On 1 February 2023 Afke van Rijn was appointed Vice-Minister for the Environment at the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. The areas she is responsible for include the circular economy, waste management, environmental protection, air quality and climate adaptation policy, as well as bilateral, multilateral and EU affairs relating to the Ministry's policies. Afke van Rijn was previously Deputy Director-General for COVID-19 at the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport from April 2021. Prior to this she was Director of the Media and Creative Industries Department, and Deputy Director-General and coordinating director for Equal Opportunities in Education at the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. Other positions she has held include Director of the Integration and Society Department at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, Director of the Directorate for Local Safety at the Ministry of Security and Justice, and various roles at the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Ms Van Rijn studied computer engineering at Delft University of Technology. She is married and has two children