe. Under his leadership, Aids Fonds has provided significant support for amfAR’s TREAT Asia initiative. It has also played an important role in helping to establish the PharmAccess Foundation, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to HIV/AIDS treatment and care in resource-limited countries.

Mr. van Rooijen helped create a Brussels office to represent HIV/AIDS-related non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and to better advocate for HIV/AIDS funding from the European Commission. In addition, he has been involved in the establishment of the World AIDS Campaign and AIDS Action Europe, the European network for HIV/AIDS NGOs. In 2000, he initiated STOP AIDS NOW!, a partnership that links Aids Fonds with four major Dutch development agencies. STOP AIDS NOW! is also the founding partner of Dance4Life, a global initiative focusing on mobilizing youth to fight HIV/AIDS.

Mr. van Rooijen is currently involved in setting up a global network of NGOs known as International Civil Society Support. The group seeks to support the creation of a comprehensive HIV/AIDS agenda developed and directed by civil society. Mr. van Rooijen lives in Amsterdam with his long-time partner and his daughter.