Antonie de Jong

Antonie “Ton” de Jong served as the Director of Resource Mobilization on the Strategic Partnerships Division of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), a position he held from 2010 until his retirement last year. Prior to that, he served as Director of the Outreach and Business Development Team of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), from 2007 to 2010.

While at UN Women, Mr. de Jong participated in two important outreach initiatives to combat violence against women. The first initiative, “Speak Out! Climb Up! Africa UNiTE to End Violence Against Women” in March 2012, organized as part of the Secretary-General’s UNiTE campaign, was a climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, reaching the summit on March 8, International Women’s Day. Also in 2012, he participated in the “Ride On! Speak Out!” initiative of the UNiTE campaign, as one of 15 men who rode more than 5,000 miles as part of a motorcycle caravan across nine countries in southern Africa to raise awareness about violence against women and girls.

Mr. de Jong also served as Deputy Chief of the Resource Mobilization Branch of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) from 2000-2007. Prior to that, he served as UNFPA representative in Haiti, with additional responsibility for the Dominican Republic. During that period, he chaired the UNAIDS joint program on HIV/AIDS in Haiti and spearheaded a collaborative AIDS prevention campaign.

Mr. de Jong has also served as a diplomat in the Foreign Service of the Netherlands, working in the Dutch Embassies in Lagos, Nigeria and Bogotá, Colombia. During his assignment in Nigeria, he published a book on Benin. Mr. de Jong served as the primary liaison with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Program in the Department of International Organizations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague. In addition, he served as First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of The Netherlands to the United Nations in New York, covering United Nations funds and programs and representing his country on the Economic and Social Council, Executive Boards, and in negotiations for the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo.

Before joining the Foreign Service, Mr. de Jong taught geography, history, sociology, religion, and the Dutch language in high schools in the Netherlands. He holds a Master’s Degree in geography from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands and a Certificate in Diplomacy from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He speaks five languages, and his hobbies include chess, motorcycling, kayaking, and exploring the outdoors.