Michaela Prokop (Germany) is a senior economist and strategist with over two decades of international experience at the intersection of economic policy, sustainable finance, and development effectiveness. She offers a unique combination of global policy insight and practical expertise. She has led multidisciplinary teams and complex development portfolios across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa with organizations such as UNDP, the European Union, ADB, the World Bank, and international think tanks.
Her recent work concentrates on financing for development, impact investing ecosystems, and joint approaches under the EU Global Gateway and Team Europe Initiatives. Michaela is a founding task force member of Impact Jordan and has led the flagship Seeds of Impact Initiative. She has advised governments and multilateral platforms on municipal finance, regional economic cooperation, SDG financing frameworks, and crisis response strategies.
An expert in evidence-driven policy and inclusive approaches, Michaela has helped shape national strategies in Jordan, Afghanistan, Vietnam, and the Pacific Countries. She has contributed to flagship initiatives such as UNDP’s Seeds of Impact and the SDG Impact Board. Her policy work is grounded in rigorous research and enriched by hands-on roles in fragile and transitional contexts, from Indonesia to conflict-affected Afghanistan and Yemen..
Michaela holds a Ph.D. in Political Economy of the Middle East from the University of Durham and a BSc in Economics from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. She also has additional training in blended finance and impact measurement. Fluent in English, French, and German, she combines analytical depth with a pragmatic, systems-oriented approach.
She is a published author on topics ranging from fossil fuel reform to development cooperation and has served on the Board of Integrity Watch Afghanistan from 2007 to 2023. Her work informs regional dialogues on impact, resilience, and sustainable development pathways.